Quote:
Originally Posted by Wes Mantooth
I've always been of the belief that its a terrible idea to encourage as many people to vote as possible. Some people are just so grossly uninformed on the issues that not only are they screwing up the vote for everybody else but probably voting against their own best interests as well. Educating the voters would be awesome and I wholeheartedly support doing so, however so much misinformation is passed around beforehand that I believe its nearly impossible to do.
It would seem no matter what you do propaganda passed around by talking heads and political leaders will almost always defeat rational thought. They pray on our basic emotions and whip the voter base into such a frenzy that it closes them off to anything the other side has to say. In the end a seething mob of voters crowd into the polls full of so much piss and vinegar the question itself almost doesn't matter, they just want to win.
I'd never dream of taking away somebodies right to a vote but I wish we'd knock off the "get out and vote" campaigns and start encouraging people to stay home if they haven't taken the time to educate themselves on the issues before hand.
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Not true. The CIvil Rights movement and MLK had the right idea. Their actions and the way MLK gave speeches, his dedication to a cause and his belief.... helped to educate a populace to vote and to create needed changes. He didn't talk down to anyone, belittle or talk about voters being "ignorant"... The news sources at first portrayed him as a rabble rouser, people laughed at him, government and some churches scorned him calling him a "radical" and trying to defame him..... BUT he stayed the course and changes came. Racist politicians that would never have voted for Civil Rights either did or were voted out of office.
It's the same about Vietnam. The populace became educated and voted in people to end the war. Lennon educated people with his art and voice.
The press always has an agenda, the politicians always have agendas.... BUT THE PEOPLE when educated, when someone stands up and says "ENOUGH" and has the charisma, conviction and faith in his beliefs the people will follow regardless of what their churches, politicians and government say.
There are lots of examples in small cities, states and nationally of people standing up, doing what was needed to educate the voters and changing laws (good and bad).... So again, I say it is easy to sit there and to denigrate the voters, it is easy to cry foul and talk about how bad the media, politicians and government is because the people are "so misinformed".... but those with true belief in their cause, those who have faith in their fellow man and believe that we can and will do better.... those men and women will do whatever it takes to lead people and educate them to help the cause.