I think as this section has demonstrated multiple times, politics is neither a straight forward, clean, nor cut and dry affair. US politics in particular is extremely complex and many people are aware there are numerous theaters of thought going around at any time during any election. Much of it happens out of her view and you have to attend things in person (like council meetings) to figure out who is in the same ballpark as your view. So if it seems like voters make decisions based on soundbytes and general narratives in the media, that is understandable because sometimes that last word of what we hear in the media has weight as something of a footnote when it comes to deciding which way to vote . However, I think that many people understand a lot of topics in the media quite deeply, especially those who actually vote... it's just that you don't hear their voices because they don't come on message boards or FB to vent their affair. US politics is a
very messy affair and to say just one thing on social media about it is to invite the fanatic who wants to post 50 YT videos on the subject to sway their reader base (it's never about the poster, it's about them).
Most people here keep the politics to close family members, local clubs (like charities), unions (like I now participate in thanks to a client), other organizations (like HOA's, animal rescue organizations), work with close intimate team works and lastly...
the dinner table. If you're a university student, then it's your classroom (especially liberal arts), your hallways, your posters and every other person out in the public with posters and media. Politics integral to the functioning of our democracy. To dumb it all down to soundbytes in the media and general ignorance doesn't do justice to the realities of how politics functions in the democracies we participate in today... this forum is a drop in the bucket compared to the conversations we have in the streets today. Maybe in local area, it's a taboo thing to discuss, but in the US... not taboo at all. Having an opinion or exercising
freedom of speech is
being American.
Anyway, I always give people the benefit of the doubt to those who oppose me just simply based on the fact their living circumstances are likely not to be equal to my own and there's benefit to hearing multiple views on a subject matter, especially those more experienced in life. Though good to see that there are a few that see the shades of things that I am able to see (and have experienced) in my relatively short life. That to me is a sign that those particular ideas are still traveling around within people's spheres. I used to think of EU as a very liberal and progressive place compared to the US... however, since being on this board, I've learned that is in fact not the case, and that EU (UK) in particular has just as many views as we do in the US. Naturally, depending on where you live, your major views will shift...
I usually take issue with threads such as this, normally, where commentators take cheap shots at the opposing base(s) on their soapboxes. It's a rather cheap and low rent view on things, but then let's think about this... I liken these people to shock jokes--merely saying things to get attention. But hey,
it works doesn't it? This
cockwomble (that's a hilarious ****ing name btw,
I'm keeping it) was recently featured on
CNN when citing the "alt right". Still, they cited this movement as
1-3% of Trump's voting block. Something I really question if it is truly
that low.
It's the
cockwombles like these dudes that drive controversy and drive up the stagnant earth to crack and crumble around weak ideas or unchallenged ideas just waiting to be tested in our political sphere. We have them on
both the right and left, and they know best just how to troll the media, as they not only have the means but the willpower to do so
with focus and without restraint.
Our mainstream media, the slowest one in the room,
still, is trying to wrap it's head around this election result. They just can't quite get a good grasp on what exactly the alt right is (Glenn Beck had this conversation the other day), what it actually stands for and what type of influence it has had on sections of our public. 1-3% is still a really low estimate imo of how many Trump voters are being influenced by the alt right. These videos get a lot of views and attention, otherwise they wouldn't be cited so frequently (in social media) and I can almost guarantee they were all over FB before early voting opened... because I know how often this information gets picked up, travels and picks up traffic. It's actually my job to analyze this for my clients.
If the mainstream media has
one job, it's to dumb it all down to the lowest common denominator. So if CNN and all these other major outlets are having trouble still dumbing this down, this should speak volumes. Their true spots and colors are showing, because they can't just wrap it up in a nice pretty bow and standard narrative anymore. They actually have to work for their story (
). I mean go figure.
I'll give them credit, they're definitely trying. However, they've had more than a few hosts on there with sour oats because they couldn't figure out how to make it plain and clear to the banal individuals out there. I think just about anyone knows there's more to the story. Hence why most people just stay quiet about some things, particularly their opinion on these issues. It's these cockwombles, movements and other assorted groups that are creating the mega earthquakes in our political sphere atm... not the mainstream... the mainstream would be happy to move to the center of gravity when it comes to these discussions, but as they learned on November 9th, to do so opens them up to some liabilities, so they actually now have to cover **** more instead of just finding some pretty narrative to stand behind. We are not living in a period of cut and dry politics and narratives anymore. The media can't get away with this anymore thanks to the internet (primarily) and increased populist politics circulating in our everyday society(ies).
I've been watching mainstream since election day and short of paving over the ruin with more fresh cement and trying to start back over after this last reset, which only works temporarily, they are clearly having a difficult time painting a clear and balanced picture of just what happened on November 9th. I noticed some self-deprecation on the part of the hosts on TV as of late... they were honest in saying they
clearly dropped the ball on this movement.
I'll post this about Glenn Beck. He had a great deal of humble soup to share around and actually... this should give you some idea of just how much these politics (partially fueled by cockwombles) is affecting the way mainstream media delivers their stories.
Anyway, these cockwombles have a very important function in our media (non-mainstream) than we often give them credit for. As much as I dislike the method to their
madness.