Nathaniel

Shockey

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October 27, 2008

Think For Yourself Before You Vote, If You Can Be Bothered

Any savvy employee of a retail establishment tries to make his customers feel like their thoughts are poignant, profound and totally delightful, no matter how long winded or ridiculous they may be. I once talked to a customer whose feelings concerning seasonal vegetables reached a political level. I had another customer who talked to me for what seemed like about a month about the joys of trail-running.

But they’re not all painstakingly uninteresting.

I once had a customer who was probably in his early 60s. He was stocky, had a round face and a wild gray mustache – and he wore glasses and one of those thin, flat hats you often see on an artist. He had a way of talking that seemed, although arrogant, as though it came from a great deal of life experience.

One brisk morning, he was sitting outside, drinking iced coffee and wearing a thick leather jacket with white, furry lining. I can’t remember why or how, but he had evidently concluded that I was worth a few more minutes of his time and, consequently, a story:

“I was in the food service industry for many, many years. You know, you learn a lot about people in the food service industry. I owned a deli in New York for 15 years, and I met all sorts of people. But there was one thing that kept happening, over and over, and for the longest time, I couldn’t figure why. People would come into my store and ask, ‘What do you recommend?’

“Every day, I’d get a slew of new customers coming into my store and without hesitation, ‘What do you recommend?’ It was the strangest thing, and seemed like a rather silly question, at least one to be asked by so many people. People ought to know whether they like salami, peppered turkey or roast beef without asking me.

“Anyway, after a while, I figured it out. It was not because they didn’t know what they liked. And you know what? It wasn’t even because they wanted my opinion because I owned the damn place and my opinion ought to count for slightly more your average Joe. Do you want to know why, every day, hundreds of people came into my New York deli saying the same four words, ‘What do you recommend?’”

“I’d love to.”

“People can’t read!”

I thought it was a fine story – a bit presumptuous, but still, a fine story.

I’m not sure he was correct in assuming that the only reason people asked him for a recommendation was that they were unable to read the menu. Most estimates give the United States about a 99 percent literacy rate, which would probably include an ability to read words like rye, French bread or sourdough.

But if you take what he said completely out of context, his conclusion becomes pregnant with insight. The reason people always ask, “What do you recommend?” is not necessarily that they can’t read. It might be because they choose not to, however, which means they’re something worse than illiterate. It means they’re lazy.

Perhaps I was a bit hard on the lady who saw the political implications of vegetables, because now that I think about it, there are political implications of deli meat. Except that, instead of asking for a sandwich recommendation, we’re asking, “Who do you recommend for president?”

Many of us have discovered sources we trust, but when it’s election time, we have to stop trusting others’ opinions and start relying on our own. It’s not up to Bill O’Reilly, Keith Olbermann, Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, P-Diddy, the Dixie Chicks, Michael Moore, Joe the Plumber or Joe the astrophysicist. It’s up to you.

Not too long ago, literacy was the issue. But nowadays, we’ve discovered that an ability to read means nothing unless you’re actually reading regularly – and not reading just anything, but things of value.

Do your own research. Look at the facts. Read between the lines of misleading statistics and find ones that matter. Look at the candidates’ histories. Look at their voting records, their political records, their life records. Ask yourself if they’re trustworthy. Ask where their heart is.

As long as we have the privilege of voting, let’s be careful to avoid doing so recklessly, or even emotionally. No one can vote for you, and no vote will be cast in your stead. On behalf of our great country, please vote well.

© 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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