4 ms·

If you think people are voting against their own interests, what's probably happening is you don't know what their interests are and don't even realize that you

If you think people are voting against their own interests, what's probably happening is you don't know what their interests are and don't even realize that you don't know. Other people's interests are obviously not the same as yours but often they're not even what they publicly claim so you won't find out without actual empathy and effort. But it's easier to just be a bigot than understand other cultures.

atoav 2y ago
I grew up in a Austrian province governed by a neo-nazi connected right wing party, when I say voting against their interest who I mean are those who aren't ardent Nazis. Sure, there might be actual Nazis who would like to lose everything if it just allowed them to force their beliefs on others as was historically the case. But most people who vote for right wingers do so because they believe they will have tangible benefits. But if your premise is false, your conclusion is also false.
- foxglacier 2y ago
  I don't understand what you mean. People in your province voted against their own interests because they believed (incorrectly?) that it would benefit them? How do you know what their interests were or whether it did benefit them in ways that were important to them or not?
  - OKRainbowKid 2y ago
    Do you believe people have perfect knowledge of the consequences of their vote, and of the plans of the people they vote for? If no, then it's not hard to fathom that people can get manipulated into voting against their own interests.
    - foxglacier 2y ago
      Sure they can but you're not exempt from that manipulation so your own evaluation of their interests and what they're voting for is just as subject to manipulation and thus you can't tell if it's in their interests or not any better than they can. The difference is they're responsible for their vote, not you. atoav called the government a "a neo-nazi connected right wing party". It won't actually be neo-Nazi because that's surely illegal in Austria. So it's probably some kind of propaganda that led him to believe that or exaggerate its significance as being against the interests of non-Nazis. Maybe they offer something their voters want and their voters don't care about whatever media-hype-hate-frenzy label they're given.

atoav 2y ago

I grew up in a Austrian province governed by a neo-nazi connected right wing party, when I say voting against their interest who I mean are those who aren't ardent Nazis. Sure, there might be actual Nazis who would like to lose everything if it just allowed them to force their beliefs on others as was historically the case. But most people who vote for right wingers do so because they believe they will have tangible benefits. But if your premise is false, your conclusion is also false.

foxglacier 2y ago
I don't understand what you mean. People in your province voted against their own interests because they believed (incorrectly?) that it would benefit them? How do you know what their interests were or whether it did benefit them in ways that were important to them or not?
- OKRainbowKid 2y ago
  Do you believe people have perfect knowledge of the consequences of their vote, and of the plans of the people they vote for? If no, then it's not hard to fathom that people can get manipulated into voting against their own interests.
  - foxglacier 2y ago
    Sure they can but you're not exempt from that manipulation so your own evaluation of their interests and what they're voting for is just as subject to manipulation and thus you can't tell if it's in their interests or not any better than they can. The difference is they're responsible for their vote, not you. atoav called the government a "a neo-nazi connected right wing party". It won't actually be neo-Nazi because that's surely illegal in Austria. So it's probably some kind of propaganda that led him to believe that or exaggerate its significance as being against the interests of non-Nazis. Maybe they offer something their voters want and their voters don't care about whatever media-hype-hate-frenzy label they're given.