Writes a friend:

At the office, I am the lone holdout, the non-conformist, the only one who refuses to go along with the herd mentality for the sake of “acceptance.” I’ve been told that I “have to vote,” though an explanation as to why is never forthcoming. That’s because they all voted. That’s what they’ve been taught. Everyone else is doing it, so they shall do it, too. Besides, it feels good to walk in the office in the morning with your feel-good “I voted” sticker plastered to your lapel and tell everyone that you did what you were expected to do . Voting is now a religious rite of passage for acceptance in the collectivist-herd society. People tell you that you MUST vote. If you are well-read, self-educated, and a critical thinker, but you Don’t Vote, something is wrong with you because the only thing they know is that you didn’t vote. Yet, they – in spite of their 5 hours/day of watching tv, playing video games, and blabbing on a cell phone about nothing – are the smart ones. They have followed their orders to vote. They have participated in that glorious thing known as democracy. I have a co-worker with a junk-institution MBA, but she had never heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Amazed? But she voted! Today at the office, I really found out how much people despise skeptics, holdouts, free thinkers, critical analysis, and independence. They are appalled at my refusal to endorse political coercion and display my stamp of approval on my chest in the form of a pathetic sticker.

In a meeting today, when it was noted that I was “sticker-less,” I was asked if I voted. My response: “I don’t talk politics in the office, because if I did, I would not be very popular.”