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Wouldn't uninterested voters be even more susceptible to populism. Democracy needs education (among other things). If you have people voting, but they're still

by dmos62 5y ago

Wouldn't uninterested voters be even more susceptible to populism. Democracy needs education (among other things). If you have people voting, but they're still uninformed, that's hardly a good setup.

tharne 5y ago
Yup, Trump was very good at motivating a lot of folks who don't normally vote. Careful what you wish for.
AnotherGoodName 5y ago
I challenge the idea that unmotivated voters are uniformed voters. In fact i think quite the opposite might be true. Some of the most uninformed voters are the most motivated.
- dmos62 5y ago
  It's not easy for me to imagine an unmotivated, but informed person.
  - AnotherGoodName 5y ago
    If you think about how much your life will change depending on who is the elected representative as a member of the middle class the answer may very reasonably be 'a small amount'. This very small change is something an informed person can reason about. Unless there are massive sweeping new laws coming that target you your life won't be noticeably different. It's not something that helps to motivate voting in every election though even if long term it's a good idea to always vote (over many many decades small changes add up). On the other hand those that think politics will completely change their lives depending on who is elected are generally misguided and unrealistic. These are the people who are the most motivated. They will storm the capital to stop the other side getting into power because they think their lives will be completely changed under the new leadership. It's not a realistic viewpoint. The moderate that believes that each election brings small changes at a time is probably closer to the truth but understandably less motivated.
  - dagw 5y ago
    I know several people who avidly follow politics and keep up to date with the news, but are incredibly unmotivated to actually vote because "they're all the same" and "none of the candidates are really on my side"
  - Talanes 5y ago
    My father. Very informed, but his views don't quite line up with either political camp he has to choose from, so his motivation to engage with the system at all steadily dips. I mean, he still votes, but he's less enthused by it every time.

by dmos62 5y ago

Wouldn't uninterested voters be even more susceptible to populism. Democracy needs education (among other things). If you have people voting, but they're still uninformed, that's hardly a good setup.

tharne 5y ago

Yup, Trump was very good at motivating a lot of folks who don't normally vote. Careful what you wish for.

AnotherGoodName 5y ago

I challenge the idea that unmotivated voters are uniformed voters. In fact i think quite the opposite might be true. Some of the most uninformed voters are the most motivated.

dmos62 5y ago
It's not easy for me to imagine an unmotivated, but informed person.
- AnotherGoodName 5y ago
  If you think about how much your life will change depending on who is the elected representative as a member of the middle class the answer may very reasonably be 'a small amount'. This very small change is something an informed person can reason about. Unless there are massive sweeping new laws coming that target you your life won't be noticeably different. It's not something that helps to motivate voting in every election though even if long term it's a good idea to always vote (over many many decades small changes add up). On the other hand those that think politics will completely change their lives depending on who is elected are generally misguided and unrealistic. These are the people who are the most motivated. They will storm the capital to stop the other side getting into power because they think their lives will be completely changed under the new leadership. It's not a realistic viewpoint. The moderate that believes that each election brings small changes at a time is probably closer to the truth but understandably less motivated.
- dagw 5y ago
  I know several people who avidly follow politics and keep up to date with the news, but are incredibly unmotivated to actually vote because "they're all the same" and "none of the candidates are really on my side"
- Talanes 5y ago
  My father. Very informed, but his views don't quite line up with either political camp he has to choose from, so his motivation to engage with the system at all steadily dips. I mean, he still votes, but he's less enthused by it every time.