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Originally Posted by balderdash111
Fair point, but I think it's fair to say that stupidity is more likely to lead to ignorance (and, by contrast, smart people are less prone to ignorance).
My point on the ignorance/stupidity issue is that I imagine there are just as many ignorant democrats as there are ignorant republicans, so why to the republicans keep winning?
Is the republican machine better at promoting "pro-republican" ignorance than the democrats are at promoting "pro-democrat" ignorance?
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because they're stupid, too?
nah, just kidding.
I agree that stupidity can lead to ignorance, but not that intelligence makes one less prone to ignorance. Maybe even the opposite, surity in one's intelligence places blinders on oneself. But that's really neither here nor there. I was CMA cuz I've dropped a few ignorance jabs in the past couple of days.
What's really important to me is your last comment. I do think a couple of things:
one, the democratic ignorant base isn't very easily roused for a variety of reasons. one of the main reasons I suspect it's hard to create pro-liberal ignorance is because that is opposed to the very discourse of liberalism.
it requires openness of discussion of ideas and etc. some people are going to come in here and dispute it and get all haughty, that's fine. the historical truth is that liberalism is based on exploration of ideas and the trumping of reason over tradition.
conservativism is rooted in maintianing status quo. it doesn't require or desire people to question authority or their circumstances. and especially not the order of the monarch--that's dangerous shit to have the subjects question the authority of the crown. you might actually have to explain yourself or give them a bone lest they revolt. the workers are a very fickle crowd, wont to go down into a deep, dark abyss of desire.
what was kerry accused of consistently? too much nuance.
that was twisted into flip-flopping. but he spoke in a very particular form that attempted to pass too much meaning from his lived experience to the people's, in a forum that doesn't convey meaning or context adequately.
so he had the double edge of losing people who might have gotten his message had they been able to hear the whole damn thing, and he lost the people who he wasn't even really talking to: the ignorant democrats. they exist, but what would you tell them?
and if you were to tell them bullshit, would you? or would you rather educate them?
kerry seemed to be the type of character that would rather educate an ignorant person even if it meant losing something he valued--which is what exactly happened every time he spoke.