Its not often a boycott works, but when it does, its beautiful.

      • rob@mastodon.social
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        1 year ago

        @PizzaMan @MasterObee The idea of right & left politics is also a straw man. A very well maintained one that keeps everyone thinking ‘they’ will destroy us and only ‘we’ can save us. It is self perpetuating by pushing us further apart ideologically. It requires us to identify with one side or the other, eventually entrenching us so deep we cannot see any common ground without huge effort.

        • PizzaMan@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          That’s not really how a strawman fallacy works, because a strawman is a kind of argument, and the tribalism you’re talking about is an action/concept. But I understand what you’re getting at.

          Do you have a solution in mind for the problem?

          • rob@mastodon.social
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            1 year ago

            @PizzaMan Fair enough, pizza man, you are correct. Gaslighting is more appropriate I guess. As far as solutions go we need to acknowledge our inherent biases and strive to see the world from beyond our own experiences. There can never be a shortage of empathy or humility in a person or culture. Individualism (almost by definition) does not make for a great society.

            • PizzaMan@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Individualism (almost by definition) does not make for a great society.

              I agree, however it seems that you have given a rather individualistic solution:

              • As far as solutions go we need to acknowledge our inherent biases and strive to see the world from beyond our own experiences.
              • rob@mastodon.social
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                1 year ago

                @PizzaMan Okay, okay… an individualistic solution for individualism… not great so: At all political levels; implement a maximum number of terms allowed to eliminate career politicians. And; Proportional representation which creates more minority governments (forcing people & parties to work together) and increase voter turnout (the health of a democracy is directly proportional to the percentage of citizens who vote)… more I’m sure, but this poop is only so long.

                • PizzaMan@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  implement a maximum number of terms allowed to eliminate career politicians

                  I can agree with that.

                  Proportional representation which creates more minority governments

                  Do you mean to suggest we get rid of the electoral collage in favor of a popular vote? If so then I also agree.

                  and increase voter turnout

                  How do you suggest we do this?

                  more I’m sure, but this poop is only so long.

                  I respect the honestly lmao.

                  I have some ideas for the “more” part.

                  • Lobbying (bribery) of any kind at any government level should be criminalized

                  • Changing from the electoral collage to popular vote

                  • RCV or approval voting to reduce the polarization/extremism of candidates and allow for 3rd parties to exist

                  • Election spending reform - All candidates for a given position should equally share campaign money from a shared pool

                  • Journalism reform - No journalism should be done for profit, and the penalty for lying (including lying by omission) to the public should be severe

                  • rob@mastodon.social
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                    1 year ago

                    @PizzaMan Countries that use a proportional representation system typically have a higher voter turnout than countries that do not. Seeing a group of people in the ruling body(ies) that actually represents the entire constituency brings more people to the table. Feeling that your vote actually matters is empowering. Empowered people care and participate.

                  • rob@mastodon.social
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                    1 year ago

                    @PizzaMan Journalism: I like severe consequences for lying, though a baseline for ‘truth’ would be difficult to determine collectively. A not for profit media seems more trustworthy than profit models, but even today, people do not trust state run media unless it fits their biases. Sorry for responding piecemeal to all your points. Getting dishes done and putting kids to bed while trying to have a beer is very distracting. Also sorry for formatting. Still learning mastodon.

                  • rob@mastodon.social
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                    1 year ago

                    @PizzaMan I absolutely love your spending reform idea. I have a feeling that many politicians would as well. Most of them hate hitting the phones to whine for more donations. Their overlords would not like the idea though. Elections are big business.