Parents just don’t understand (that I am basically still a teenager.)
I made the mistake recently of telling my mom that, despite the fact that early voting is available in Louisiana, I really wanted to vote on November 4th. Perhaps I am being a little silly, but I know I am not alone in the ranks of people who are freak-out excited to cast their vote for Obama. I’ve been looking forward to it for what, like, four years? (Seriously. That convention speech.) And I like a little pomp with my circumstance, so I want it all to go down on election day. Then I want to glue myself to the TV all night with A and a couple of friends (but seriously, only ones who are as excited as we are) and cry my eyes out when the routing I’ve been predicting for MONTHS actually takes place.
But my dad is convinced that my vote is at risk. He wondered, first, if I had voted in New Orleans before. I have lived here for five years, and have voted several times. (Not that it’s done me much good, Mayor Nagin.) And then he pointed out that I live in a different precinct now, which is true, and I haven’t actually voted at my new polling place yet. And he went on that my neighborhood could easily be a target for some of the voter-supression tactics we’ve been hearing about.
Relationships with parents are funny, because if he were talking about this outside of the context of telling me what to do, I would be in wholehearted agreement. No part of me doubts that these things happen — indeed it is a very real, and very scary problem that has been going ever since the government first started pretending to let black people vote. And I think we’re right to be especially worried about it this year. But because his advice is totally unsolicited, I am all, please shut up, you cranky old man.
True? Yes. Stupid? Even more so. But there you have it.
Posted by jackson on 23 Oct 2008
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