How much of what we care about is relevant to the average Joe?

[More Than A Feeling]

Those here at Democratic Underground seem to be news hounds. They know the significance of every little bit of political info that comes down the pike, and most of it is taken as an affirmation of Bush's evil nature and so forth.

Joe Blow out there, probably doesn't care. If it doesn't impact him in a way that is noticeable in his everyday life. Things such as the 350 tons of explosives that went missing in the last week of the election, are not really surprising. The country has had a year to digest the failures in Iraq, and several years to realize that, hey, we haven't found Osama. I know that those two things are really big themes here, but perhaps they don't have that big an effect with the majority who aren't like us.

This is part of the problem when questions that impact religion come up. It is really hard, if people feel like the country is going against what they think God says, to find a higher authority than God to overrule him/her/it. The frustrating thing is that perhaps the issue would not impact their personal life, if they didn't think that it went against God.

I don't have any solutions, I just felt like ranting. You are now returned to your regularly scheduled life.

[AverageJoe]

1. All of it

Considering that I am AverageJoe. ;-)

[More Than A Feeling]

2. Good call!

I feel much better!

[shadowknows69]

11. they just don't realize how lucky they are that they have us ;O)

[fryguy]

3. well put

its clear that at least 51% of the country cares little about trying to learn the truth, instead accepting that which is spoon-fed to them by the "main-stream" media

[TwentyFive]

4. Joe Blow wants his life easy.

You're right. The repugs twist things around so that Joe Blow thinks the democrats want to complicate his life. So, health care reform means that liberals want to limit & control his doctors. Same-sex marriage will devalue his heterosexual marriage, etc. He wants to forget about problems.

So, it's not the issues....but it's the fact that the GOP does a masterful job of psyching out Joe Blow.

[Inland]

5. I think it needs to be kept in mind

But also, as activists and democratic party members (even you guys threatening to walk), we are also concerned with things not readily apparent to all.

[YNGW]

6. Very Little

Which should give some insight into what average people feel is important and how they view events as compared to the significance DUers have placed on what they see as being important.

[McKenzie]

7. I'm an average...

Jock!

[newportdadde]

8. Well..

straight up something like half of us didn't even vote so you have that large section right there. You know I watched the History Channel last night about the French Revolution and how people were starving and a loaf of bread cost a month wages. That for me really put it into perspective.

It will take a lot... a lot before Joe Six pack cares as long as he can get food, some form of shelter etc he/she will hang in there for a long long time.

[American Tragedy]

9. How do you define an average Joe, as opposed to those of us on DU?

We have families. Many of us have lousy minimum wage jobs or are unemployed, like me. We're not so very different.

You know, I don't voraciously devour the news and politics as some sort of intellectual civic duty, like serving in a jury; although it may incidentally serve that end. Democracy is tyranny, without the participation of an active and informed citizenry. I don't even believe that it is driven entirely by our self-interest.

I suspect that the overwhelming majority of us are political junkies because we're just personally fascinated with it. Even if I could render myself impervious to the effects of our system, I would still observe it with great interest, just as others watch football and other diversions that don't directly affect one's life.

[More Than A Feeling]

10. The people who aren't interested

who don't care enough to be an "informed citizen". The ones who think politics doesn't matter, or are cynical just because they think it is the cool thing to be, or so they don't have to think about it or take a stand.

Those are who I define as Joe Average. So basically, its everyone who didn't vote, plus the ones who did who didn't pay attention until a week before.

[American Tragedy]

12. I know what you mean.

I had a hard time in high school particularly, when it seemed like so many kids were fashionably indifferent and looked down upon anybody who openly cared about politics, America, and the world. It's still difficult to explain to some people why I always have CSPAN on and continually check AP/Reuters. That's why I love DU.