People who could care less..

QuestionAuthority

I am sure I am not alone in having someone you know or work with that could care less about this election or politics/state of the world in general.

I actually work with someone who prides herself in the fact that she, or anyone else in her family, has ever voted. But you can be sure she maxes out every vote her household is eligible for voting for Dancing with the Stars! I have learned ~ it is 13!

There are many around our daily lives that I am sure all of us interact with that do not watch the news, read the newspaper or even a news web site.
Being a self described news junkie I can not imagine NOT being informed.

So, how do you handle people like these that you encounter?

Do you shame them?

Do you try to motivate them to care?

Do you at times wish you were more like them.. by in a sense burying your head in the sand.. makes life I guess not as stressful if you have not a clue. I for one sure wish my head was buried in the sand today reading that story of the 90 year old woman who at the end of her rope choose to possibly end her life than face foreclosure. There are days that stories in the news really are hard to deal with and not have it effect you.

I am posing this to Moving Train-ers as we are all obviously passionate in our beliefs to come to a message board and discuss these matters of politics/state of the world/news with each other.

sponger

I hate to start things off on the wrong foot, but I feel compelled to tell you that your thread title is a major pet peeve of mine.

You see, the correct expression is "couldn't care less." It implies that a person is so lacking in concern that it would not be humanly possible for that person to care less.

Commy

I think you let them separate themselves from the voting process. If they aren't educated enough to make a decision, they shouldn't make that decision. deciding who our next president will be takes education, and if they choose not to educate themselves they have no business participating in the voting process.

typicL AMERICNS

QuestionAuthority

sponger wrote:

I hate to start things off on the wrong foot, but I feel compelled to tell you that your thread title is a major pet peeve of mine.

You see, the correct expression is "couldn't care less." It implies that a person is so lacking in concern that it would not be humanly possible for that person to care less.

So sorry in my IN-correct use of the English language.. I understand pet peeves.

So.. care to answer the question?

unsung

The only real difference in choosing in this election is the color of one's skin. Otherwise they are virtually the same.

sponger

QuestionAuthority wrote:

So sorry in my IN-correct use of the English language.. I understand pet peeves.

So.. care to answer the question?

The beauty of democracy is that it does not discriminate except in the case of age and citizenship, which is something with which I am comfortable.

I have to admit that I was not terribly affected by the news of the 90 year old woman and her dire turn of events.

I guess you could say that I've been calloused by years of working at a law firm that foreclosed on people on behalf of large banks. I worked in the finance department, and I was the person who handled the funds from foreclosure sales.

At first it was very gut wrenching to see these people lose their homes. I sometimes had to take a deep breath and collect my thoughts, and remind myself that I had a job to do.

But after awhile I began to notice a trend. That trend was that many of these people knowingly plunged themselves into too much debt. Believe it or not, they were often people who had a wealth of other assets that they could've sold to keep their homes.

And what I had to keep in mind was that there are a lot of people out there who avoid purchasing homes because they have a sense of financial responsibility. Would it really be fair to them if other people got to over-extend themselves and eventually keep their homes because it's just too saddening to see them be foreclosed upon?

In the grand scheme of things, it really isn't much different from repossesing a car. Do you feel sorry for people who risk everything just to drive a car that is beyond their means?

Of course, it's saddening that she had to take the route that she took. And what really bothers me is that she must've waited her whole entire life for the chance to own a home of her own, and shortly after that dream was realized, it was taken from her before she could have the chance to pass it on to her children, to whom she probably wished more than anything she could've given something to remember her by.

_Crazy_Mary_

At work, I am the only person with my political views. Every other person I work with has completely opposite beliefs. If I were to tell anybody my beliefs, I kid you not, I would lose all respect these people have for me and my chance at advancing in this company would be gone. I'm not joking. These "open-minded" people would shut me out without a second thought. Soooo.... I pretend to be a-political. I act like I couldn't care less about this election. I've even lied and said, "I've never voted before...why start now?"

So maybe this person you work with is like me and realizes you are not quite as open-minded as you believe yourself to be. She probably knows better.

Vedder316

I agree with Cammy. If that person does not care to educate then what good does it do if they vote for some one they know nothing about. Now what erks me is when people who refuse to vote and are educated b*tch and moan about on goings. I work with some one who feels the need to complain about everything gov related but prides her self in never voting! I respectfully asked her why she doesnt vote and her awnser was "it make no difference they will get who they want into the whitehouse"???? Talk about frustratng.

Vedder316

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

At work, I am the only person with my political views. Every other person I work with has completely opposite beliefs. If I were to tell anybody my beliefs, I kid you not, I would lose all respect these people have for me and my chance at advancing in this company would be gone. I'm not joking. These "open-minded" people would shut me out without a second thought. Soooo.... I pretend to be a-political. I act like I couldn't care less about this election. I've even lied and said, "I've never voted before...why start now?"

So maybe this person you work with is like me and realizes you are not quite as open-minded as you believe yourself to be. She probably knows better.

Thats a shame that you cant discuss your beliefs and they could not be respected. Although I am a firm believer that work and politics do not mix. But still I feel for ya.

LONGRD

Vedder316 wrote:

Thats a shame that you cant discuss your beliefs and they could not be respected. Although I am a firm believer that work and politics do not mix. But still I feel for ya.

During breaktime today, I asked my co-workers if they watched any of the VP debate and all shook their heads no.

One of them didn't even know Joe Biden's name. He referred to him as "the white guy with Obama's party" ... :(

Vedder316

LongRd. wrote:

During breaktime today, I asked my co-workers if they watched any of the VP debate and all shook their heads no.

One of them didn't even know Joe Biden's name. He referred to him as "the white guy with Obama's party" ... :(

I regret to say I believe that. lol

LONGRD

unsung wrote:

The only real difference in choosing in this election is the color of one's skin. Otherwise they are virtually the same.

These two candidates, by far, have contrasting ideas and views for most of the issues(not all but most). I'm not sure how one can see them as the same...

QuestionAuthority

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

At work, I am the only person with my political views. Every other person I work with has completely opposite beliefs. If I were to tell anybody my beliefs, I kid you not, I would lose all respect these people have for me and my chance at advancing in this company would be gone. I'm not joking. These "open-minded" people would shut me out without a second thought. Soooo.... I pretend to be a-political. I act like I couldn't care less about this election. I've even lied and said, "I've never voted before...why start now?"

So maybe this person you work with is like me and realizes you are not quite as open-minded as you believe yourself to be. She probably knows better.

Oh I never claimed to be open minded! Just kidding.. seriously.. this is no secret my coworker is hiding... she honestly does not and has no interest in it.. she thinks it does not effect her. She proudly even states this to people who she works with everyday from other companies..

I guess what makes me curious about your comment to me regarding the open mindedness is where in my post do I show that I share my political beliefs? These people I work with do not know how in depth my viewpoint's are.. I am very middle of the road when any discussion regarding politics is brought up ~ as I live in a very red state in a VERY red area of that red state.. so I too am very hesitant in what I express due to not being known as the bleeding heart liberal.

Commy

less than 50% of eligible voters vote in presidential elections. when GW won by a few thousand, that amounts to getting 25% of the vote. he was supported by less then a quarter of the people in the US, in his prime. Now its even less than that.

When voting can change the system, I think we will see an increase in people willing to cast their vote. In the meantime, corporations rule the day.





there's a class war. Fight back.

blackredyellow

unsung wrote:

The only real difference in choosing in this election is the color of one's skin. Otherwise they are virtually the same.

But you constantly bash Obama, but now you are saying that they are the same?

unsung

I don't like McCain either. I think they are both going to do damage to this country. They share many of the same policies, policies which I do not support.

They both voted for this bailout, they both voted for immunity to telecommunication companies, they share many of the same votes. That is when they decide to show up and vote and vote other than present.

mfc2006

i think it's a tad scary & sad that so many are completely uninformed. but..that is their choice.

it seems like they only pipe up once they realize that it affects their lives, which is wrong on many levels.

to each their own, i guess. even if someone decides not to vote, i would hope that they reached that conclusion based on the information/candidates available...

what's that old saying? information/knowledge is power? (or something like that) the day that people realize that they can make a difference, that their vote does count towards something, that government (on any level) affects ALL of us...that will be a good day.

sponger

There's a guy that I work with. He's not an analyst. He's more of a support staff type person. He just didn't feel like going to college.

Dude is smart. I mean he's gifted. He has made a tremendous difference in how the operation runs, which is quite an accomplishment for a support staffer.

When he sends out e-mails, they're written in perfect english. The department manager hands him memos to proofread ever so often.

The other day I heard him say, "Eh, I don't watch the news. It's too depressing."

And who can blame him? It's not an easy thing to take a look at what's going on in the world and still maintain some sense of sanity. That's why I never rule out apathy when I come across someone who just doesn't care. And apathy is certainly something that I can relate to.

_Crazy_Mary_

unsung wrote:

I don't like McCain either. I think they are both going to do damage to this country. They share many of the same policies, policies which I do not support.

They both voted for this bailout, they both voted for immunity to telecommunication companies, they share many of the same votes. That is when they decide to show up and vote and vote other than present.

That's where I'm at, too. But if I ever said that to the people I work with they would think I'm insane for insinuating that Obama & McCain are similar and that both are dangerous for this country. I would propbably lose my job...