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My in-laws are Trump supporters. They live in a small town in Oklahoma that literally has two stoplights. There's no job opportunity unless you drive out a cou

My in-laws are Trump supporters. They live in a small town in Oklahoma that literally has two stoplights. There's no job opportunity unless you drive out a couple hours. Even then the job prospects aren't amazing (for tech anyway) but fine for the cost of living. The roads are full of potholes and even the highway that runs through the town isn't in great shape. When you enter the town, there are a series of speed limit signs just after going over a hill, all in in proximity to one another. They're used as speed traps. The high school my husband attended didn't offer math higher than Algebra 2, but they do have a basketball gym and football stadium. The high school sports are about as much the town has going on–seriously, the last time we visited them, our in-laws insisted we go with them to watch the football game. They were extremely excited to watch the half-time show. The high school band had maybe a couple dozen kids? Trump's gotten through to folks like my in-laws. They honestly believe that Trump is perfect, that nothing he's ever been accused of has happened, and if it did happen, he was setup by George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama, and that all three of them are allied with the Mexicans and Muslims. Also, Mexicans and Muslims are evil. I'm literally repeating a conversation from the dinner table. They insist I watch Sean Hannity and read the Bible. I guess the point of this long post is that Trump's response to Covid-19, however well or horrible it is/was, is completely irrelevant to this group of voter. As horrible as it may sound, I honestly wish my in-laws didn't have the right to vote. The notion that they have a say in shaping the world that my child will grow up in is a bit terrifying.

KuriousCat 6y ago
May be it is high time to examine if the representative democratic practices that are being followed are well suited for the current society with hyper connectivity?
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
mydongle 6y ago
Good thing your in-laws in some small town in Oklahoma isn't representative of Trump supporters or any group for that matter. Another very good thing is that we don't make policy decisions based on the anecdotes of random people on the internet.
- tracer4201 6y ago
  Why the personal attack? And if you feel like my example doesn't even matter, why respond at all?
  - mydongle 6y ago
    Nothing personal. But your post seems to be a wishy-washy way of justifying or pushing to take away the right to vote from people you disagree with. If you only want to take away your in-law's rights, you go ahead and tell them not to vote. But your in-laws are people who live in this world too. Why do you think they have less of a say in what goes on? The real world implication of your post is that we start having IQ or some kind of political intelligence test to qualify to vote. It is really easy to think this way when you are the one who has the power to decide who gets to vote or who doesn't. And then you eventually find that some groups of humans are more affected by your policy than others. That's a rabbit hole I think you don't want to go down into.
    - tracer4201 6y ago
      I have personal opinions of my in-laws having the right to vote. I didn’t anywhere make a claim about taking away the voting rights of the larger population. The real world implication of my post is that people who live in very sparse rural areas have the ability to influence elections where their vote matters more than mine. I think in today’s polarized environment, this is becoming very dangerous. You keep responding in bad faith with personal attacks. Hopefully mods can sort out your problem. Good luck to you.
      - mydongle 6y ago
        I'm sorry you feel personally attacked, since that's not the aim/goal of my post. It is just my observation that what you've been saying is basically a dogwhistle at disenfranchising those who need representation the most, whether you intended it or not. It's possibly a subconscious thing for you. It is true that rural votes are weighted in their favor, but if that were not the case, then this country would be controlled by a handful of states. Do you honestly think that California should make the call for how a person in Kansas should live? Do you really think laws made by and voted for by people in New York are the best laws for the people of Wisconsin? Should all our presidents have been decided by the will of 4 or 5 states out of the 50 states that make up the country? If you have a complaint about how votes/representation is decided, you could make a case to adapt the system more fairly. Stripping the disenfranchised of their voting rights is talk from the 1950s, and should be done away with just like slavery.
jakeogh 6y ago
Just say it, you think you are smarter than them, and therefore you want to make decisions for them by taking away their freedom to vote. It's textbook history.
- tracer4201 6y ago
  I don’t think I’m smarter than them, but I don’t want their vote in a sparse populated rural area to count more than mine. You’re resorting to a personal attack. Hopefully mods can sort you out. I won’t engage with you any further. Good luck!
  - jakeogh 6y ago
    "I honestly wish my in-laws didn't have the right to vote."
    - tracer4201 6y ago
      Textbook history is black people, women, and other minorities in this country faced persecution, oppression, or straight out didn’t have the right to vote. White men have been running the show, and they’re still more or less running the show in red states.
      - jakeogh 6y ago
        A wise person said "Stripping the disenfranchised of their voting rights is talk from the 1950s, and should be done away with just like slavery." but you wouldnt read it. I am not suprised you brought up skin color. "didn’t have the right to vote" and yet here you are, "I honestly wish my in-laws didn't have the right to vote."
        tracer4201 6y ago
        Yeah, I wish my in laws didn’t have the right to vote. Keep writing more and more about how you’re on some moral pedestal comparing my 95 year old in-laws right to vote with entire segments of the population being denied the right to vote based on skin color or gender. It seems to be therapy for you. :)

KuriousCat 6y ago

May be it is high time to examine if the representative democratic practices that are being followed are well suited for the current society with hyper connectivity?

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

mydongle 6y ago

Good thing your in-laws in some small town in Oklahoma isn't representative of Trump supporters or any group for that matter. Another very good thing is that we don't make policy decisions based on the anecdotes of random people on the internet.

tracer4201 6y ago
Why the personal attack? And if you feel like my example doesn't even matter, why respond at all?
- mydongle 6y ago
  Nothing personal. But your post seems to be a wishy-washy way of justifying or pushing to take away the right to vote from people you disagree with. If you only want to take away your in-law's rights, you go ahead and tell them not to vote. But your in-laws are people who live in this world too. Why do you think they have less of a say in what goes on? The real world implication of your post is that we start having IQ or some kind of political intelligence test to qualify to vote. It is really easy to think this way when you are the one who has the power to decide who gets to vote or who doesn't. And then you eventually find that some groups of humans are more affected by your policy than others. That's a rabbit hole I think you don't want to go down into.
  - tracer4201 6y ago
    I have personal opinions of my in-laws having the right to vote. I didn’t anywhere make a claim about taking away the voting rights of the larger population. The real world implication of my post is that people who live in very sparse rural areas have the ability to influence elections where their vote matters more than mine. I think in today’s polarized environment, this is becoming very dangerous. You keep responding in bad faith with personal attacks. Hopefully mods can sort out your problem. Good luck to you.
    - mydongle 6y ago
      I'm sorry you feel personally attacked, since that's not the aim/goal of my post. It is just my observation that what you've been saying is basically a dogwhistle at disenfranchising those who need representation the most, whether you intended it or not. It's possibly a subconscious thing for you. It is true that rural votes are weighted in their favor, but if that were not the case, then this country would be controlled by a handful of states. Do you honestly think that California should make the call for how a person in Kansas should live? Do you really think laws made by and voted for by people in New York are the best laws for the people of Wisconsin? Should all our presidents have been decided by the will of 4 or 5 states out of the 50 states that make up the country? If you have a complaint about how votes/representation is decided, you could make a case to adapt the system more fairly. Stripping the disenfranchised of their voting rights is talk from the 1950s, and should be done away with just like slavery.

jakeogh 6y ago

Just say it, you think you are smarter than them, and therefore you want to make decisions for them by taking away their freedom to vote. It's textbook history.

tracer4201 6y ago
I don’t think I’m smarter than them, but I don’t want their vote in a sparse populated rural area to count more than mine. You’re resorting to a personal attack. Hopefully mods can sort you out. I won’t engage with you any further. Good luck!
- jakeogh 6y ago
  "I honestly wish my in-laws didn't have the right to vote."
  - tracer4201 6y ago
    Textbook history is black people, women, and other minorities in this country faced persecution, oppression, or straight out didn’t have the right to vote. White men have been running the show, and they’re still more or less running the show in red states.
    - jakeogh 6y ago
      A wise person said "Stripping the disenfranchised of their voting rights is talk from the 1950s, and should be done away with just like slavery." but you wouldnt read it. I am not suprised you brought up skin color. "didn’t have the right to vote" and yet here you are, "I honestly wish my in-laws didn't have the right to vote."
      - tracer4201 6y ago
        Yeah, I wish my in laws didn’t have the right to vote. Keep writing more and more about how you’re on some moral pedestal comparing my 95 year old in-laws right to vote with entire segments of the population being denied the right to vote based on skin color or gender. It seems to be therapy for you. :)