I wish I could say I cared about Ed Fu's latest article on Dec. 5 about the North Korean genocide. Not because I do not believe that North Korea is undergoing genocide or that it does not deserves attention - far from it.
Except that Fu also wrote an article with the asinine title "Voting is Illogical," - where he did not vote, was not upset about not voting and did not see the point in doing so. Which is fine; nobody can force you to vote. However, then you give up your right to complain about the outcome.
I call it the "Thanksgiving Dinner Rule". Imagine if during Thanksgiving dinner people keep asking you if you want to help, and you say no. Then dinner comes out, and wouldn't you know it, it sucks. Would you complain?
Of course not, you had a chance to help make dinner, and you refused. To complain now would be in poor taste. That is the Thanksgiving Dinner Rule; if you are allowed to participate in an event and elect not to, you cannot complain if you do not like the outcome.
Furthermore, when I went to vote, I noticed at least five different candidates on the ballot, and each had different positions on every topic.
If you passionately cared about the North Korean genocide, you should have used your vote to voice your opinion on the subject. However, you did not. Instead, you sat at home.
Please do not reply "But I write letters to my congressman and write articles in newspapers," because it is either stupid or arrogant. Many people write letters to their congressional representatives, and the leaders cross check the letters against the voting rolls. If you did not vote in the last election, they throw your letter out. Furthermore, why would someone write an article in the newspaper? To influence how people might perceive issues, so that they vote a certain way? After you could not take the 30 minutes to vote yourself?
Nobody is forcing you to vote. You have the right to vote just as you have the right not to. Do not complain if the elected officials do not pay attention to you, and certainly do not ask us to, because voting is not just a right - it is a duty - and you told us a month ago you did not care to complete that duty.
Andrew Geibel is a Rutgers College senior, majoring in political science.
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