[OT] "The Condescending UI" (was: Do we need Win95/98/Me support?)

[Nick Sabalausky]

"foobar" <foo at bar.com> wrote in message 
news:teutlxbmxkyzvyrqgyiy at dfeed.kimsufi.thecybershadow.net...
>
> There is this phenomena in the US where some people feel that they have 
> the right to be ignorant but they ought to realize that this isn't a core 
> human right and it slowly degrades society in such a way that they lose 
> all other rights and freedoms. People should educate themselves and be 
> responsible for their votes and actually do vote. In my country (Israel) 
> an elections with ~67% of people voting was the lowest percentage ever and 
> usually it's closer to 80%. in the USA it's closer to 50%. That isn't even 
> a majority of the population!
>

I agree that if someobody's *going* to vote, they have a moral 
responsibility to be informed about what it is they're voting on (and the 
biased handwavy-propaganda-with-no-real-information we get bombarded with 
from each side doesn't count). And it's *absolutely* best to be informed and 
then vote.

But real legitimate information (as opposed to non-informational emotional, 
and frankly patronizing, propaganda: And I mean propaganda quite literally) 
is surprisingly difficult to find in this supposedly free country.  The real 
information is essentially hidden by those who prefer us to vote 
emotionally - that way we're more easily swayed. And the US is such a 
goddamn rat race, many people just simply can't afford the time to dig 
through the mountains of bullshit: they're too busy trying to keep the bills 
paid.

And if for that reason, or any other legitimate *or* illigitimate reason, 
when somebody *isn't* informed, it's downright socially irresponsible for 
them to vote (but many do anyway, and that's part of why american elections 
have degenerated into little more than popularity contests).

> The current situation is directly connected to the ignorance and lack of 
> caring by the people. After all, a democratic government comes from the 
> people and represents the people. Clearly, the citizens of the USA didn't 
> care enough.

It's not so much apathy. Mostly, we've just lost faith in politicians (and 
not without reason). Besides, to borrow from South Park, we're usually faced 
with a choice between a giant doucebag and a shit sandwich: We all lose no 
matter how the vote turns out. At the very least, that 50% turnout is a big 
vote for "We need a candidate who doesn't have their head up their ass."