Learning About Politics
Constant Recoil...
Posts: 1,276
I have never been intrested in them before. Because of this I know very little about anything goes on in this subject. My knowlege goes as far as Dem.=liberals Rep=conservatives. Now that I do care i'm finding it difficult to just jump in and have opinons on subjects I know nothing about. I'v been following topics on here, listening to debates, and have political conversations with family, but there is still alot that I just don't get. So my question is...How do you learn about this stuff? Im so overwhelmed at this point that it just seems crazy to me. Thanks
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
In the U.S., a large majority of the public is under/uneducated, mis/uninformed, egotistical, and downright stupid. The majority of the American public doesn't have the intelligence or the energy (they're too busy watching celebrities dance on TV, or they are at the mall buying a bunch of crap NOT made in the U.S.) to actively pursue real knowledge. Instead, they only care about Rs and Ds (R for republican, D for democrat). And, they imprison themselves into this narrow-minded, delusional, idiotic mentality. The sad thing is that most of these individuals have no idea why they think the way they do. They simply are born conditioned--by parents, by religion--to think a certain way; and, because they are dumb and lazy, they do nothing to break free from the ideological/religious prisons that they were born into. Quite sad.
Here's the best part: due to their over-inflated egos, they actually think that they have knowledge, even though they have done absolutely nothing to pursue and acquire knowledge.
So, don't be one of these people. Think for yourself. Do the research, seek out experts and analysts you can trust. Learn form others who have knowledge that you do not have.
***Be a student of politics.
Well, this is just one woman's opinion, but here goes...
Start with issues that are important to you personally. What do you value? What do you value about these things? Explore a little around these issues and discover which candidates, political parties, not-for-profit charitable organizations etc. are talking about these issues - do their ideas fit with yours?
In conversation, when others express a strong opinion about an issue, ask them why they feel that way, what led them to that conclusion? What do you think about their reasoning?
Listen a lot, ask lots of questions - particularly "Who benefits?" ie. who benefits from a particular belief/action - me? my family? the community? etc.
I wish you all the best.
My 2 cents are to listen, ask questions, gather information, but also find themes that repeat and look for interconnectedness and relationships that you may not see on the surface.
A good starting point for gathering info with good articles is the Atlantic Monthly. They do good work with depth and less sensationalism.
http://www.theatlantic.com/
Some advice:
Do not try to learn about politics in a rock band's message forum.
Instead, I'd watch the national debates (Obama vs. the Republican) and read each party's platform. Then you'll learn about the parties and have an idea which you support.
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/28998869"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/28998869" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href=" - In the Fire (demo)</a> by <a href="
I agree that you should start with the issues that you are particularly passionate about & learn as much as you can about them. Finding issues hat are important to you shouldn't be difficult because, as they say, the personal is political. Politics - on national as well as local levels - affects your life. Try to make the connections between how the laws that are passed and the political climate in general affects your life & the lives of others.
I don't think an average person can ever learn everything about all political subjects, but if you can get a decent grasp of the issues that are important to you it can help you assess the sources of information that you may want to trust more or trust less with regard to the issues about which you don't have time to do as much research - and I'd say that finding the right sources of information is key. For instance, if you've learned more than your average person knows about issue x, you'll be able to tell when source y is spinning nonsense about that issue; then you'll know to view that source with extra skepticism when they discuss issue z, about which you know less. As much as you can, though, bypass the secondary sources of information like the news or even the politicians and go straight to the primary sources to find the truth about an issue. Along these same lines, note the difference between fact and opinion. Not everything opposing sides say should be given equal weight. Factual data should outweigh Joe Blow's opinion. And speaking of opinion, I would try to avoid all those political commentary shows. Nobody cares about their opinions/agendas; we need the facts so we can form our own opinions.
Regardings good sources for issues of interest, ask around. There are people who have already studied whatever issue who can point you in the right direction for the best sources. That doesn't mean you should should trust every source recommended by every self-proclaimed expert on a subject, but at least you'll have a starting point from which you can assess sources for yourself. Oh, and most importantly, be sure to home your logic & critical thinking skills. Learn how to assess sources of information for yourself.
But back to asking around... you can ask around here. What are the issues that particularly interest you? It's likely that someone here has done some real research into whatever issue & can save you some time by pointing you in the right direction for valid information.
Good luck! :thumbup:
easy answer... READ! read everything you can get your hands on... and question everything. come to your own conclusions and dont ever feel you dont have a right to those conclusions. oh and dont feel you cant change your mind about something. there was a time when i was pro US enough that i wouldve tattooed an eagle on my arse*(i was quite young and was yet to form opinions i could own )... im not like that now.
*metaphorically speaking of course.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
TRUTH...you cannot have HOPE without TRUTH! HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS TRUE AND WHAT IS NOT?
there is only one truth in any one moment
FACTS....Facts are there....got to find them and understand them. Once you understand them, you can make decisions based on that!
HISTORY....look at history before America and after. Our Const. , Dec. of IND., our founding is very important to understand what happened on earth at this point! This is the greatest experiment in world history! America is wonderful and a great HOPE for all of humanity! Understand what took place!
PHILOSOPHY....Capitalism vs. Socialism or both? If so, how much of each? America is different than the rest of the world, we have a Const. to restrain the federal govt. from growing and taking over man, which is the natural movement from MAN taking over govt and using the powers of the federal govt to take away freedoms from THE PEOPLE. BIG GOVT....less Freedoms! Big PEOPLE....more freedoms!
Social issues important to you? Taxation? Low taxes or high taxes?
MOST IMPORTANTLY....you should be able to read this and know what I am....for the most part....THEN, you should be able to read the responses of this response....and determine what THEY are! If you can do that, you are ahead of the game! Good luck!
A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!
All people need to do more on every level!
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/
my advice is to NOT listen to this ^^^^^
most politicians lie in order to get into office ... i.e. what they say on debates, ads and their platform is NEVER what they actually do ... my suggestion is as follows:
1. learn about the makings of the political system (executive branch, how laws are passed, etc..)
2. then look up the word partisanship
3. think for yourself - put everything to a smell test and ask questions ... just because a politican says they will do a, b and c - doesn't mean they will do it nor can they ... example: the mayor in my city ran on a platform of cutting taxes and improving service - so, the people who don't think critically voted for him ... any idiot should be able to know that wasn't possible ... so, now he's cutting services across the board ...
Good advice here.
And yeah, I wouldnt put too much stock in the debates either. You'll hear a bunch of stuff that sounds good that will never happen.
I love listening to different peoples takes on politics, but some are very railroaded, so make sure you keep an open mind and cross reference everything that you find important.
People cannot do this.....which is why many will vote for what they hear from a good speaker such as Obama, however, they may overlook the best candidate who cannot communicate as well! Hitler was a great speaker also! WATCH WHAT THEY DO!
A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!
All people need to do more on every level!
find out what the big issues of the day are, and then decide what your stance is on each issue. you have a moral compass and a foundation of principles that you stand for, let those things be your guide.
my best advice is to remember that politicians are whores. they will say anything to get elected and will do things for the people that give them the most money. it is like getting a prostitute. if you don't have money, you aren't getting anything....if you have money, you can get whatever favors you want. sorry for the cynicism, but i have been burned too many times for believing in men running for office that make promises that they have no intention of keeping...
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
The left owns all the networks, hollywood, major newpapers, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, New York TImes, etc
The right owns Talk Radio
The center owns FOX NEWS
The owner of the left HATES America
The owner of Fox LOVES America
Thats a big difference and you need to understand that first and foremost!
CNN is owned by TED TURNER who is more center and he LIKES America!
A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!
All people need to do more on every level!
look at the language used...love, hate, his pot shots and negative language describing "the left" and his positive terms for the "right". and most of all, fox news is not owned by the center. google rupert murdoch...
the most essential thing you need to do when reading is to pay attention to the language used. this is how you recognize and disregard the author's bias.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Thanks for this. I like you. You might be a genius.
"With our thoughts we make the world"
Howard Zimm: A People's History of the United States
Alexis de Tocqueville; Democracy in America
And not to leave out an excellent conservative writer:
Andrew Bacevich: The Limits of Power
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
Seriously, do you enjoy being happy? If the answer is "Yes", then I would suggest avoiding politics.
Agreed....Start with some recent history readings and in addition to the above check out Noam Chomsky. A heavy read but there are a couple documentaries, you can find on the internet, featuring Chomsky that are amazing.
while i find chomsky and zinn interesting i don't neccesarily agree with them
Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do: by Andrew Gelman is a must read
World Out of Balance:International Relations and the Challenge of American Primacy
Stephen G. Brooks & William C. Wohlforth is also really interesting