Thoughts By J

Ramblings of an Aussie book lover

  • Home
  • About & Contact
  • Review Policies
  • Reviews Archive
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Year
    • Reviews by Rating
    • Reviews by Genre
    • Sortable Archive
  • Book Reviews
    • 2012 Releases
    • 2013 Releases
    • 2014 Releases
    • Adult Fiction
    • Chick Lit
    • Children Fiction
    • Classics
    • Contemporary
    • Dystopia
    • Fairytale Retelling
    • Fantasy
    • Historical Fiction
    • Mystery
    • New Adult
    • Paranormal
    • Romance
    • Science Fiction
    • Thriller
    • Young Adult
  • Giveaways
  • Features
    • Author Interviews
    • Book Haul
    • Book Tag
    • Blog Tours
    • Cover Reveals
    • Discussion
    • Guest Posts
    • Movie Review
    • The Monthly Wrap-Up
    • Third Sentence Thursday
    • Waiting on Wednesday

Elections, elections!

Daily Observations, Musings., Personal Experiences, Rants

What is it about this topic that just gets everyone so riled up? Whenever election time rolls around, it seems every bit of a candidate’s background gets thoroughly investigated and ‘revealed’ to the whole country. So, you couldn’t have done that a little sooner? Say, I don’t know, before they’ve secured the candidacy spot?!

Yes, I’m referring to America, but also to my own country – Australia. I know the political systems in both countries are vastly different, but there are many similarities as well. I’m not saying that I’m by any means an expert or avid follower of politics, but there are some areas that I want to bring up that really rub me in the wrong way. Especially when I do have the right to vote at the next election and will have to choose between two parties, with none that really stand out to me.

The one similarity that I can’t shake off in both candidates within America and Australia is that both opposition leaders do have a past of bullying. Yes, this information was revealed only recently, a few months prior to the election (it’s very sneaky to be honest), but I do stand by the idea that the public has the right to know about the past of anyone that is running for the power to make decisions for a whole country.

Let’s start with Mitt Romney shall we? If you do a google search of ‘Mitt Romney: Bully’, you will be bombarded with a variety of news articles that all say the same thing. He and his friends apparently pinned a boy down in high school, and cut off his long blond hair because Romney didn’t like it, and it felt ‘gay’ to him. His ‘friends’ from Cranbrook (the private high school where the incident occurred) have statements that the incident did occur.

From what I understand, Romney apologised for his ‘hijinks’ although he says that he doesn’t recall the incident. I’m not sure, but as a human being, I would say that a bullying incident like this would leave a pretty long-lasting impression on a person. I still remember when I was bullied in kindergarten! And I know that’s because I was a victim, but Romney wasn’t exactly a child. He’s old, sure, but surely if his friends from back then remember the incident, the actual instigator would remember it as well.

Now onto Tony Abbott. I don’t know about you, but I sure see some similarities here. Two weeks ago, the Australian media was all wild and frantic in reporting about Abbott’s good old days as a bully, which coincidentally, he also cannot recall. Wow, don’t you both just have some very good memories. I’m not worried about that memory retention or anything if you both win enough votes to become President or Prime Minister.

I’m not sure about you, but I definitely do not want a bully (although in the past) as a leader of my country. People may grow up, and yes, Romney’s incident was in high school (lessens the impact a little, but only just. Although you’re a ‘silly’ teenager, it still doesn’t give you a right), Abbott’s bullying incident occurred in university. After he lost  an election. I don’t exactly want to know what would happen if he lost the PM election next year, but I also don’t really want to win.

I know politically speaking, this post does not touch on any of the policies that the candidates raise – especially for all the issues regarding unemployment, our economy, a seat on the UN etc. But having studied psychology, management and public relations – I know quite well that to be a good leader, you first must be a good person. You must put the interests of others ABOVE yourself. In our neoliberal society, good leaders are coming to understand that people are a very important asset. And treating people with dignity and the rights they deserve will get you a long way.

So to Romney and Abbott, I really hope that you learn from your past mistakes. Sure, it may have happened a long time ago, but it’s better to confront and admit your guilt rather than hide behind the facade of memory loss. It fools no one. Why not play the empathy card, and legitimately apologise. Everyone knows people make mistakes, and no one will fault you for a mistake you made when you were in high school or university. But we will if your ‘apology’ is as believable as saying that a live elephant will fit into a car. I believe you can salvage your reputation much more if you just apologise sincerely for your past actions, and no-one will be able to say you weren’t regretful of them.

But right now, I don’t think I can vote for someone that doesn’t seem to care or be able to empathise with others. I want a leader that will do the country proud – someone that want to make the country better for its citizens. Not someone that assume they are better than others and will only care about one half of its citizens.

Get your priorities straight guys, you’re a leader, and every move counts. People will always be watching – even those who don’t follow politics closely.

(Disclaimer: Everything in this post is just my opinion. I am entitled to it. I respect that others also have their own opinions, and I will be happy to discuss them. But if you want to bash/troll, go make your own blog and do it there. I have no time for bullies.)

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Twitter profile

Joy

Joy is the head honcho of Thoughts By J. Her favourite genres are fantasy, sci-fi, mysteries, and the occasional romance that makes her heart beat faster. You'll find she's quite sporadic with her blog posts, but will definitely find the time to reply to all your comments, and visit your blogs...it's just a matter of when.
My Twitter profile

Latest posts by Joy (see all)

  • Book Review: Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff - April 15, 2018
  • Book Review: Hero at the Fall (Rebel of the Sands #3) by Alwyn Hamilton - April 2, 2018
  • eARC Review: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - March 10, 2018

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

RELATED POSTS

Book Review: Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
April 15, 2018
Book Review: Hero at the Fall (Rebel of the Sands #3) by Alwyn Hamilton
April 2, 2018
eARC Review: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
March 10, 2018
Book Review: Ready Player One (Ready Player One #1) by Ernest Cline
February 11, 2018
Giveaway: Chaos Walking series (10th Anniversary edition) by Patrick Ness – AUS only
January 15, 2018
186Leave a Commenthttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.thoughtsbyj.com%2Felections-elections%2FElections%2C+elections%212012-09-25+03%3A26%3A22Joyhttp%3A%2F%2Fthoughtsbyj.wordpress.com%2F%3Fp%3D186 
0

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

About Us

Welcome to Thoughts By J, the book blog of two Aussie book lovers. Here you'll find rants, raves and everything in between as we honestly review the books we've read for you.

Social Media

  • Twitter
  • Bloglovin'
  • Instagram

Currently Reading

Book Review: Infini (Aerial Ethereal #2) by Krista and Becca RitchieBook Review: Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff

April Reviews

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman, Jay KristoffHero at the Fall (Rebel of the Sands, #3) by Alwyn Hamilton

Rating System

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Incredible!
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Really good
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Enjoyed it
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ It was ok
★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Did not like

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 960 other subscribers

Follow Us

Follow on Bloglovin

Follow on Bloglovin

Joy's read shelf:
Joy's book recommendations, liked quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (read shelf)

Alana's read shelf:
Alana's book recommendations, liked quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (read shelf)

Fun Things

We're an affiliate with The Book Depository. If you purchase books through our link, we receive a small commission that will go towards running the blog and holding giveaways.

Free Delivery on all Books at Book Depository

Challenge Participant

Readers in Wonderland_

Australian Women Bloggers Directory by Blog Chicks

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Disclaimer

The books and items reviewed on Thoughts By J are purchased by us unless explicitly specified. We occasionally receive books for review from Australian publishers in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts By J does not receive monetary compensation for our reviews or posts.

Books Reviewed This Year

We have reviewed 5/35 books so far this year.

14 %

Read reviews »

Follow via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Minima theme by LucaLogos  |  
  • Copyright © Thoughts By J 2012 - 2016
  • loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.