5 ms·

I watched the rules for rulers CGP Grey video [YouTube] again recently. One takeaway is that corruption is a tool of power. If there are a lot of "keys", chanc

by pooper 5y ago

I watched the rules for rulers CGP Grey video [YouTube] again recently. One takeaway is that corruption is a tool of power. If there are a lot of "keys", chances are that you are a key and if a bribe demand is so bad that it is likely to be your top priority, you will switch your allegiance to a different leader. The thing that others me is how we can have very unpopular things but I don't care enough to get rid of those things. Take the second amendment (2A), for example. I don't want people to own guns and carry them on their person flaunting it at gas stations. However, I don't care about it enough to make it my single issue. So my understanding is there can be 5% of the voters really care about something stupid to ignore everything else and vote based on 2A for example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs

cobbzilla 5y ago
I agree with your sentiment and it’s a great video, but your 2A estimate is way off. Over 30% of all Americans personally own a firearm [1], so the overall level of 2A support is at least that. [1] https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own...
- dibujaron 5y ago
  it may be higher than 5%, but definitely not all 30% of those make 2A their only issue. plus there's a good fraction who have the mindset "I'd rather nobody have a gun, but if he gets a gun then I want one too".
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - biztos 5y ago
    I think there are cultural-political affinities that make people who want an absolutist interpretation of the Second Amendment vote together with people who might prefer something like an assault weapons ban or less “carry,” but still want to prevent the government from controlling their gun ownership. They share a basket of political goals and within that basket, the more extreme version of each tends to win out, at least for those goals that are not broad, cross-party American priorities.

by pooper 5y ago

cobbzilla 5y ago

I agree with your sentiment and it’s a great video, but your 2A estimate is way off. Over 30% of all Americans personally own a firearm [1], so the overall level of 2A support is at least that. [1] https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own...

dibujaron 5y ago
it may be higher than 5%, but definitely not all 30% of those make 2A their only issue. plus there's a good fraction who have the mindset "I'd rather nobody have a gun, but if he gets a gun then I want one too".
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- biztos 5y ago
  I think there are cultural-political affinities that make people who want an absolutist interpretation of the Second Amendment vote together with people who might prefer something like an assault weapons ban or less “carry,” but still want to prevent the government from controlling their gun ownership. They share a basket of political goals and within that basket, the more extreme version of each tends to win out, at least for those goals that are not broad, cross-party American priorities.