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So the Russian social media farms are working. Is there some corruption in politics? Absolutely. Are the youth who think things are horrible completely out o

by tw04 2y ago

So the Russian social media farms are working. Is there some corruption in politics? Absolutely. Are the youth who think things are horrible completely out of touch with reality? Absolutely. I think if any of them had to spend a month in one of the various authoritarian countries they’d quickly realize how good they have it and work to make the system better instead of thinking it’ll somehow just fix itself if they don’t vote.

tivert 2y ago
Blaming the voters is basically denialism. It doesn't accomplish anything and it typically works to prevent the problems from actually being solved. However, I think what we might be seeing here are the contradictions of liberalism coming home to roost. No superpower stays a superpower forever. Maybe liberalism is the kind of thing that burns twice as bright for half as long, and its clear brightness blinds distracts its adherents to its flaws.
beloch 2y ago
Take a look at what young people entering the voter rolls for the first time care about: Education. Housing. Food. The cost of these have climbed astronomically compared to salaries in the last few decades while wealth disparity has increased accordingly. A twenty-something in the U.S. today does have it worse than twenty-somethings did a couple decades ago. This is objectively measurable. Additionally, consider how polarized and uncivil politics have become. When living standards for people your age have measurably declined and you see two clans constantly sparring rather than fixing things, who could blame you for being a bit turned off by politics in general? Given how politicians are viewed and treated by people of all ages now, most notably by other politicians, how many young people would seriously want to join their ranks? Politicians in many countries are currently having a credibility crisis, and it's not just the Russian's fault.
Terr_ 2y ago
> Russian social media farms are working. Is there some corruption in politics? Absolutely. Hold up, how did you reach your conclusion that TFA is Russian propaganda, as opposed to real US dissatisfaction? Authors? Publishers? IP addresses? Key phrases? "Being insufficiently positive" isn't reasonable.

by tw04 2y ago

tivert 2y ago

Blaming the voters is basically denialism. It doesn't accomplish anything and it typically works to prevent the problems from actually being solved. However, I think what we might be seeing here are the contradictions of liberalism coming home to roost. No superpower stays a superpower forever. Maybe liberalism is the kind of thing that burns twice as bright for half as long, and its clear brightness blinds distracts its adherents to its flaws.

beloch 2y ago

Take a look at what young people entering the voter rolls for the first time care about: Education. Housing. Food. The cost of these have climbed astronomically compared to salaries in the last few decades while wealth disparity has increased accordingly. A twenty-something in the U.S. today does have it worse than twenty-somethings did a couple decades ago. This is objectively measurable. Additionally, consider how polarized and uncivil politics have become. When living standards for people your age have measurably declined and you see two clans constantly sparring rather than fixing things, who could blame you for being a bit turned off by politics in general? Given how politicians are viewed and treated by people of all ages now, most notably by other politicians, how many young people would seriously want to join their ranks? Politicians in many countries are currently having a credibility crisis, and it's not just the Russian's fault.

Terr_ 2y ago

> Russian social media farms are working. Is there some corruption in politics? Absolutely. Hold up, how did you reach your conclusion that TFA is Russian propaganda, as opposed to real US dissatisfaction? Authors? Publishers? IP addresses? Key phrases? "Being insufficiently positive" isn't reasonable.