Impulse Voting

"If ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." -- Thomas Gray, 1742

With privilege comes responsibility

   With just a month left until the Big Poll -- the only one that really counts in American politics -- it's time for American citizens to start giving serious thought to their choices for elective office.
   Many voters, however, don't do that. Instead, they rely on impulse, image and emotion, much as they do when buying clothing or food.
   Consumer marketers have long known this, and design their products and sales pitches accordingly. The same is true of political campaign mangers.
   It's often said that folks who read newspapers and serious magazines make more thoughtful and informed choices than those whose primary source of information is television or radio.
   Demographic research has shown that voters with some college are more likely to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton for President, while those without college are more likely to vote for Republican Donald Trump.  
   Why this pattern shows up remains a puzzle, since the Republican Party has historically been the party of the highly educated and the wealthy, while the Democratic Party has attracted people from what is generally called the working class.
   These are two grossly overstated generalities, of course, but keep in mind that generalities are like sponges. They're full of holes, yet they hold water.
   In any case, the lesson here is that voting is too important to be left solely to emotion-based decisions.

   With that in mind, here are some thoughts from a posting made four years ago, on October 25, 2012.

Fame in one field does not beget skill in another.
 -- Pug Mahoney

  Celebrities often fall victim to their own self-importance. They come to believe the hype that surrounds them, perpetrated by those whose task is to market the product -- in this case a person and whatever "talent" that person may have.
   Consider the example of Snooki, the star of the reality TV show "Jersey Shore." Her words of wisdom are sought (and devoured) on topics ranging from Jersey Shore tanning beaches to politics and government to child rearing and foreign affairs.
   Another example: Donald Trump uses his fame to celebrate his opinions on things unrelated to his success in commercial real estate. He is especially single-minded on the topic of Barack Obama's citizenship. The Donald refuses to hear any information contrary to his pre-formed belief, and uses his notoriety to disseminate his propaganda.
   A more important issue is that the media play into his hand and spread his beliefs without checking the veracity thereof.
   Journalists too often parrot the rantings of the famous and notorious as if celebrity begets wisdom.
   It doesn't.

   It may attract readers and viewers, and make good copy and great headlines, but wisdom it ain't.
   Journalists have a responsibility to expose those who try to spread "wisdom" through the guise of their notoriety.
   Otherwise, they participate in a fraud on the American public.