Politically exhausted.

[FluffyColor]

Yeah, I hate it! Remember the presidental election? Those ads drove me totally mad! I mean, you aren't going to get me to change my mind about (insert candidate here) by bomboarding me with ads! YEESH!

 

[ducks4you]

Quote:
You know, you can analyze an ad much better if you watch it silent.

Some mornings, when I'm waking up with my beloved COFFEE, I hit the mute while saying, "shut up," to the TV.

 

[PineappleMama]

Hmmm... I wonder...

Do you think maybe one perk of this bombardment is that people get SO sick of hearing about it that they don't want anything at all to do with it and thus go to the polls and just vote red or blue just to have it done and over with?

Of course, downside is that the more people who vote the more the goobs think their ads worked and thus they think next time they need to increase them... bluh.

I would love, love, LOVE if my party (all parties?) simply made a list that was basically a performance review. I don't need to know what you're doing in your private life, don't care how many years you served, yada yada... show me that my voting you in last time was proven to be a good choice because you voting according to my beliefs about where our country should be going and you'll keep your job for another term. Fail to show me/refuse to admit your votes... or worse just point fingers at others so no one bothers to ask about your votes and you just seem like a crook... no vote for you. So, yeah... gimme a list, maybe ala search engine... type in where you are at and all the candidates/elections that'll be on MY ballot pop up with simple voting history... by year, bill # and name, and yay/nay... don't even have to tell me what party you are. If you voted the way I like then it won't matter to me what team you claim you play for.

*sigh* The fact that they refuse to do a list like that makes me think that every single one of them has at least one vote that they are ashamed of....

 

[welsummerchicks]

It's interesting, and in a cynical and 'told ya so' sorta way, fun to look at the facts behind those ads. It's a great way to remind oneself things are never quite as simple as the media and political ads pretend.

Some day, take any 'controversial' media story that people are talking about a lot, and getting very polarized on, and just research it. Get information from a couple different sources. Find out what 'facts' and 'statistics' are misquoted, mis interpreted and mis prepresented. Just go into any topic of your choosing. It is very, very hard to find sources of information that are not biased. When you look at the source you always have to do so with the idea in mind of 'they could be slanting things for their own purposes', and even, anticipate what they're likely to fudge and what sort of appearance they would want to give, given their position.

You will be utterly and completely amazed. At first, you might be very angry, given how much people depend on the media for 'the truth' and how much most assume it is reliable...as well as how much people take political ads and believe, 'well, they wouldn't lie about basic, simple facts, would they?'. But then you'll know a whole lot better, what you really are dealing with when you read a story or a political ad.

The media has biases. ALL media. Newspapers, radio, and most especially, the internet. Many reporters on web sites insist they are not held to the same standards for truthful investigation as a printed newspaper is.

On what they cover, how they cover it, and how they present facts. Political parties have biases, and are not unknown to 'repurpose' facts and repackage them.

Two political parties, one saying one extreme and the other with the opposite position? The truth probably is petering around there somewhere near the middle.

One researcher did a great deal of work studying the entire 20th century, and included neither the Democrats nor the Republicans made substantial changes one way or the other in the commonest areas of measure, regardless of their public position on any given issue.

I think the toughest thing for people to accept is that it is not just 'the other side' that does it. People on your side of the fence ALSO are playing the game.

 

[PineappleMama]

x2

Most figure if it's on TV or in print it must be true... even if it's a PAID ad... whether you're talking politics or cat litter...

Actually, that brings to mind a movie... maybe y'all saw it? Hugh Jackman, Meg Ryan... Kate & Leopold? He's OLD school to say the least... she's an Ad person... she talks him into doing an ad for diet butter... he's poda say that it's oh so tastey... diet and all... doing okay until he actually took a bite, spit it out, and walked out... because he figured people were depending on an honest assessment from him, they would trust his assessment, and in his day at least, you didn't flat out LIE... even if only about the taste... in order to make a quick buck.

Just popped into my head for some reason... kind of a shame that attitude isn't still in place.

 

[FourPawz]

While political ads get tiresome, it's important to know, especially on a local level, just who it is you are voting for. Are you voting for a person who will cast the deciding vote to prohibit chickens in your area? The person who, out of ignorance, will cast the deciding vote to prohibit the sale of home grown eggs due to a perceived health threat? Electing sane folks can make your school board efficient, and your zoning board a friend, not a foe.

There has never been a more true saying that "all politics is local".

Citizenship carries with it not only rights; but responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to actually know the positions of the person for whom you vote.

(climbing down off soapbox)

 

[welsummerchicks]

So true.

 

[PineappleMama]

^Agree... but ... that only works so far... whoever has the most cash (I don't think I even want to know how) is going to blast the air waves... and another candidate with less wealthy contributors isn't going to be able to afford the same spread... so unless you're watching 24/7 you might very well miss the one ad they managed... 2am... between infomercials.

Many folks probably don't have a clue who all/what all positions they'll be expected to vote for until they see the actual ballot... sure governor is easy... but all these teensy district lines can make it hard to figure out which of them is the one asking for your vote... and which actually belongs in the district two miles down the road...

I think Informed Voters are Good Voters... you know, the whole Knowledge is Power thing... but... typically... those In Power don't like the thought of anyone else having any... so... keep folks ignorant and you keep the power... and your job...

Hmm... paranoid much?

 

[WingingIt]

Quote:
I'm with Cindiloohoo. We don't subscribe for service and when elections are coming, I'm SO glad we don't.

 

[debilorrah]

Our internet connection is too spotty to watch shows on the puter. Unfortunately. And Ken is a TV nut - he watches everything on the History Channel, Discovery, etc. Even the radio has these dumb ads all over the place.