Voting

We did an interesting activity in my junior high classes yesterday. It seemed simple: I brought four different songs to translate and sing, but we only had time for one. I briefly introduced each song to the students and asked them to vote. Their teacher translated my instructions so that they understood how I wished for them to vote.

And they didn`t! Most students kept their hands down and watched eachother. When a few brave souls decided upon a particular song, other hands shot up in agreement. In the end, although I took the vote twice, nearly everyone voted for the same choice. One girl dissented from an entire class.

Now, why do you suppose this happened? Is it because these are junior high students in the thick of adolescence? I recall from my own awkward adolescence how difficult it was to differentiate myself from my peers. But could this voting exercise simulate the Japanese culture of conformity? Perhaps both.

How do Americans choose their votes? Are our favored candidates the ones who we actually prefer, or the ones we choose base on electability?