Reply #195: It's not that they're old and uneducated... [View All]

[sakura]

While it seems that this particular crop of LIVs are defined by being old and ignorant, I don't think being old is the cause of their ignorance. Neither young nor old has a lock on ignorance-- the WV footage I saw had plenty of young, ignorant voters.

As for being uneducated, it's more that they want to stay uneducated that's the problem. There are plenty of people out there who have eighth grade educations who have continued to learn and grow throughout their lives. But, importantly, those people wanted to grow. There are also plenty of people who have stopped growing, and are very happy to continue viewing the world through the same filters they have used for years and years.

I come from a working class, immigrant family. I put myself through school to earn a Ph.D. One of my sisters is a high school dropout, although she did eventually earn her G.E.D. She's not stupid (to the contrary, she's quite intelligent), but she fits the stereotype of the LIV to a tee (apart from age). Her reasons for choosing a particular candidate have little to do with the issues. Seriously, she couldn't bring herself to vote for Kerry, because in her words, he "looks like Herman Munster." (Not that she votes democratic often. Despite the fact that her husband is a union foreman, they both vote republican most of the time.) She's had plenty of opportunity to educate herself, but the sad fact is that she just really doesn't value learning. It's a lot easier to vote for someone based on the fact that he or she is good looking, or put a chicken in the pot, than to sit down and think through the issues. As you pointed out, people who don't think for themselves are extremely easy to exploit.

I agree with you. It's pointless to worry about offending people who are operating on this level. The only way to win their vote will be by pandering, or by appealing to fear or their baser instincts. I don't see doing so as a necessary step in building a winning coalition.