Fight Apathy, Play Spades
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Have you ever played spades and got a hand with no trump or face cards? What did you do? Did you look at your partner in a way to signify that you had nothing? Did you decide to bluff or try to intimate the opposing team? Maybe they will make a mistake. Did you cheat or think about cheating? Did you call misdeal and force everyone to start over with a new hand? Or, did you play the hand you were dealt and let the cards fall where they may?
To be honest, I'm not good at playing spades, not because I don't understand the rules, but because I don't play it often enough, and I don't like talking smack. Most people I know who play spades play it with their mouths because they constantly talk during the game. Arguing, intimidating, slamming cards down, etc., seems to go with playing the game, and it's all in good fun.
But diehard spades players are truly serious about the game. They know the rules and how to play the game even when they have a losing hand.
I am thinking about spades compared to some of the apathy I see surrounding life, politics, and the upcoming elections.
Voter apathy is the lack of interest in politics and voting. I am concerned about voter apathy in our community because it has severe consequences. If life and politics were a spades game, I don't think people would give up on it as quickly as some of us. Some people quickly give up on politics and say our votes don't matter, but they would never throw in their cards during a spades game.
True spades players know that in the game, it's not always the hand you are dealt; it's how you play the game. For example, if another team has the jokers and is taking much smack, does it mean they will win? No, not necessarily. In spades, people with the jokers get set all the time. So, while politically, it may look like the other team is winning, they may not be.
After all, they are relying on "jokers and trumps" (get it), anyway, real plyers continue to play the game because they understand that it is a long game. They have multiple chances to flip the game in their favor.
One of the main elements (skills) in the game of spades is knowing how to bid. Bidding is looking at your hand and predicting the number of books or tricks you will win. When bidding, you want to predict as close as possible without going over to score as many points as possible. You also want to pay close attention to your opponents' bids when playing spades. Sometimes, you can predict what will happen by looking at how and what your opponent's bid. In my opinion, voting is like that.
When we vote, we try to score as many tricks or wins as possible. We may not always win every hand, but we want to get as many wins as possible because we must understand that voting and politics are a long game. Also, we must pay attention to how our opponents are playing, bidding or voting and make predictions based on their moves. We have to be on the lookout for opportunities to flip the game in our favor.
Right now, I think we are being beat playing a game we know how to play well. Our opponents have been stacking up wins, like the Supreme Court appointments, and now they are poised to win the long game.
But "real" spades players don't give up when losing; they are likely to declare a blind and try to set the other team. At any rate, they continue to play the game. So, fight apathy, let's play spades, let's vote, and if we don't win this game, don't give up. Stay tuned and get in the next open round.
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