Every election cycle, pundits — smug ones, usually in vests — ask why ordinary working people vote against their own economic interests. Why would someone who relies on public services vote to defund them? Why would someone without health insurance vote against expanding coverage?

I'm here to explain: it feels incredible.

The Vibes

You know that feeling when you do something you know is bad for you just to prove a point? Ordering the extra-large when you're already full. Staying up until 2 a.m. on a Tuesday. That is the feeling, sustained for four years, possibly eight.

My interests have never called me. They've never asked how I'm doing. They've never remembered my birthday. So frankly, they've got a lot of nerve expecting my vote.

The Logic

Some people vote based on policy platforms, economic analysis, and careful research into candidates' records. These people are very tired. I vote based on who I'd most enjoy watching on television while eating cereal.

This is not stupidity. This is efficiency.

The Track Record

Have the candidates I've voted for improved my material conditions? Empirically, no. Have they made excellent faces when things go wrong? Absolutely yes. I have hours of footage. It brings me joy.

My Advice

The next time someone asks you to "vote your interests," ask them: which interests? I have many. My interest in watching chaos unfold. My interest in being contrary. My interest in the deeply human experience of making a choice you cannot explain.

Democracy was designed for all of us. Even those of us who are, by any reasonable measure, making a mistake.

Especially us, actually. We're what makes it interesting.

Hugh Jeerror is a regular contributor whose opinions are entirely his own and possibly no one else's.