The voting youth

[protegeV]

Somehow politics came up in conversation at work today. Something that literally never happens with the crowd here. I steered the conversation towards the election and tried to get an impromptu poll of who people thought they'd be voting for. It was 4 other guys between the ages of 22-26. Couple of observations.

• None of them knew the difference between the parties or who was running versus who.
• None of them knew what the parties' core values are, let alone the definitions of capitalism, socialism, democracy, etc...
• The entirety of their information on the candidates has come from facebook or instagram.
• None of them have any intention of voting, they just don't see the point.

 

[Reptile]

"None of them have any intention of voting, they just don't see the point."

Given their total ignorance, that's a good thing. Too bad most of the Bernie and Hillary crowd, who are in the same boat knowledge wise, will vote anyway.

 

[Second Amendment]

Somehow politics came up in conversation at work today. Something that literally never happens with the crowd here. I steered the conversation towards the election and tried to get an impromptu poll of who people thought they'd be voting for. It was 4 other guys between the ages of 22-26. Couple of observations.

• None of them knew the difference between the parties or who was running versus who.
• None of them knew what the parties' core values are, let alone the definitions of capitalism, socialism, democracy, etc...
• The entirety of their information on the candidates has come from facebook or instagram.
• None of them have any intention of voting, they just don't see the point.

I think your sampling of four yutes in that age range is reflective of A LOT of people that age.

 

[pbharvey]

 

[ken792]

Working in politics has mostly kept me from the idiocy of people my age, but I saw that all throughout high school and college.

You also have to keep in mind that in our system of government, it's about getting quantity of votes over quality of votes. If making simplistic posts on social media engages voters and encourages turnout, it is unfortunately a legitimate campaigning strategy. You can get get 100 votes from hard working, highly educated, and politically astute individuals, but those votes will be worth no more than the 100 votes the other side might get by rounding up random people who may or may not care about politics.

 

[AACo]

I think your sampling of four yutes in that age range is reflective of A LOT of people that age.

We aren't all like that....

Still makes me sick to be grouped in with the rest though. Sad actually.

 

[TheBert]

Somehow politics came up in conversation at work today. Something that literally never happens with the crowd here. I steered the conversation towards the election and tried to get an impromptu poll of who people thought they'd be voting for. It was 4 other guys between the ages of 22-26. Couple of observations.

• None of them knew the difference between the parties or who was running versus who.
• None of them knew what the parties' core values are, let alone the definitions of capitalism, socialism, democracy, etc...
• The entirety of their information on the candidates has come from facebook or instagram.
• None of them have any intention of voting, they just don't see the point.

The hippies and leftist of the 50's and 60's have succeeded in invading and integrating into the educational system and turning it into a factory for producing dependent self-centered blobs of malleable mush.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

2035-2040.

 

[Uncle Duke]

We aren't all like that....

Still makes me sick to be grouped in with the rest though. Sad actually.

It's reflective of a lot of people of a lot of age groups. But they can tell about Survivor, or the Kardashians, or the latest supermarket tabloid headline.

Yeah....sad.

 

[Bob A]

"None of them have any intention of voting, they just don't see the point."

Easily understandable, when you have two parties run by corrupt bloviators, whose real interest is in promoting themselves more money and power.

Both parties have been slicing and dicing the electorate along the lines of knee-jerk non-issues for a generation or more, while kicking the can of real issues that need to be addressed by government down the road for the next generation. Today's politicians don't care; in the long run, they'll all be dead, and their families will be well-insulated by the cash and perks skimmed off the tax revenue stream.

Why vote for the lesser of two weevils, when both sides are stripping the cotton field.

 

[dist1646]

From the "greatest generation" to the children of the greatest generation and the grandchildren of the greatest generation!
Pretty rapid decline if you ask me!!!

 

[iH8DemLibz]

No Representative Democracy lasts forever.

Ours is ending.

And the people who don't know who George Washington is won't care.

Hell! They won't even know when the end takes place.

 

[protegeV]

I forgot to mention another thing. None of them had any idea who cruz or rubio was.

They were all basically under the impression that it was gonna be bernie, hillary, or trump. And when I pushed then to choose they all seemed to reluctantly lean towards trump. I say reluctant bc they seemed to have an issue with his "facade", if you will. But they seem to recognize the evil within hillary.

 

[outrider58]

Somehow politics came up in conversation at work today. Something that literally never happens with the crowd here. I steered the conversation towards the election and tried to get an impromptu poll of who people thought they'd be voting for. It was 4 other guys between the ages of 22-26. Couple of observations.

• None of them knew the difference between the parties or who was running versus who.
• None of them knew what the parties' core values are, let alone the definitions of capitalism, socialism, democracy, etc...
• The entirety of their information on the candidates has come from facebook or instagram.
• None of them have any intention of voting, they just don't see the point.

I was just as un-enlightened as those guys are when I was that age too. I didn't start getting into politics until my late 20s-early 30s(when I started owning things). I was a registered republican I high school though.

 

[Gaspasser19]

I think back to when I was that age and I wasn't very interested in politics either. Now, I'm painfully aware of the impact that elected officials have on my bank account. I think your friends will get to that point eventually.

To the other point, I don't think there's any question that we're living through the decline of our society. We are victims of our own prosperity and that success breeds complacency.

 

[protegeV]

I was 19 at the time of the 04 election. I may as well have been first in line to vote. I felt well informed, though not obsessed with every detail. I've voted (often in futility) every election since. This disconnect amongst my peers is disheartening.

 

[bkuether]

The first time I voted, I voted for Reagan.

 

[outrider58]

I was 19 at the time of the 04 election. I may as well have been first in line to vote. I felt well informed, though not obsessed with every detail. I've voted (often in futility) every election since. This disconnect amongst my peers is disheartening.

I've only missed one. I could not bring my self to vote for McCain. The only election I've 'missed' since being old enough to vote('76).

 

[Mr H]

"None of them have any intention of voting, they just don't see the point."

Given their total ignorance, that's a good thing. Too bad most of the Bernie and Hillary crowd, who are in the same boat knowledge wise, will vote anyway.

My sons are as solidly Conservative as they come for their ages (31 and 28), but refuse to vote, because 'it won't change anything'...

OY!!!!

I don't know where they got it, though...

The first election I was eligible for was 1980, and I was dead set to vote... for Anderson...

 

[Gaspasser19]

The first time I voted, I voted for Reagan.

Same here.