wield your politik

[redfella]

Yea, so I'm bored on a Tuesday night. Don't feel like sleeping, and probably won't go to bed for awhile. The night is young and I don't have to work tomorrow because I called the day off. Obviously I'm too good for work just like Goeff. -One day I will become an entreprenuer and will have no boss, on top of which I will retire at the ripe young age of 40. That is most likely fact and, at this moment, how I view myself... a self-righteous, intelligent entity who considers all things (at all times) and always makes the right decisions. I'mma hustla baby.

Anywho. Right... Writing a thread for some reason. Weild your Politik. Why are most people ignorant about politics? Why do most people think that their impression of politics is absolute and undeniably correct? Where does this phenomina come from? Does it manifest itself from the one's upbringing at home or from close friends? It is concepted by one's own imigination and belief? Does it relate directly to self-interest and well-being? Whatever the reason, most people that I have met have had a strong belief (or are at least willing to quickly show their support) of politics/political leanings either in one fashion or another. Why?

Why can no one admit that they cannot possibly know all of the facts out there? How is it that the common lay-worker can claim that they know exactly what is going on in the world and damned if his/hers assumption of political understanding isn't always true and steadfast? -Let me tell you something... The common lay-worker could not possibly understand all of the factors, influences, decisions and lessons behind any given political adherence. True, it would be better to believe in something than nothing at all, but how does that lend itself to unapologetically boasting one's own political beliefs and ridiculing the opposite? To me that is niave and childlike... not to mention just plain annoying.

Then the funny part is when you go and ask the common lay-worker why he believes in one method of political bolstering over another, he/she basically tells you that they don't know why.... "they just do". Some might spout off a couple of quick shit remarks saying something to the effect that one political party (figure) has created more jobs or helped the economy (or similar). These cliched soundbytes are hollow bouncyballs of intellectual nothingness. They have no meaning. Not because he/she may or may not be correct, but solely because he/she simply doesn't know what the fuck they are talking about. They're just feeding a line that they may have picked up somewhere that would tend to help them weild their politik. To help them believe in what they believe, regardless whether or not it is factually correct. Silly, ain't it?

Yea, so being the smart guy that I am, whenever I am confronted about my political beliefs I always say that "I don't know... there is simply too much to know and understand. Being the common lay-worker that I am, unprivaliged to sensitive information pertaining to current world matters and events, I could not possible even begin to pretend to know whats going on... one way or the other. Therefore I am not going to sculpt a deceptive lie about what I assume politics to be. I will be reactionary and accept politics for what they are in their current state in America and not worry about it. I trust that any Democrat/Republican/Libratarian/Whatever in any area of political persuasion will make the best decisions for this country, based on prior knowledge of our history, and not chastise them for doing so. That is all their is too know."

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Da Fuck was this thread all about?

[zeeko]

i really think that the problem is that there just aren't a lot of people who ask the question "why?" they accept things that they are told and get so caught up in their daily lives that they really don't ever think about things like purpose, and the meaning of life etc. people today are very ignorant and take just about everything around them for granted. The well to do white americans don't have anything to do with their lives so they go to church to feel like they can change the world and not just die and become recycled in the carbon chain.

[tnf]

[zeeko]

man that's great tnf just when you think it is going to start over again, it just keep on going

[tnf]

he keeps respawning, is there a fraglimit?

Those weren't meant to be spam. That picture actually summed up my response in both cases..and you know a pic is worth a 1000 words.

[zeeko]

It's Wednesday.

however, it is NOT wednesday in california.

[schlockey]

No, about another 77 minutes until then.

[mjrpes]

he keeps respawning, is there a fraglimit?

Those weren't meant to be spam. That picture actually summed up my response in both cases..and you know a pic is worth a 1000 words.

animations are worth a pictured squared, so that's about 1,000,000 words. Not even Crime and Punishment can measure up to that.

[redfella]

So ain't anyone gonna disagree or did I hit the nail on the head so properly that you bitches are at a loss of words?

[Canidae]

Us bitches have our mouths full

[tnf]

In essence, you've basically just explained that you are a lay-person who can't understand all that is going on in this world, and that since nobody can expect to have ALL the information available, we should simply surrender ourselves to being nothing but flotsam carried about in the turbulent waters of the political landscape. I'd say that your line of reasoning is a dangerous one, but one that is held by many lay-people. I talk with people like this and it drives me nuts, because they use that line of thinking as an excuse to avoid educating themselves further or getting involved.
Unfortunately, people who follow that line of thinking still go out and vote.

There is information - valid information - out there. But you have to be discerning enough to find it.

[redfella]

Nice reply tnf, but I think you are assuming that I have not bothered to educate myself on politcal matters (in general), and that is probably the furtherest assumption from the truth. I believe that I am well-informed and well-educated on many political/social subjects, as well as having a firm, widespread knowledge of history and its lessons.

I guess my issue is this; a lot of people are not educated enough to neither defend nor support their political beliefs (when questioned about them) and yet they still do, and they do it bull-headedly. Why? I don't understand that.

[Canidae]

Everyones vote is worth the same as others.
Don't let people dissuade you from voting, Redfella, because they think they know better than you and can't force you to move in lockstep with them.
Politics has been deliberately constructed to confuse,entertain and pit voters against each other like a team competition.
It doesn't have to be that way.

[tnf]

That's just human nature.

[StormShadow]

What uneducated or uninformed people will do is find someone (Rush Limbaugh?) whos belief system is close to theirs on some level, and latch on. They feel that their point of view is valid even though they cant defend it, because there is someone out there who can.

Its nice to let someone else do your thinking for you..

[GONNAFISTYA]

Being the common lay-worker that I am, unprivaliged to sensitive information pertaining to current world matters and events, I could not possible even begin to pretend to know whats going on... one way or the other. Therefore I am not going to sculpt a deceptive lie about what I assume politics to be.

That's really no excuse for making a concerted effort to remain ignorant about the world around you...which is what you appear to be advocating here.

There's a saying: Question authority.

It doesn't mean you must get a lynchmob of people wielding pitchforks and torches whenever someone fucks up...but it also means that you should be allowed to say (when the majority of publically available evidence points to the conclusion) "the king has no pants." And you should be allowed to discuss them in open air....as often as you want. Discussion usually leads to education.

isn't it a fundamental concept behind the Bill of Rights? The ability to question the leaders and call them to answer for their actions?

Why would a "red-blooded American" want to abandon that?

In my book, apathy is another word for ignorant.

BTW...I tried your Q3 map. Nice. I didn't write a review for it (too busy) but I thought it was pretty cool.

[hate]

see

you can do it

[iambowelfish]

Trusting better-informed ppl doesn't really make sense if those people can't agree with each other.

There are well informed people on both sides of many issues this would seem to allow the lay-person to hold some valid views.

I can still disagree on what the best course of action is with someone who is better informed than I because I may have a very different idea of what constitutes a positive outcome (or even if the outcome is important).

[iambowelfish]

For example, someone who holds an anti-war position may come up with many convincing reasons why the war in Iraq was motivated primarily by economic self-interest.

However it would not be invalid for a less-well informed person to say that they take a consequentialist stance and therefore do not believe that the government's motivations are releveant to their own position on the war.

[redfella]

However it would not be invalid for a less-well informed person to say that they take a consequentialist stance and therefore do not believe that the government's motivations are releveant to their own position on the war.

So per your example, political motivations are based in-part on self-interest? You don't need to answer that, it's a rethorical (sp) question.

This is null thread anyways. -tnf wins with his; "that's just human nature" remark. -People will believe in any sort of politics out there for a number of reasons... all of which are inherently self-motivated.