Performance politics but empty words

Whitewavemark2

My point is that if someone admires Trump, Musk et Al then I think that you can assume that they are fascist supporters, who would vote for a Nazi party, - not uneducated.

Well you assume wrong, in my case.

Galaxy

Well surprisingly I dont think that's a great idea either, and I loathe Tik Tok

I’ve just seen Trump announce that he is open to Musk buying TikTok.

He will own the entire world soon!

It is truly a presidency of oligarchs. Did you see the lineup at the inauguration and they were seated in front of all the government ministers. I reckon they owned half the worlds worth between the 4 or 5 of them.

Exactly how far is "too far"?

I was taught by my grandmother never to assume

Also, the pompous comments about the uneducated nail technicians. What is that about? What about all those people doing jobs that are vital to society? Bin men/women, builders, sewerage workers, shop workers, warehouse operatives etcetc?

Don't you educated folk rely on these people to make your educated lifestyles?

Never heard such rot in my life

If I was American I'd vote for Trump myself after reading this thread

I think that the weakness in your argument is that the assumption that supporters of political parties or political issues are “uniformed”. (Whitewavemark2)

It's true that many individuals are well-informed and come to their conclusions based on various factors.

That said, there is substantial evidence showing a disparity in information levels among voters. For instance, looking at the USA, which is where many are looking at the moment, studies have shown that a significant portion of the electorate does not have a strong understanding of key political issues, which can influence their decisions. According to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, about 43% of voters found it difficult to identify their own or other political party positions on critical issues, suggesting that even if engaged, they may not fully grasp the details of the policies at stake.

As for disillusionment in politics, it's a widespread sentiment. A Gallup poll from 2023 found that only about 20% of Americans have a great deal of trust in the federal government, showcasing a growing dissatisfaction that could lead to shifts in political engagement and support.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can bridge the gap between informed and uninformed voters and the role all forms of political education might play in that process.

Sago

Whitewavemark2

My point is that if someone admires Trump, Musk et Al then I think that you can assume that they are fascist supporters, who would vote for a Nazi party, - not uneducated.

That is most offensive and inflammatory.

I would like you to ask admin to remove that post.

You have gone too far.

Except the reality is this is what is happening so far. Musk is supportive of the AFD in Germany which is a far right group that has Nazi sympathizers . He now has Trumps ear.
Trumps actions in his first signing of documents was to sign ones that are against our constitution ( after swearing to uphold it ) I was watching him signing documents where he was not aware of what was in them. He asked his aid about a certain
Item that he wanted in the document and was it there and the aid remained silent. He did not read nor check it but went on to sign it .
Trump also pardoned a group of individuals who took part in Jan 6 . People who injured and in one case killed a police officer. Among the were groups like Proud Boys who are far right fascists.
This remark needs to stay because Democracy does die in the darkness !

Galaxy

You may need to work on your predictions then! They are worse than mine and I thought Harris would win.

I thought Harris would win too, all the news coverage in the UK was the Democrats demonizing Trump little on policy, maybe that was also in the US, it’s all history now.

I dont like the way social media has got involved, there is a lot of extreme opinions voiced on all of them, I don’t often look because they are all angry about something usually irrational.

When accusations of people being 'uninformed' are wafted around, it is always people on the left saying this as a criticism of people on the right.

It is a pathetic argument of people who cannot think of any other way to attack their opponents and is guaranteed to fail.

There will always be a diversity of political opinion across the population, and most will have valid and cogent reasons for believing what they believe.

But I think everyone is looking at this from a very short term point of view. Over time there is a pendulum swinging.

After the chaos ofWorld War 1, there was a swing to populist and fascist governments that at its extreme brought Hitler and Mussolini to power. Since WW2, as a reaction to the horrors of German fascism, there has been a swing back towards liberal and left of centre politics, its apogee.in this country, being the Labour Party making Jeremy Corbyn there.

We are now seeing a swing back towards more populist governments, a reaction, I think to the turmoil and change brought of most people's lives by the electronic revolution that started in the early 1990s.

Personally, I have always occupied the middle ground, just left of centre and I am just ducking to make sure the pendulum doesn't hit me on its way back. Come 2070, I expect the pendulum will start to swing back towards more leftist political parties.

I think it is more than that Monica, I think it is frequently around the issue class, the contempt for the working class is obvious.

I think when people refer to others being ‘uninformed’ what they’re really doing ( at last, I know that I am) they are just worried about the amount of lies and misinformation being spread by various news outlets and social media that some people then believe to be true.

The opposite insult of uninformed is woke. Then there are fence sitters who look at everybody else and pronounce their judgement. Whatever their political viewpoint I think everybody feels the need to set themselves apart from others. In my opinion, in the UK the vast majority of people actually have political views that are within about 20% either side of the centre.

I would be really interested in how people see the word 'woke'. As a woman if someone (in particular a man on social media) declares themselves as woke, I am instantly on edge as to me it usually indicates misogyny and a desire to shout at women. I think different groups have different reactions to the word woke.

To me woke is such a simple concept.

Awareness.

PoliticsNerd
There is no way of as you say ‘bridging the gap between the informed and uninformed voter’ the system is one man one vote.

I think we’d need to hear what the people who use the term think it means, I’ve seen it so many times on Gransnet used in a way that is intended to be derogatory about other posters and about politicians.

You can’t force people into being interested in politics.Most voters see what’s happened over the five years and take their cue from that.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can bridge the gap between informed and uninformed voters and the role all forms of political education might play in that process.

We can’t.

But I am aware that the progressive liberal politician throughout the democratic world, is understanding that they are losing the argument, particularly amongst the voter whose only relationship with politics is once every 4-5 years when they vote.

I think we shall see many ideas beginning to be developed as to how to remedy this situation.

In a feminist discussion (not on here) I might use it, for me it would generally mean those who espouse ideas that hurt women and children, under the umbrella of inclusiveness, so men in womens spaces, cheering on sex work, etc. It tends also to ignore class as a key factor in oppression in my experience. I have seen it used quite a bit by women who would generally be on the left. It is probably as unhelpful as the terms uninformed etc but am not perfect!

That was a very helpful post at 8.11 Whitewave.

Not just on this site Casdon but it does crop up here with depressing regularity I’ve noticed.
Time to stop looking down sniffily on anyone who chooses to vote in a different direction and assume they are uneducated .

Oreo

Not just on this site Casdon but it does crop up here with depressing regularity I’ve noticed.
Time to stop looking down sniffily on anyone who chooses to vote in a different direction and assume they are uneducated .

-or woke.

Galaxy

I think it is more than that Monica, I think it is frequently around the issue class, the contempt for the working class is obvious.

I agree, they love the huddled masses until they have to interact with them😄

Casdon

Oreo

Not just on this site Casdon but it does crop up here with depressing regularity I’ve noticed.
Time to stop looking down sniffily on anyone who chooses to vote in a different direction and assume they are uneducated .

-or woke.

Or anything, since we don’t know each other.

galaxy I think as far as I am concerned, it is a concept that is not particularly useful, in discussion, as it’s history is riddled with meaning.

It isn’t a term I have ever used. But I do think what to me is its original meaning of simply being aware of others misfortunes etc. the best.