Slap me, I'm french

Before I write anything, let me say, it could be any country in the title. But it was the french who voted yesterday.. so there it is!

I am annoyed and when I'm annoyed I don't think right. Millions of people in France voted yesterday on an issue that will affect ten times more people all around Europe, probably knowing nothing about the issue in question. Zilch! Nada! Nothing! How do you say "nothing" in french? They voted "no" because Chirac supported the "yes" cause. You see, in retrospect, he should have come out and vehemently said "no" - I wouldn't be writing this right now probably.

Don't get me wrong. I respect the "no" vote, but only if it is informed. Spite is not a valid reason, it's an idiotic one. "But" you will say "the european constitution is 500 pages long!". The response is: "Tough shit!" If you want to claim your position in a democracy, you'd better make damn sure you fulfill your obligations as citizen. We have a lot of rights nowadays, don't we?

Our "free world" makes sure of that and we are so proud! I have the right to self determination, I have the right to pursue happines, I have the freedom of speech, I have the right to vote! We carefully choose to sidestep the obligations, don't we? We are required to know our laws, we are required to know how everything works and why. We are required to be more interested in state affairs than 20 talentless "candidates" singing off-key to acquire "idol" status on TV. "But it's work!". OF COURSE IT IS WORK!

As I said, I am annoyed and when I am annoyed I don't think straight. I even entertain the notion that idiots should be restricted from voting. And no, I don't mean people with a low I.Q. I am talking about social idiots, state idiots. Or merely people who don't care. Who vote to pass the "down with Chirac!" message, or even the "my pork wasn't salty enough today!" message. But that notion, in the end, is the downfall of democracy. When we think we can do better than "the masses".

In the end we will have the world that we deserve. And I don't like that world...