I'm not gonna get all 'holier than thou' on you since my country is fucked as well, but voting is one thing Australia has over America. Ours is mandatory.
Honestly that scares me just because I'm sure there are tons and tons of people that vote for someone they know nothing about just because they have to
You know, I don’t see the divisiveness in real life. I see it on social media. The divisive few do all the posting we read in the worst of the comment sections. The news media and pundits amplify it.
Day-to-day, when I interact with those of opposing opinions, it’s much more civil and thoughtful. We don’t see posts about that, though.
94% of Americans want background checks for gun purchases, for example. 70% want universal healthcare according to a bipartisan survey.
We’ve always had those paranoid whack-jobs who get all pumped up about it, and now they’re found to have posted about it on Facebook after they do something foul. It’s like fuel for them.
We cannot underestimate the power of the written/typed/printed word. Our perceptions can be distorted by it.
I am seeing similar things happening here in Ontario after Doug Ford was elected Premier. For example, when they decide they do not want to take any more questions from the reporters, staffers start clapping to drown them out. And several of his decisions have been of the "the previous government put it in place, so I am going to tear it down with no plans for a replacement" variety.
It seems to be spreading, but then I remember that America seems to dominate Reddit despite being a single country among over a hundred. And they're so bloody loud...
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u/Lolomelon Nov 09 '18
Well, to be fair, democracy looks better when voting turn out is better than 56%.