As usual, the younger generation didn’t bother voting, and the older one voted en masse for conservative candidates because they are those our media push for, while at the same time slandering progressive ones.
In the election runoff, we had the choice between an openly fascist candidate from a party literally founded by former Nazis, and a “light fascist” one that people were seeing as the lesser evil. Though it’s pretty obvious now that his fascism isn’t so light (he openly admires Petain, a french leader who collaborated with Nazi Germany), and I hope people will remember that for the next election and understand that voting for a democratic candidate in the first turn if very important.
This seems to be the case yeah. The rhetoric of the left is preaching acceptance and solidarity, but in an uncertain world “feelgood rhetoric” isn’t strong enough. The right are preaching what appear to be solutions (close borders, nationalism, tax cuts to income and gas, segregation and defunding social programs to adress debt) so people buy into it.
What they don’t realise is that the tax cuts hurt the debt cutting messures and eroiding social security hurts nations and paves way for more insecurity, hate and fear (which fuels the right wing machine).
There’s precious little education on politics and choices for 20-somethings, and people are left to try and understand what the media pushes out. Finland benefits from a trusted national news media, though they have been criticized by the right of being politically biased and not worth their budget. So people slanting toward the right tend to be sceptical of it, and are pushed away, toward other news sources.
There’s precious little education on politics and choices for 20-somethings
What does it look like, in your experience? Here we study our political systems throughout the upper grades, and in secondary school we study local political parties. As a bonus, in the final year we study general ideologies including Fascism and Marxism where I live, but I don’t think that part is typical for North America.
Finland benefits from a trusted national news media, though they have been criticized by the right of being politically biased and not worth their budget. So people slanting toward the right tend to be sceptical of it, and are pushed away, toward other news sources.
As it stands, vocational education is faltering but high school is still ptetty strong - and they are mandatory untill you are 18. Not all vocational school/trade schools suck, but I’ve talked with a good deal of young students (hundreds) to get s feel that there are staggering differences in how much the teachers care, or are able to motivte the kids into caring about learning.
If you take vocational education/trade school, there’s a good chance you have a single course or two of publics, history or similar subjects and that’s that.
It’s also turning into a bit of a gender issue, since our high schools are skewing heavily toward female students, with boys opting more and more to do trade school, partially due to lack of grades, partially because they feel like the school system isn’t for them and studying theory is unpleasant or downright hard. So they get demotivated and go where it’s considered “easier”, and scrape by.
After you graduate secondary education, a lot if guys don’t pursue further studies, so their access to education and discourse stalls. Young women do pursue higher education though, but it is not an idel situation at all.
Interesting. There is a noticeably higher interest in academics among girls here as well.
I imagine young people use more government services and pay less taxes (do to lower wages) over there too, so that’s not a great selling point for the right. One thing I’ve wondered is if the “culture wars” message plays better in a country where there’s actual continuity into the deep past.
I mean, if one candidate is like “Hell yeah, let’s actually do more fascism” and another’s like “This is bad but we mustn’t get rowdy, our dignity will shame the others into doing the right thing” and others are in between those two
The last election was a shitshow.
As usual, the younger generation didn’t bother voting, and the older one voted en masse for conservative candidates because they are those our media push for, while at the same time slandering progressive ones.
In the election runoff, we had the choice between an openly fascist candidate from a party literally founded by former Nazis, and a “light fascist” one that people were seeing as the lesser evil. Though it’s pretty obvious now that his fascism isn’t so light (he openly admires Petain, a french leader who collaborated with Nazi Germany), and I hope people will remember that for the next election and understand that voting for a democratic candidate in the first turn if very important.
Weird how this sounds alot like what’s happening in the US. Almost like fascism is encroaching all acrost the world as it crumbles.
Recently I read it’s actually worse in Europe, because the far-right actually has noticeable youth support.
That makes me very, very nervous.
This seems to be the case yeah. The rhetoric of the left is preaching acceptance and solidarity, but in an uncertain world “feelgood rhetoric” isn’t strong enough. The right are preaching what appear to be solutions (close borders, nationalism, tax cuts to income and gas, segregation and defunding social programs to adress debt) so people buy into it.
What they don’t realise is that the tax cuts hurt the debt cutting messures and eroiding social security hurts nations and paves way for more insecurity, hate and fear (which fuels the right wing machine).
There’s precious little education on politics and choices for 20-somethings, and people are left to try and understand what the media pushes out. Finland benefits from a trusted national news media, though they have been criticized by the right of being politically biased and not worth their budget. So people slanting toward the right tend to be sceptical of it, and are pushed away, toward other news sources.
What does it look like, in your experience? Here we study our political systems throughout the upper grades, and in secondary school we study local political parties. As a bonus, in the final year we study general ideologies including Fascism and Marxism where I live, but I don’t think that part is typical for North America.
That describes the situation in Canada too.
As it stands, vocational education is faltering but high school is still ptetty strong - and they are mandatory untill you are 18. Not all vocational school/trade schools suck, but I’ve talked with a good deal of young students (hundreds) to get s feel that there are staggering differences in how much the teachers care, or are able to motivte the kids into caring about learning.
If you take vocational education/trade school, there’s a good chance you have a single course or two of publics, history or similar subjects and that’s that.
It’s also turning into a bit of a gender issue, since our high schools are skewing heavily toward female students, with boys opting more and more to do trade school, partially due to lack of grades, partially because they feel like the school system isn’t for them and studying theory is unpleasant or downright hard. So they get demotivated and go where it’s considered “easier”, and scrape by.
After you graduate secondary education, a lot if guys don’t pursue further studies, so their access to education and discourse stalls. Young women do pursue higher education though, but it is not an idel situation at all.
Interesting. There is a noticeably higher interest in academics among girls here as well.
I imagine young people use more government services and pay less taxes (do to lower wages) over there too, so that’s not a great selling point for the right. One thing I’ve wondered is if the “culture wars” message plays better in a country where there’s actual continuity into the deep past.
If people get out and fucking vote like it’s your last chance, we can get some sanity.
Why would young people vote when they can stay at home and browse tiktok instead?
/s
Oh? Should people vote for the lesser of two evils? Because that’s your only choice if you continue to insist you can vote your way out of this.
Absofreakinglutely!
There will never be a perfect candidate. This is politics.
I mean, if one candidate is like “Hell yeah, let’s actually do more fascism” and another’s like “This is bad but we mustn’t get rowdy, our dignity will shame the others into doing the right thing” and others are in between those two
then voting won’t actually do anything
Well then enjoy voting for Hitler (D) because that’s what you are going to get.