Elections

It is local election time in Bangladesh and I figure that is worth a post. For national elections in Bangladesh you really do essentially have 2 main parties (or to be more precise, two main coalitions) much like in America but the real difference is in the local elections. I know this because it is everywhere and very obvious right now. I used to think that political advertisements in America were annoying (still do) but now I know how much more annoying they could be. In Bangladesh the 25 different parties (more or less, this is my rough estimate based on the posters I've seen) plaster black and white posters (color posters were made illegal by the last government to save politicians from wasting their money) everywhere. This isn't so bad, it almost feels like a ticker-tape parade as they hang over the street and being that it is just paper, they biodegrade eventually. What makes them worse than American politicians is the next step they take. All these political parties hire rickshaws to pull around loudspeakers blaring their slogans at levels that often hurt to hear. It ends up meaning that all afternoon and evening you hear one go by about every 15 minutes or so. You hear them coming, you hear them going but unlike the various American media mediums like tv, radio, and newspaper; you can't shut them off or close them. You just have to sit there and take it. Yesterday, I tried to convince my coworkers that they should revolt against this injustice that is being forced upon them by organizing an overthrow of these things but then they correctly pointed out that I was suggesting a violent response which they wanted no part in. Don't you hate it when things you preach get turned around on you?

Also, here is a list of all the political symbols I see on my way to and from work:
Apple
Thermos
Violin
Deer
Water pump
Fan
Bucket (this one has particularly loud and annoying loudspeaker advertisements)
Chicken
Light-bulb
Bus
Crescent
Soccer ball
Top (as in the children's toy)
Flower pot
TV (I thought this one was a microwave at first)
Water jug
Clock
Leaf
Flower
Drums
Kite
Anchor
Bird
Sewing machine
Camera

They certainly choose a much greater variety than elephants and donkeys.