I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of “them” in my life. The faceless, nameless entity we ascribe the burden of our problems onto.
I was driving to school the other day when I noticed a trash bag sprawled out on the side of the road, the same one that had been collecting burned rubber for well over a week. “Why haven’t they done anything about that trash yet?” I thought to myself, as I quickly swerved around it. It took me a moment to realize that I had played a role in its continued status by not stopping to do anything about it. I realized that in a moment, “they” could have become “me,” “myself,” or perhaps even “I.”
In the constant demand of our fast-paced lives, it’s easy to get lost in pointing fingers and playing the external blame game, especially when it comes to problems that personally inconvenience us. My recent revelation indicated just how easy it can be to fall into this trap, regardless of how much I’ve researched and involved myself into local political matters—although I will say that amidst a sea of people who I swear have never merged lanes in their life, I’d argue that it was understandable to stare vengefully at this pitiful trash bag for a brief millisecond.
The bigger picture of this trash bag is reflected in many conversations I’ve had with my peers about recent political tensions, especially since there are currently two separate elections happening simultaneously in BC. I hear people argue about how “the government” is acting, when I’m not truly convinced they know which government they’re even mad at.
This isn’t to say that their claims aren’t justified, but since many have ritualized endless, fast-paced content into their lives, it seems that people are increasingly becoming more outraged by misguided factoids (looking at you, generative AI) rather than researching or acting upon these beliefs. It’s way easier to shake your fist and yell at an unnamed entity for not picking up the trash than it is to take a moment to consider who’s responsible for the mess—and think about how you could change your situation.
The most direct force of change you can act upon right now is showing up to vote, and this upcoming provincial election is stacking up to be of paramount importance in our lives.
The BC provincial government oversees many vital factors in our lives, including housing, health care, climate action, transportation, and education. As a student myself, I can recognize how hard it is to spend time researching every politician individually, especially when reports feel so divisive and reactive. I would encourage you to simply pick one of the factors mentioned above that you feel the strongest about and take five minutes to explore how each party feels about that topic. You’d be surprised how much you’ll learn.
You may even find some trash bags to clean up along the way.