今週末は母の四十九日で帰省するので、本日、嫁さんと、市長と市議会議員の期日前投票にいってきます。
I'm going home this weekend for forty-ninth day after a mother's death, so today I'm going with my wife to vote for the mayor and city council members on the day before the election.
ところが、選挙広報が届いていないので、市民センターまで歩いて、貰ってきました(その日の朝刊に入っているのを、後で気がついて、悔しい思いもしましたが)
However, I hadn't received the election pamphlet, so I walked to the civic center to get it (although I was disappointed to find out later that it was included in that day's morning paper).
ところが、これが本当に退屈な内容で、私、選挙広報を3回読み直しました。
However, it was really boring, and I had to re-read the campaign literature three times.
- 小さな字を大量に記載する候補は『低能』と決めつけて却下
- Candidates who describe a large amount of small print are dismissed as 'little brain'.
- 今どき「なくすな！ 学校」とか『寝惚けたこと』を主張している政党の候補は全部却下
- I reject all candidates from cretain political parties that claim to be "against school closures!"
- 見出しに「無駄使い」だの「福祉」だの「いじめ」だの、抽象的な言葉のみで、具体的な施策を書いていない候補も却下
- Candidates who use only abstract words such as "wasteful spending," "welfare," and "bullying" in their headlines and do not write any concrete measures are also rejected.
- 自分のプロフィールで、紙面の1/3を占めるような候補も却下
- I reject candidates who take up 1/3 of the paper in their own profile.
- 公約を10も20も書いてくるような候補も却下
- Candidates who write 10 or 20 pledges are also rejected.
私が入社後5年間のテクニカルライティング教育で、『絶対やるな』と言われたプレゼンテーションの禁止事項を、全部実施している、という「悲惨な選挙公報」でした。
They were "disastrous campaign gazettes" that enforced all the prohibitions on presentation that I had been told 'never to do' in my first five years of technical writing training.
結局、私は、具体的な数字を、万円単位で記載していた候補(たった一人だけ)を選びました。
In the end, I chose the candidate (and only one) who had listed specific numbers, in millions of yen.
I think Ebata's mind would have been at its best if there were some graphs or other information here -- none of the candidates were like that.
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江端:「数字を具体的に記載するような候補って、ウケが良くないのかな」
Ebata: "Isn't it popular to have a candidate who specifically mentions numbers?"
嫁さん:「うん。逆に『心証悪い』まである」
Wife: "Yes. On the contrary, it's even 'bad impression'."
つまり、私に気に入られる選挙戦略は、マジョリティからは忌避される選挙戦略、ということのようです。
In other words, it seems that an election strategy that is liked by me is an election strategy that is avoided by the majority.
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嫁さんは、私が選んだ候補に投票する、と言っていました。
My wife said that she would vote for the candidate of my choice.
『いやいや、そうじゃないだろう』と思いましたが、市議会の選挙って、国政選挙のように候補者の情報が出てくる訳ではないです。
I thought to myself, "No, no, no, that's not it", however, city council elections are not like national elections, information about the candidates is not available.
『投票する人の考え方を信じて投票する』というやり方も、「あり」なのかもしれません。
There may be a way to "believe in the ideas of those who vote".