Chronicles of a T-Shirt: VOTE
In May, I bought my first political t-shirt. It says, "VOTE" in bold, black letters. I wear it like I wear any other t-shirt; that is, I throw it on and forget about it. However, each time I wander the city, someone approaches me, eager to share their views on the election. The conversation always starts the same:
"Who are you voting for?"
"Obama."
And then things get interesting.
In my first encounter, one of the men who loiters on my corner told me not to vote, that it didn't matter. I spared him the "one man can make a difference" maxim and instead mentioned how close the previous two presidential elections were. But that's not what he meant. What he meant was that the nation is controlled by a secret society of the wealthy elite. This was not an argument I was prepared for. Flip-flopping, yes. Inexperience, yes. But a fraternity of old, white men giving the thumbs down left me rather blank-faced.
"Look it up," he said. "The Templars."
It just so happened I knew more about the Templars that day than most days because I was reading Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, but I didn't say anything. For starters, I was having trouble getting into the novel, so my knowledge was limited to the first eighty pages. But more importantly, I see these corner men everyday, and I like our tepid friendliness. I was a little disheartened, though. If people in West Harlem weren't voting, who was? A block later, I ambled by the dollar store and saw Obama t-shirts in a bin out front.
*
My most recent t-shirt encounter took place in the Strand downtown that is going out of business. (FYI, everything is 50% off.) I was making a beeline for the poetry section when a man stopped me to ask,
"Who are you for?"
I almost said the Yankees because I had been thinking about the game that night, how I couldn't get tickets, more specifically, but I paused long enough to remember my t-shirt.
"Me, too," he said. "But I don't think he'll win."
This defied the general perception, I thought, and I said so.
"Well, a lot of people from my generation, a lot of baby boomers, are resentful of affirmative action."
He went on to give a break-down of how he thought the country would vote, then sent me on my way.
*
I'm starting to look forward to these glimpses into the voting mind. My t-shirt's looking a little ratty, though, and I hope it makes it to November.
