China and Japan might go to war. A few days ago, Japan purchased some islands off the coast of China. These islands are disputed territory between the two countries. Yesterday and the day before, Chinese streets were filled with hundreds of thousands of protesters. Japanese stores have been looted. Japanese people living in China have fled. The protesters are demanding that China declare war.
Japan and China have a bloody history. Two weeks ago, no one in China or Japan had heard of these islands, but now both nations are filled with people convinced that the islands are the rightful sovereign domain of their respective countries. There is no room for compromise. The islands must be Chinese, or they must be Japanese. Both parties draw their fury from the same fiery nationalistic source.
We, in this country, might go to war, too. The conflict between China and Japan seems much more inconsequential than our conflict, but that view is based on the privilege of distance. In reality, our conflict is even less meaningful because it is based not on whole islands but on a single white house.
Before you drop the paper in disgust, know that I care very much who wins this November’s election. It isn’t the election itself that is meaningless. But our arguments about the elections are often meaningless because so often they are based on false premises.
People who want to vote for Romney think that the country will be screwed if Obama wins. People who want to vote for Obama think that the country will be screwed if Romney wins. People who want to vote for Jill Stein think that the country is already screwed, or that the country will be just as screwed under either Obama or Romney. People who want to vote for Obama think that people who are voting for Jill Stein are complicit to the country’s being screwed by Romney, and people who are voting for Jill Stein think that people who are voting for Obama are being complicit to the country’s being screwed by the two-party system.
You will probably never interact with Jill Stein, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. You will definitely never interact with “the two-party system,” because it doesn’t even exist, except in people’s heads. But the person you are arguing with does exist, and the interaction you are having is happening in your life.
Real grassroots change is built on productive interactions such as these. Anyone you dismiss over electoral politics is an ally lost. The person you’re arguing with has convictions as strong as yours. The person you’re arguing with cares as much as you. The person you’re arguing with is an asset to you and the work you do.
Obama will win, or Romney will win (Jill Stein definitely won’t win, but never mind). China will get the islands, or Japan will get the islands. What matters isn’t who wins your discussion, or who gets the islands, but that islands haven’t been blown to smithereens and that you and I can keep working together.
Noah Phillips is a sophomore double majoring in history of science and community and nonprofit leadership.
