The Fake Culture War

My latest at the Partial Observer. Excerpt:

Imagine you live in a prison camp, with two differences. The first is, families are allowed to live together. The second is, the Commandant is chosen by popular election of the prisoners. But the electoral system is set up so that only two candidates have a realistic chance of victory.

One candidate pledges to forbid the teaching of Intelligent Design among the prison camp's children, and would allow homosexual couples to bunk together the way married couples are allowed to.

The other major candidate promises to make some sort of attempt to curb abortions, and has a very religous running mate for Vice-Commandant.

The "Culture War' within the camp generates tremendous excitement, even as both candidates agree to most of the rules, regulations, and spending (paid for by the slave labor of the inmates) proposed by the outgoing commandant.

When the election finally comes, almost a third of the inmates don't bother to vote, and a few "throw their vote away" on minor candidates who would signifantly re-form the prison camp, if not dismantle it altogether.

Could you blame them?