Math Bad For Democracy?

the most important math when it comes to voting isn't arithmetic, it's calculus. although our individual votes are statistically negligible, the sum over millions of them determines our elections. this is the very same principle of calculus and it's concept of nature as a sum of an infinite amount of infinitesimally small pieces called differentials. i.e. take away enough of these differentials and our concept of a coherent reality will break down.

so, if you convince enough people in a democracy that their vote does not matter, it too will "break down" and give us exactly what we've seen: a government whose sum is less than that of its parts.

Wonder if he would reconsider after reading this?

How much is you vote worth?
http://current.com/items/89485427_how_much_is_your_vote_worth

Voting does matter ....

If its not important to you on a national level ...

You have a great deal of say in your local area - If you and your like minded friends get together you can actualy affect change locally

Besides ... the USA is supposed to be a Represetive Democratic Republic that means that you're really supposed to vote for someone from your district to help make the governtmental decisions.

Then again ... People also should want to be on juries and use the power juries have to be the ultimate check on the government ... rather than try to avoid it. The jury doesn't have to find someone guilty/innocent it can also find that a law is unjust etc.

For a supposedly smart guy, this is idiotic. It's also so out of touch. American Idol anyone? If you can vote on your favorite star on Dancing with the Star, maybe, maybe you might want to have a say in the president who has your $$ and even your life and even your environment in his hands. Ridiculous! This is some of the worst logic (and terrible math, btw) that I've seen.

Failed to take into account the Electoral college.

Why is there so much pressure for everyone to vote when we really do not have much of a say in the outcome? We only do it because we can.

are you saying mcain is a cheese pizza. wait don't we elect the pizza and the pizza chooses the toppings(cabinet).

Oh yea...voting is bigger than just the presidential election. There are smaller elections that are settled by a few votes. The theory seems to only hold up on the Macro scale.

"Democracy is the BEST form of government" ...
WHAT A DOOSH hahahaha.
Aristotle once said that there is no one best type of government, just governments that work in their situation. I believe Aristotle more than this little American dope.

What he said is statistically true, however, that is not my reasons for voting. I vote so I can complain. :) If you do not vote and something does not go your way, well:

Passive-aggressive behavior refers to passive, sometimes obstructionist resistance to following through with expectations in interpersonal or occupational situations. It can manifest itself as learned helplessness, procrastination, stubbornness, resentment, sullenness, or deliberate/repeated failure to accomplish requested tasks for which one is (often explicitly) responsible. It is a defense mechanism, and (more often than not) only partly conscious. For example, suppose someone does not wish to attend a party. A passive-aggressive response in that situation might involve taking so long to get ready that the party is nearly over by the time they arrive.

Common signs

There are certain behaviors that help identify passive-aggressive behavior. [3]
Ambiguity
Avoiding responsibility by claiming forgetfulness
Blaming others
Chronic lateness and forgetfulness
Complaining
Does not express hostility or anger openly (e.g., expresses it instead by leaving notes)
Fear of authority
Fear of competition
Fear of dependency
Fear of intimacy (infidelity as a means to act out anger): The passive aggressive often can't trust. Because of this, they guard themselves against becoming intimately attached to someone.
Fosters chaos
Intentional inefficiency
Making excuses
Losing things
Lying
Obstructionism
Procrastination
Resentment
Resists suggestions from others
Sarcasm
Stubbornness
Sullenness
Willful withholding of understanding

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive-aggressive_behavior

I am pretty sure this is just a way for republicans to get people not to go vote for Obama.They just already know everyone wants him to be president, Well most people anyway. Im sure that guy is really a secret undercover republican and this is just another tactick. Sneeky, Sneeky. I don't care if that fat old lardy doesn't want to vote. I am voteing. becuase I have that right wether it counts or doesn't count. In my heart it counts.

Doesn't address the whole electoral college thing but it still makes a good point. Voting is important but not for the reasons most would assume...

Speaking to the cost-benefit analysis point in the video: Are the benefits we reap from our 20 mins of voting that bountiful? Some people argue that protesting and demonstrating doesn't do anything; that's there's little to no benefit in that. But I argue that taking 20 mins to vote for 1 of 2 candidates and expecting them to get the issues that are important to us right is what really has little benefits. What if all the energy and money we poured into elections went into something other than elections? What if our money funded direct causes that we think are important? What if the free time we spend watching SNL parodies and debates and complaining about politics was spent participating in direct action, protests, and rallies for the things we're for or against? Would the benefits be even greater? Expecting candidates to listen to us because we take 20 mins out of our lives every 4 years to show our support for them hardly demonstrates them the power of the people or democracy.

first off, i vote.

i understand that the man doesnt believe that 20mins every 4 years isnt worth the investment to have .000000001% of a chance in swaying an election.

but he also believes the glass is half empty.

my .000000001% chance stacked with all the others that agree with me may overpower your .000000001% stacked with your buddies.

my glass is half full.

my 20mins is worth it.

Why do the filmmakers (& economist) assume that voting = voting for president? You may not tip a national election over to your candidate, but state and local elections can be swung by a very small number of voters - even in relatively large places. And state & local laws have a greater & more immediate impact on your daily life. Recognize the multiple scopes of your vote, and every reason for doing it is rational.

Dont Listen to him he's the devilllll.

I vote to try and keep the Democrats out of office and if enough people vote that way, we will keep them out. Pretty simple to me, how about everyone for the Democrats staying home and everyone for Republicans voting.

Now that should be enough to get the Democrats to the polls.

This is plainly ignorant. Not smart or coy in any way.

I feel that you should pull this from your network. If you want to get REAL, get it right - NOT STUPID.

The reason a vote seemingly doesn't matter is more to do with the lack of governmental control over corporations than anything else. Watch films on the subject if you don't understand this.

Intense energy and focus has been put into trying to get first time voters to register in the U.S. This has MULTIPLE benefits both from a real world and symbolic perspective.

Really what this video is exhibiting to me is the apathetic, non passionate and numb tendencies in humans our culture breeds through media.

If you want to know if you vote matters. Hey does anything I do in the life matter? I mean there's plenty of others doing things so in fact (hypothetically speaking) - So why should I even try??? That's my friend is the road to nowhere.

Voting is rational. Socialist democracy is irrational.

Math, bad maybe, reading definitely good. Check it: http://current.com/items/89417690_gainesville_florida_friends_of_the_library_to_...

I found this very interesting. I mean technically our vote doesn't matter, and its pretty obvious that it doesn't, mathematically. The way I see it, voting is so much more than statistics. It's the clearest way of seeing what the people want, and that's the most important thing in a democracy.

By its self, a single vote does not matter. Collectively, votes add-up. As our civil rights are being stripped away, we must sieze what little power we have, this power being the right to vote. If every person in the U.S. voted in every election, I am sure we would not be in a foriegn war, we would not be facing economic recession, and everyone who needs healthcare would have it.

I really liked this a lot.

However, elections are not division, but cumulative.

Either way, I agree-- the REASON for voting should be to put into the public record what you think about the issues.

Which is why I am voting Nader.

This is incredibly stupid. This otherwise rational man is really out-to -lunch.

really liked this.