THE ELEVATOR DEBATE

Bill was on his way to work at his office in the skyscraper. He was on time as usual. Each day, Bill rode the elevator to the 17th floor. Another man he worked with named Tim was on his way to the same place and joined him in the elevator. They didn't know each other very well but had seen each other in passing several times.

"Did you watch the presidential debate?" Tim asked.

"No, I don't follow politics," replied Bill.

"But you want to know who to vote for, right?"

"No, I don't plan on voting."

"Why not? It is your right as a citizen to choose the best candidate for president!"

"Look, I really don't want to talk about politics because it's not good for business. I just want to get to work. I have a big meeting today with a client."

Just then, the lights went dark, and everything fell silent. Both Bill and Tim were trapped in the elevator. Fortunately, they both had their cell phones and called to inform their boss that they were trapped in the elevator and might be late. Their boss said he would inform the maintenance team as soon as he could to help get the elevator running again.

"Looks like there is no rush to your meeting now. Why did you say talking politics is bad for business," said Tim.

"Look, I said I didn't want to talk about it. Can you just shut up?" said Bill.

"No, I won't stop till you give me an answer!"

"You want an answer? All right! I hate politics because it's forced on me. I must listen to it even if I don't want to. It's on the TV, the radio, and all over the internet. I don't even look it up myself, but it's all around me and all other people talk about when an election is happening. Not only do I dislike it, but I could stand to lose my job if my political views don't align with my boss, and they decide to fire me for disagreeing with them in politics."

"But isn't it the responsible thing as a citizen to choose the best candidate to lead our country?"

"I didn't ask for this responsibility. I don't like the idea that I could make the wrong decision that would make things worse. Not voting is the safest option, but even if I do vote, it's still better not to talk about it with co-workers or customers so that I am not punished for not voting the way they want me to."

"That sounds like a cowardly way to live your life."

"Tim, what would you know about my life or what is important to me?"

"I don't but I think it's better to stand for what you believe in than running away from it."

"I can do that through how I live my life. Not by voting for some random politician who is not me and doesn't have my best interests in mind."

"Okay then, what are your best interests? Can you talk about that?"

"Yeah, my interest is working at my job and supporting my spouse and children. Nothing is more important than they are to me."

"That's sweet of you. Don't you think the laws of our country and policies made by politicians will affect your family?"

"They probably will. I would prefer there was no government, and that people lived their lives without the government taxing them and arbitrarily spending that money on whatever they want, regardless of what those citizens would have preferred to do with that same money.

"Nobody likes taxation, but it's necessary."

"Why is it necessary?"

"The police officers, firefighters, and politicians need to be paid. Money needs to be used to fund the military to protect us from foreign enemies."

"What if I don't want to pay for those things? What if I want to pay for some but not all those things? What if I want to choose how much money I give to those causes or give to other causes?"

"No, Bill, that's not how it works. These things would fall apart if people arbitrarily decided whether to fund them or not."

"Then let them fall apart. I want to concern myself with my life, and I don't want to be involved in these other things."

"Citizens are not going to make good decisions about these things. That is why we need politicians to make laws and police to enforce those laws. Humans can't be trusted to make decisions about all of these other things, so we need representatives."

"Are you saying I can't be trusted how to manage my own money I earn?"

"Yes, Bill, I think you are a bad judge of how society needs to be run."

"Then why would you trust me to vote in an election?"

"I, uh, don't know. I hadn't thought of it like that before."

"Then perhaps in the future, you will think about what you are really believing and saying."

Just then, the light came on, and the elevator started moving. Bill was glad he would not have to fight with Tim any longer. When the door opened, they both walked down the hall to their company and had one final exchange.

"I am sorry if I offended you, Bill."

"It's alright, Tim. I appreciate how passionate you are. You may not trust me to make the right decisions, but I trust that you will think twice before you try to talk politics to a captive audience.

"Yes, I will. You gave me something to think about that I had never considered. To have a democracy requires a certain level of trust in the intelligence of humanity to make those decisions."

Bill and Tim both worked for a traditional publishing company. It was their job to proofread, publish, and promote books that their clients wanted them to. However, the company reserved the right to reject books that they believed would damage their reputation.

Bill sat down at his desk and felt like a champion. He said some things he needed to express. In a way, Bill was grateful that Tim made him so angry so he could say how he really felt inside, but never, in a million years, would he have said so to Tim. He smiled with the satisfaction that he had stood up for what he believed in, his right not to vote if he did not want to.

However, Bill's satisfaction would not last long, he had a difficult client with a new book proposal come for their noon appointment.

"Hello Bill, I have a book that I want to get published that may be a little controversial, but I am hoping this company will be willing to allow freedom of speech in this age of censorship," said Sally.

"Okay, what's your book's central message?" asked Bill.

"My book proposes a new theory that all of the laws passed and hype concerning LGBT laws and abortion laws are driven by economics and a desire of the government to control the population more than they are the religion or moral inclinations of the public," said Sally.

"Is your book promoting certain policies or political action?" asked Bill.

"No, I actually take a different approach by providing historical and current events that support this theory so that voters can make up their minds about what action to take," said Sally.

"It sounds like a new idea that I have never heard of before. Do you have a manuscript available?" asked Bill.

"Yes, here it is," said Sally.

"I will need to run it by my boss first, just to make sure the controversial nature won't be a problem for our company. In the meantime, I would like to introduce you to my associate, Tim, who knows much more about politics than I do and would probably be better suited to researching and verifying the facts mentioned in your book."

Bill was very glad that he had the conversation with Tim in the elevator. He was not too keen on getting involved with a book about topics he had conflicting feelings about, but he thought Tim would do a better job of helping Sally get her book to the world than he could. Bill did believe that people should have freedom of speech and expression, he just didn't want to hear about it anymore because he wanted to live a peaceful life away from any drama he could avoid.

Chastity White Rose is a Chess Coach, Twitch streamer, and the author of several books, most notably the "Chandler's Honesty series, where she has conversations with a unicorn. After writing and publishing books already, Chastity joined a Creative Writing degree program with Full Sail University with the hope of being better skilled at writing and learning to help other people write books who have a story to tell. Chastity is sometimes known by her legal name, Chandler Klebs. Unlike most transgender people, this is not considered a dead name because both Chandler and Chastity are very much alive and are two sides of the same person.