Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education
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Biased voting??
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Author:  Clay Moore [ Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Biased voting??

Ok so the election is right around the corner and this year history will be made one way or another. If Obama is elected he will be the first black president, if McCain is elected Palin will be the first woman vice president. Either way these are just a few more reasons why this election is important.
My question, however, is should an individual vote simply because of one of these characteristics and not because of the topics and beliefs of the individuals running? Should someone vote for Obama because he is black or should someone vote for McCain so a woman can be vice president. Furthermore should someone vote for McCain just because he is white? I know this is an issue because I have talked with several people who tell me one way or the other just because and not because of eithers platforms and what they think about how our country should be ran.
I understand the freedom of speech and how the american citizen can vote for whoever they want but I was just wondering how others thought about this issue? Could our president be decided on by people just wanting someone in the office because of their race or gender or should voters only vote if they understand the differences between the two? I feel its a voter's responsibility to be educated on the candidates before making a decision that will affect our country. What do you think?

Author:  Mandi McGaha [ Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:02 pm ]
Post subject: 

I really don't believe you should vote for anyone based on gender or race. I think you should carefully research the candidates and vote for the one that has the most similar beliefs to you and that you believe will most effectively act as commander in chief.

Author:  Kristen Bumgarner [ Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:30 pm ]
Post subject: 

It's funny that you bring this topic up Clay. I was recently talking to my roommate about this very fact. A friend of hers was watching the news where they were surveying African Americans on the street. First they asked them who they were voting for, many of which who were Obama/Biden supporters. The interviewer then responded by saying "So you like Obama for...." and then continued to insert the platforms of McCain's campaign. They responded with "Yes! Obama/Biden all the way!".
I found this amusing because so many of us base our political views on such small things such as race when making our decisions. It is the underlying beliefs and political views that we should look at when deciding who we want to be our next president, not the color of their skin.

Author:  Anna Gay [ Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:41 am ]
Post subject: 

This is a really interesting point, Kristin. I also saw sevearl of those segments about African-American Obama/Biden supporters, who didn't really know the platforms of their own choice, but voted for him out of sheer racial decisions. The interesting thing to me, is that if you asked them, they probably would not tell you that they were voting for him because of his skin color. They, or anyone else for that matter, would probably not admit to being "racist" in this way. I do think that we, as Americans, do factor race into our choice, sometimes without even thinking about it. It also makes me wonder how many whites, who might agree more with the Obama/Biden ticket are voting for McCain/Palin, simply because of a prejudice. It's very interesting to me. As we go to the polls today (I know many probably already have), I encourage everyone to think about the platforms and beliefs of each candidate and let that be the deciding factor, not the color of their skin, or their sex.

Author:  Brynne Pulver [ Wed Nov 05, 2008 1:49 am ]
Post subject:  Election

I think that it is entirely possible for someone to vote based on gender or race. It is possible that the vote could even be swayed by those voting based solely on race/gender, and I am sure that there are people out there who do vote based on this. I however, would never vote or not vote for someone based on their color, gender, sexual orientation, etc. I truly believe that the issues should be the main factor in choosing a candidate for anything, and especially president. I would hope that one would be informed and educated before voting for someone. I know that this is not the case many times, but it is something that I have always lived by in the voting arena. As a US citizen, we are given the right to vote, I appreciate those who utilize the vote, but I also believe that one should be informed before making such an important decision and utilizing such an important freedom.

Author:  CaseyDavis [ Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:18 am ]
Post subject: 

Where I'm from, I know many people who would say that Obama was the right choice, however; i know that they did not vote from him because of his race. This is just very ignorant to me. If you believe someone is more qualified, why wouldn't you vote for them? Instead vote for someone who you do not believe is going to help our country better itself? I feel that people who did this truly are living in the past. I was very surprised to hear on TV that 60% of whites did vote for Obama. This also shows that there were people who had looked into who they were voting for, instead of just looking at his color of skin.

Author:  Kristen P. Helton [ Wed Nov 05, 2008 4:26 pm ]
Post subject: 

Where i come from everyone said that McCain is who you should vote for. That Obama is a Muslim and he will ruin this country if he gets elected. I am a Christian, but i did not agree with this at all. I actually think that during an election period you need to sit down and review all the policies the candidates would like to implement and then see who you think may do the better job. Now that does go along with how you view life and values, etc but alteast you are trying to make an informed and unbiased decision.

Author:  Jennifer Redmond [ Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:16 pm ]
Post subject: 

I think it is entirely possible for someone to vote based upon a biased, however I do not necessarily think it is right. I agree with Mandi, when you vote it should be unbiased, and based upon the results of research done by the voter. I personally made sure to research every candidate ( Not just the presidential candidates, but even the senates, and board of ed candidtates as well).

Author:  Lloyd Walker [ Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:25 am ]
Post subject: 

Very well said Mandi and Jennifer. I think personal responsibility is at the core of casting a vote for any office. It's hard to believe that people would make a decision to support a candidate without knowing what the candidate supports. When you get the ballot there is always some offfice you didn't expect with a name you don't know. I believe it's better to ship one than to make a bad decision based on ignorance.

Author:  Heather Rulifson [ Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:54 am ]
Post subject: 

I strongly agree with Mandi that you should not vote on people based on gender and race. With that arguement made, I'd like to bring up another issue? Is voting for a third party canidate "throwing away your vote"? I voted for Cynthia McKinney in the 2008 election. Why? Even though I new McKinney couldn't win, I'd rather vote for a canidate who matches more of my issues than vote for Obama because I want him to win over McCain. At least I can support my decision based on my research and beliefs.

Author:  Jessica Mundy [ Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:37 pm ]
Post subject: 

I agree with Mandi that people should vote based on the values and platforms of the candidate and not just because of their race or gender. However, I do believe that a lot of people vote based on these things. I can honestly say that I voted based on their platforms and values, and not on their skin color. History was made and as Americans if you exercised your right to vote, then you need to support your president no matter what. I think John McCain did a great job of bringing this to peoples' attention in his concessional speech. On a side note, I saw the video that Kristen was talking about and it doesn't make me feel very good knowing that a lot of people voted for their candidate because of their race or gender and not because of their values! These people in this video had NO idea what Obama or McCain's platforms were or that Sarah Palin was the running mate of John McCain and NOT Barack Obama.

Author:  Cory Rycroft [ Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:40 pm ]
Post subject: 

You should never vote based only on gender or race, but sadly a lot of people do. You don't have to be a racist to not vote for a race different from your own. Some things are extremely difficult to change though. It is hard for most people to stray from their ways if they have been born and raised in a white Protestant home to vote for a black man for president, such as Barack Obama. I am not saying this is true for all cases but, subconsciously it may be hard for some to go against their ways that they have lived by for many years. I'm not saying that anyone raised in this fashion is racist in any way at all, but all people fear change in some way or another. Society gets too comfortable in their set ways and it becomes hard to change.

Author:  Aaron Jones [ Fri Dec 12, 2008 7:20 pm ]
Post subject: 

I have always believed that voters should pick according to what the candidate intends to do, not just what race, gender, or religion they are. However, those characteristics not only play a role in our decisions, if only at a subconscious level. But I don't thik this is necessarily a bad thing. Our race, gender, and religion are all a part of who we are and those factors can and do impact the decisions we make. Obama is an African American. Who he is reflects the views and life experiences that come with being black and the decisions he makes will reflect that as well. So when picking a candidate, I don't believe that it is totally wrong to choose based on race, gender, or any other seemingly trivial atribute if you haven't bothered to check and see what the candidate really supports. Learning about policies and what each person supports is the best way to choose, but picking based on race, religion or gender is better than paper, rock, scissors......barely.

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