*frysquint*

[evadne_noel]

Okay, so what's with all these "Election Spoilers!" cuts I've been seeing all over (aka, two) the place?

Are there people people who absolutely don't want to know who the candidates are until they walk into the voting booth on November 4th?

I suspect democracy was not meant to be run like a television episode premier.


P.S. Remember to register to vote before your state's deadline.

Comments

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

AWHAAAAAAAT?

Where are you reading this stupidity?

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

The first was on Boing Boing, where I am 90% sure it was joke (they were talking about BSG spoilers in the same breath). The second time was on scans_daily, where I am less certain of the joke.

[la-petite-singe.livejournal.com]

I sent off my application for an absentee ballot! *salutes* Rock the vote!!

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

Hooray! Political process in action!

[internetfailure.livejournal.com]

wtf? are these people living under a rock?

how can someone, an american no less, not know who the presidential candidates are?

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

Apparently because they want it to be a surprise.

[bandman.livejournal.com]

Why ruin the surprise? Heck, I close my eyes while I'm voting.

Thank God we've got these new electronic voting machines. I stabbed four people by accident while I was trying to punch my chads while voting for Perot

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to imagine voting with my eyes close. We have electronic voting machines with spinning dials (touch screens? BAH! Where's the challenge in that?), so I imagine I could have some fun with that.

[llybian.livejournal.com]

Wow. But y'know the "television premier" attitude explains some of the media coverage...

Despite my Dad's effort to kill me with an overdose of politics, I'm all registered and this'll be my first time voting.

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

What? You didn't know politics was secretly a soap opera? Well, now you get to vote for what plot lines the politicans follow too!

[frenchroast.livejournal.com]

...Where on earth did you see these?

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

Boing Boing and scans_daily! Probably not the best barometers of true thought, but the second time I saw it, I had to wonder.

[frenchroast.livejournal.com]

So I went to scans_daily, and...wow. Scary place. I think they were serious about the spoilers...which is even scarier. Damn the media.

[wilver-and-ecru.livejournal.com]

Huh. I'm British, so I ought to have a reason to not keep up-to-date with the process. However, Channel 4 posts updates on it every time they show the news, so I don't. Have a reason, that is.

Anyway, the point is, if I know who the candidates are, and I'm in a different country, AND I'm not even consciously keeping up-to-date, why the hell don't the people who are supposed to be VOTING know?

Strange.

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

Uh, yeah. Sorry about all that excessive news coverage.

[wilver-and-ecru.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't mind about the coverage. I just think it's stupid that people think that other people don't know who they're gonna be able to vote for. I mean, if it's been on a lot here, it must be on almost 24/7 in the US, right?

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

Ohhhhh, yes. And we get attack ads. I wish November would get here faster.

[wilver-and-ecru.livejournal.com]

Sounds bad. When there's a general election on here (i.e. voting for the new Prime Minister) we get posters and news coverage, but generally there aren't too many attack ads. And it probably doesn't seem like it, but it's only, what...two months until November? :P

[itemnumber-girl.livejournal.com]

SPOILER! Snape kills Dumbledore at the end of the RNC.

I want to vote so bad in this election, but I'm not a citizen. I'm a geek when it comes to politics, though, and I'm driving my roommates insane with endless discussions on Obama and McCain.

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

Aha, okay, now I'm imagining Snape taking Dumbledore out as everyone cheers and balloons drop from the ceiling.

[take-276.livejournal.com]

Probably. The sad truth is, elections are always decided by the people who know least about politics. If "swing voters" knew anything about government (i.e. the way that laws are passed and approved, the platforms of the political parties, the powers and limitations of the court, etc.) they would've made up their minds long before the campaign ads began running. I'm always amazed that their are still people out there who haven't figured out that the issues and arguments are always the same each election cycle.

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

It's really kind of depressing how little things change, really.

[take-276.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it is. They used to play these old black-and-white newsreel clips on A&E, I think for teachers to record and use or something, and they were on really early in the morning. Sometimes I would watch them as I was getting ready for work, and I was always amazed at how much the political arguments sounded like the arguments of today. They'd be playing audio from FDR or Harry Truman--or one of their political rivals,--and it would sound exactly like the arguments on CNN or Fox News. Only without all the shouting. =]

[evadne-noel.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, politicians used to beat each other up, which would definitely increase CSPAN's ratings.

[idrach.livejournal.com]

Yet another reason to bring canes back into fashion.