Frustrated about having to choose between Democrats or Republicans to vote for.
"Fuck politics, man. Here's Dylan Johnson, a young philosopher, running freakin' marathons over here instead of arguing about bullshit, unlike most Americans."
Dylan Johnson, a 29-year-old academic from Iowa, sips a beer on the Alster in Hamburg, Germany. He's dressed in a roll neck pullover, has a scruffy beard, and a cigarette hanging from his lips. Johnson is protesting the US electoral system with his words and actions, not his vote.
He's been living in Germany since 2018, and his parents still believe he'll become a preacher someday. As if pastoring a church in rural Iowa would be any less absurd than this scene unfolding before them now. Johnson, after all, is discussing the US election while discussing quantum physics over a beer.
"So, you wanna know what I think about the election?" Johnson asks, taking a drag on his cigarette. He launches into a rant about the US electoral system, labeling it a farce and the major parties as "political companies." Johnson claims that non-voters are essentially castrating themselves, making a choice to cede their power.
Johnson traces his fingers over his well-used Schnauzer, a symbol of his disdain for the established political system. He believes that voting for either Democrats or Republicans is akin to choosing which limb to be amputated in a sterile, white room that he never consented to enter in the first place. So, he chooses not to vote.
The Alster flows gently behind him, carrying the leaves and debris of autumn into the Hamburg cityscape. Johnson's decision not to vote sends ripples through the water, leaving the question of his loyalty to his homeland unanswered.
With a smirk on his face, Johnson lights another cigarette and says, "I'd rather disrupt things than be a sheep following the herd. That's why I've been arguing with my Republican dad like a goddamn Democrat and my Democratic mom like a Republican. We don't talk about politics anymore because it always escalates."
Sources:
[1] The US Two-Party System: History, Evolution, and Criticisms - (Encyclopedia Britannica)
[2] Electoral College - (United States Election Project)
[3] Non-Voting in U.S. Elections: Causes and Consequences - (Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics)
[4] The Rise of Third Parties in America - (The Balance Small Business)
Dylan Johnson, instead of participating in politics or general-news debates, spends his time in Germany engaging in discussions about quantum physics over a beer, suggesting a detachment from the traditional political landscape of the US. Johnson's rant against the US electoral system and the major parties labels them as "political companies," indicating his dissatisfaction with the system and his non-voting stance.
