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The Economist set up an interactive map (here) where people across the world could vote in the 2008 US Presidential election. Like in the States, this Global Electoral College allocated votes by population, with large countries like China and India getting the most. After 52,000 worldwide votes, the poll has closed: Barack Obama, 97.8%, John McCain, 2.2%. No countries were “strongly” for McCain, with only four “leaning” towards him: Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, and Iraq. You can see the country-by-country breakdown here, and the analysis here.
This reminded me of my biggest question about this election: Why is it even close? Maybe this is indicative of my biases. Improving America’s image in the world is important to me, as an avid traveler. (I cannot count the number of times that people in other countries, upon finding out that I’m American, have responded, “I hate America.” Or, “I don’t hate Americans, but I hate your President.”) About 10 seconds into the Obama-McCain matchup, it was clear to me that Obama’s multilateralism was more globally constructive than McCain’s jingoism. (In The Economist’s poll, both Israel and Arabic countries voted overwhelmingly for Obama.)
Ironically, US polls skewed towards Obama only after domestic matters – i.e., the economy – superseded foreign policy in importance. Maybe American voters care much more about themselves than the rest of the world. I’m still scratching my head as to why the world picks Obama by a landslide, but in the US, it’s still a nail-biter. (This reminds me of the 2004 election; I was in Europe then, and people there were unanimously shocked and appalled.)
Granted, The Economist’s poll is imperfect. The magazine’s readers are not average Americans. (US Economist readers voted 81% Obama, 19% McCain.) They’re likely more educated and more well-informed. But they’re also likely wealthier (who traditionally vote conservative), and The Economist is not an especially liberal publication. Also, perhaps voters in other countries “don’t know what’s best” for the US, though I find that unlikely. In my travels, I’ve found that foreigners often know more than Americans about American history. Things like “racism” and “ignorance” might explain the disparity between The Economist’s and American polls, though it’s not like other countries aren’t racist or full of ignorant voters.
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22 Random Acts of Violence |
In “Ignorant Americans” on 2006’s Cruel, California grinders Phobia said, “Fuck these atrocities and all the bullshit / Patriotic hymns, Bush, and all his endeavors / 4 more years and the nightmare begins / Ignorant Americans!” Other songs also blamed Americans for their own fate. One-minute grindcore explosions aren’t about dialogue.
Yet 22 Random Acts of Violence (Willowtip, 2008) is perhaps unintentionally true to its title. “Nihilistic Grindcore” proclaims, “Life and means to make noise that’s core / Anarchist ideals, nihilistic grindcore!” But “Anarchist Farce” calls out anarchist punks as ineffective – yet ends with, “But we need to fight, so punks unite!” Phobia can’t be that nihilistic if in “Protest//Solution,” they claim that, “Protest / Can save your lives” and “Without hope you are through.” They mirror the mindset of Americans going into this election: confused, pessimistic, yet occasionally hopeful.
Diversity makes this record richer than grindcore’s typical “blastbeats + f.u.” Tempos vary widely, thanks to Danny Walker. In Intronaut, he’s one of metal’s most colorful, nuanced drummers. Here, he’s grossly over-qualified. He’s like a first-person shooter character armed to the teeth, spraying thrash beats, blastbeats, and d-beats with clips to spare. Dialogue from Slacker, Donnie Darko, and Office Space – all zeitgeist-defining films – only adds to the mayhem.
John Haddad, who’s produced great-sounding records (Abysmal Dawn’s latest, everything by Intronaut before their newest one), and who has intriguing projects upcoming (Dreaming Dead’s debut, Hirax’s next full-length), dials up punishing punchiness. Over the years, Phobia’s grindcore hasn’t changed so much as strengthened. It’s professional, pissed-off, and trigger-happy. There’s hardly a soundtrack more appropriate for this time in American history.
Here’s another one I’m sure you’ve heard a lot in your travels in the world:
Obama and McCain are the same person and the circus around them is is an obfuscation of the real politics that define the geopolitical situation. The American public might think that pondering on their choice of king is what being ‘an active citizen’ (where more than 50% of them don’t even do that) is about but it is a smokescreen for their actual powerlessness. Perhaps with the economic crisis more desperate – and effective – political measures will be attempted and adopted by the public at large that could make a real difference on the geopolitical scale but this McCain versus Obama clash of the titans thing really is not it. As far as the rest of the world goes, it’s a fake choice. The interests that guide foreign policy in the US are too entrenched in both of your parties for a face/name switch to make any difference.
You seem to have invested in the result of this election, Cosmo. Perhaps you’re worrying over the wrong things.
No one voted for Ralph Nader?
That’s a relief!
I do believe in responsibility for my vote, however naive that attitude may be.
No kidding. Internationally, Democrats and Republicans have more in common than I would like. Clinton had a terrible track record for international human rights. I have a hard time imagining an administration being as wantonly and universally shitty as the Bush administration, however, and I don’t see a lot of evidence that the McCain administration would be much different. I mean, during a couple of the debates McCain essentially attacked Obama for suggesting it would be good to talk to countries we disagreed with. Like, not to compromise with them, just to talk.
As far as domestic stuff is concerned, I think it’s pretty hard to deny the difference. McCain’s health care plan seems like it will essentially privatize health care even further-I’ve read some suggestions that it could basically do away with employee health care. Also, Palin scares the shit out of me, as inconsequential as she seems. Palin is anti-roe v. wade, anti gay-marriage, and believes dinosaurs and humans fucking lived at the same time, like the Flintstones. That last one seems like a cheap shot, but I really don’t think it is: if you believe insane shit like that, clearly you are capable of anything.
Look: if nothing else, this election is important to me with regards to the way I live in this country. The Bush administration, early on and for the last eight years, has essentially declared itself the enemy of everything I think is important. It has encouraged the worst elements of this country with violent, bigoted, militaristic rhetoric. In terms of foreign affairs, Bush seems to act more or less like a spoiled child. He throws tantrums, shuts down dialogue, and says horrible, inappropriate things in the middle of meetings (like his recent “so long from the world’s biggest polluter” gaffe). Even if a change in parties was only a rhetorical change, it would make my life better.
But I don’t think it is an entirely rhetorical change, and I think it’s a little naive to suggest that. Obama wouldn’t withdraw American troops from the middle east, but it seems unlikely, for example, that he could worsen the U.S.’s environmental stance as severely as McCain might. I find it hard to imagine a democratic president who is as pointedly undiplomatic as the republicans have been for the last eight years either.
With regards to political action from within the country… Things are going to have to get a lot worse before people start considering violent action as a serious option, and I’m not sure where that would get anyone anyway. As far as peaceful demonstrations are concerned, that stuff has been on the table all along, but it never gets reported. My sophomore year of college I went to Washington D.C. multiple times to demonstrate against the war in Iraq before it started. At least one of those demonstrations was supposedly one of the most widely attended war protests ever, but it barely made the news.
Helm-I know what you’re saying is more nuanced than this, but it reminds me a little too much of the kind of crap that lazy American kids use to justify total political inaction, and I’m sick of that. Please break down where you see the absence of difference between the Democrat and Republican parties with regards to international policy. I ask that not because I doubt the validity of your argument, but because there’s no way to respond unless you get more specific.
don’t forget the dream is dead’s last album “hail the new pawn”…..truly appropriate for the times.
not saying i’m enjoying what the past few years have been like, but hopefully it does spring forth more good music as opposed to “happy times” boring music
Helm-I know what you’re saying is more nuanced than this, but it reminds me a little too much of the kind of crap that lazy American kids use to justify total political inaction, and I’m sick of that.
And you are well to be sick of it. But I am not American, I am Greek and what I said was coming from a viewpoint of a small European country in the general area of ‘American influence’. Your McCain and your Bush and your Obama will not make much of a difference to us. Obama as a top head might make people around feel a bit less like “oh god we’re gonna die” (because holy christ, even for a puppet, Bush seemed moronically insane!) but it’s not like mister Bill Clinton, democrat and all-around progressive, nice guy didn’t bomb the hell out of Serbia (in a far less forgiving time than now even, without a 9/11 to back it up). There are interests that will be served regardless of who signs the bottom line.
Please break down where you see the absence of difference between the Democrat and Republican parties with regards to international policy.
Very very briefly (which is kinda stupid to even try, but since you asked): the American political system is compromised. It is inherently imperialist, the polarized two-party system is a mockery of democracy, your electoral process is designed in such a way as to strip any meaning from dissenting vote (to smaller, more meaningful parties). The two big parties are entrenched in corruption and the sources are the same (big bank, private production, etc etc you’ve heard it all before). The actual choice of puppetheads on the top is directed to be made based on split opinion on things that don’t matter on the macroscopic (gay rights or abortion) and acting as a smokescreen for the things that matter (economy, geopolitics and environment). This system indulges in creating phantom enemies (in older times Soviet Russia, then the war on ‘terror’ whatever that is) in order to convince that withering percentage of Americans that even still care who is controlling them that politicians are still important, because they can protect them. They tried selling you dreams and after that fell through they’re now selling you nightmares. Fear-mongering and bigotry mask unaltered neo-conservative policy working towards clear goals of global cultural and economic dominance. Things are heading for some sort of crack and band-aids like a friendly black face on the front of the bomb will not do.
I am not suggesting people should simply give up on caring. What the American voter should do in such a situation is raise awareness that the system is broken and that far more radical action must be taken than just voting for Obama to start on a way to recovery. Military aggression should stop, ‘injections of democracy’ in different parts of the world when convenient must stop, the banking system must be reexamined (and by reexamined I am suggesting cutting the heads of of all the major banks, try some socialism!) because your economy is working on good will and good will seems to be running out. The whole premise of the dollar is the American weapon behind it, and that simply will always be a source of problems regardless of who is in charge and pointing the weapons where.
I don’t know to what extent activism can unite the feeling of such a huge and collectivist country like the US. I fear regardless of what sane and caring people will do to raise awareness, things will have to get a lot more worse before people get desperate enough to care to make them better. But voting for Obama at this point is more of a ‘I feel good about myself for caring’ act than it is a plausible step towards the reform needed.
Helm-Your argument is not new to me. I’ve had this discussion before, with other Americans, and I more or less agree with you, in terms of foreign policy especially. In terms of the domestic economy, I think there is quite a bit of difference between the two parties, although not nearly as much as I would like.
That said, microscopic change still matters to me. I care about what form national health care takes, whether women in the state I live in have access to abortion clinics, and whether my gay friends will be able to get married. Right now (and my priorities could be messed up) I feel like I want to encourage people to vote for the candidate that can at least make a difference in those terms. After the last two elections, I’ve become seriously paranoid that speaking against the system at this point could queer the deal in favor of a party that I totally disagree with, as opposed to one that I mostly disagree with. That’s a hideous way to think, and maybe it’s cowardly, but it seems pragmatic to me.
Part of the reason why American voter apathy is so strong, at least amongst people I talk to, is that social progressives don’t have any party that they think speaks to them. I don’t know anybody who seriously thinks of voting for Obama as a solution to the U.S.’s problems at home and abroad. It seems like it’s something, though. Right now, my top priority is encouraging people to vote against McCain. In a week, say, it can be something else. I can move on to hating and disagreeing with a Democratic president.
Ditto what anthony said. Of course, the system is broken. But there’s principles, and there’s practice. You work with what you’ve got. Obama has serious faults, but the other guy’s are even worse. I am for all those things that you suggest, Helm. But right now, partisan gridlock prevents anything from being done. Putting a Democrat in the executive branch would at least open the possibility of Congress working with the President to make things happen.
My partner and I got into an argument last night about the election. He’s a PoliSci major and he supports McCain primarily because he absolutely does not trust Obama’s attitude towards the economy amongst other things. Needless to say, my arguments that I don’t trust McCain either didn’t sit well with him as he asked me if I’d rather have the other guy bungling up the economy even further (like Clinton contributed to in his day). I’d ready for this election to be over, I’m tired of hearing people I love arguing about this.
Personally, I’m from a former communist country. I’ve learned by now not to trust what any politician tells me. I’m still not sure if I even want to vote tomorrow, even if I ‘waste my vote’ by voting outside of R and D.
And PHOBIA!!!! Such a fun live band! The Grind Your Fucking Head In tape is on regular rotation when I borrow my parents’ tapedeck-equipped car.
“blastbeasts + f.u.”!
Cosmo, Anthony, I don’t think a democrat in the executive branch will manage to fix a banking system that is printing money out of nothing and that is deeply convinced that it NEEDS war and its destabilizing influence in third parts of the world to survive.
I am not saying gay rights or abortion rights are meaningless, but let’s at least see the relative sizes of them and ‘imperialist war in different countries’ in perspective. I don’t think Obama – or any one other person – can create the space in which these things can be examined openly and fixed. I don’t think Jesus freakin’ Christ could do it if he were delivered to this world today. Something else has got to give…
You speak as if we are putting all our eggs in that basket, when plainly our comments show otherwise. Obviously we realize the difficulty of the tasks – plural – ahead. Problems run from A to Z. If we can contribute positively to J or K, that is the least we can do. To be chastised for exercising a democratic right, however small and inconsequential it may be – is intolerable to hear from someone who claims to be a humanist. Would you rather we not exercise that right?
I am not chastising you. I believe the democrat/republican dilemma to be a diffusion tactic created and maintained by a corrupt system that must be approached from outside if there is any hope for positive change. In this scope, the concern spent in the elections could be best utilized in other forms of activism.
I’d rather the right to vote was exercised in an electoral process that meant something, of course, as I believe in democracy in the abstract. I think people have only a finite amount of willpower to spend in common politics and I’d rather they spend their energy elsewhere, in the US. Increasing awareness about the faults of the system on the whole and introducing ways to combat them that aren’t monitored or even worse, controlled by the system itself would be best.
This is a pretty common political belief that you can examine and agree or disagree with but it is not at odds with my humanist concerns, nor is it meant as any sort of personal attack for that matter.
If you are annoyed that a foreigner has such strong opinions about US politics I must remind that we are all around the world pretty concerned about these things because they effect us very directly.
So…on…edge…in anticipation. Great post Cosmo, thanks for pointing out that Economist thingee.
I think the Economist is the most read non-music magazine by metalheads. Weird.
I read the Economist and don’t read any music magazines. Actually, the Economist is the only magazine I have time for, luckily it’s one of the smartest by far.
A friend of mine told me a story about being in line to vote behind a lady who was text messaging. The lady moved to an angle that made my friend able to see what she was texting. The message read something along the lines of: “You should come vote. We can’t let this n*gger win.”
Even without that latest example (or the Ashley Todd hoax), I’d say that racism has a lot to do with it. We’ve come far as a nation, but we still have ways to go. Things will probably be much better once the Baby Boomer generation becomes obsolete, though.
I am delighted to encounter Economist-reading metalheads. I’m not a subscriber, but if one is in my vicinity, I’ll leaf through it.
xoxobra, that’s appalling but unsurprising. And, you’re right, hopefully things will change as whites gradually become a minority in the US.
Say whatever else you will about the man, that Obama has managed to revitalise the grassroots and actually get massive numbers of people to feel empowered by politics is hugely significant and inspiring. If there’s any hope for positive change, it’s in this, not in thinking that the whole system is so corrupt that it’s not worth bothering with.
Let’s just be happy at the fact that people who still cling on racist and backwards ideals are the ones who are going to get left behind when a new progression in the world takes place. Survival of the fittest, and the fittest are the ones who can look past petty bullshit like race. On that note, my song pick would be United Forces by S.O.D.
graeme – Yes, I hope the grassroots momentum carries forward. Otherwise, it will be business as usual.
bacon – What a great choice. An odd man out on an otherwise politically incorrect record.