#55: Rationality and Reasonability

I want to talk about the logic that people need to use when voting for/against certain laws and policies to pass. I feel like so many people vote for/against laws and policies for the wrong reasons, so I want to give you guys some things to think about when you're deciding what to vote for:

1. Think about whether or not the policy affects you. If it doesn't affect you or someone/something you care about, then you probably shouldn't try to be all super against it. For instance, gay marriage. If you are straight, and it's not going to affect you if your gay neighbors get married, why deny them that pleasure (or that right?) I mean, you might say it's because it's against your religion or against your beliefs, but does that really matter when it isn't going to affect you and is only going to bring joy and equality to the people it actually affects?
2. Think about things that are universally wrong vs. only wrong in one or a few religions, if religion is your basis for why you're voting against something. Using the gay marriage example again, if it's only wrong according to your religion, but all of the rest of society (and the world, for that matter) doesn't see what's wrong with it, then maybe you should just let this one go and become neutral on the matter. ESPECIALLY if the policy in question isn't going to affect you.
3. Think about whether or not you're voting against something that is actually wrong or just something you don't like. I've had a few people tell me they vote against gay marriage on the basis that they feel it's "unnatural" for people to be gay, rather than there being a religious basis there. That, my friends, is you simply not liking something. You're not saying gay marriage is wrong, or that homosexuality is wrong. You're just being irrational and disliking homosexuality and gay marriage. And you're probably being homophobic. I'm not judging, since I don't know who you are or what you're thinking about this, but that's what it comes off as, in my opinion.

So think about these things before deciding to vote for/against the passage of a law/policy! Be rational and reasonable thinkers! If you go through these 3 questions in your head, and you still want to vote against something based on it being a generally bad thing to pass, then vote against it! But don't vote against something for the wrong reasons.