A bunch of celebrities, not apparently selected for the task based on any measure of physical attractiveness, got naked this week for a get out the vote PSA. The naked celebrities encouraged the public to fill in their mail in ballots, and even explained how to fill them in. They gave other helpful tips, too, reminding us that we have to actually put the ballots in the mail box in order for them to be mailed.
The campaign is reminiscent of the recent Get Your Booty To The Poll initiative, this time with strippers urging Americans to take their booties and go vote. Kylie Jenner has also stripped down for the noble cause of increased voter registration.
I don’t know if there is anyone in America who will be convinced to vote because of a montage of horrifically naked celebrities, but if there are, they are precisely the sorts of people who shouldn’t be voting at all
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) October 7, 2020
This all raises a number of questions, namely: Are there any Americans dumb and shallow enough to vote because a naked celebrity or stripper insisted upon it? And if so, do we actually want those kinds of Americans to vote? I am quite certain that the answer to the second question is a resounding “no,” which is why I oppose all get out the vote efforts, especially those involving celebrities, clothed or otherwise.
The people who should be voting, it seems to me, are the ones who do not need to be told or reminded about it. They certainly do not need or particularly want a tutorial from a nude Mark Ruffalo. These are the informed, competent, mature Americans who participate in the democratic process because the are involved in their communities and passionate about the issues. This is the precise category of person — and only category of person — that we want and need at the polls. We don’t want or need anyone else. Any effort to get anyone but informed and competent people to the polls is imprudent, even nefarious.
Contrary to the conventional wisdom of our unwise culture, voting is not the sacred duty of all Americans. It is not a “problem” when voter turnout is “low.” We should not be telling people that voting is their responsibility, nor shaming people who shirk it. And when you display your “I Voted” sticker on Instagram and demand that the world look and be proud of your civic engagement, you should not receive the applause you seek. We should not be proud of you simply for voting, and you should not be proud of yourself, because it is not your responsibility simply to vote. Rather, it is your responsibility to make an informed, knowledgeable, well-reasoned vote.
Not all votes are created equal, though, unfortunately, they are counted as equal. The only good and ethical sort of vote is the informed one. All other kinds of votes are bad, and harmful, and helping to destroy our republic. The message from the naked celebrities (many of whom should not be voting themselves) should be this: if you are not informed, nor knowledgeable, nor a well adjusted and contributing member of society, then the best thing you can do for your country, the most patriotic thing, is not vote. Those who vote despite being uninformed should be ashamed, not proud, of having inflicted their stupidity on the country.
Enough of the get out the vote drives. Let the people who are aware and engaged — the ones who’ve done the legwork prior to voting, and don’t need any sort of PSA to guide them — go out and vote. Let everyone else remain in their Dorito-stained, Netflix-binging stupor. We don’t need them on election day. We don’t want them. Pray they do their duty and stay home.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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