Like a lot of people I know way too much about American politics. And I am sooo looking forward to cutting back on my roster of Never Trump podcasts, former Obama staffer newsletters and desperate pre-dawn headline checks with the New York Times and Washington Post. Having gorged myself on this shit for nearly four years now I’m constantly amazed by the idea of the ‘low information voter’ in America. I wonder, “How can you not?!?”
But the other morning, driving into the gym, I accidentally caught a couple of minutes of local news, which in Brisbane means the state election. I realised that since Ninefax cut me loose I haven’t have to read a single state political story and it has been fucking glorious.
I’m one of those mythical ‘low information voters’ the Americans go on about. I know who the premier of Queensland is, and I don’t like her - but that’s personal, not political. I do know who the chief medical officer is these days, thanks to the Rona.
And that’s it. Apart from my local rep, Di Farmer, who’s really good, I don’t know anything about state politics in QLD anymore and I’ve decided that’s way I like it.
I’ll vote, of course, because we have to. But I’m gonna to do what I always do. Greens first (because they don’t have a chance). Labour a grudging second, and mostly because of Di. Non-fascist indies next. Then the LNP. Then the inevitable Nazis.
How the fuck else am I gonna vote, unless I move those indies up in front of the ALP, and I don’t like doing that because I might accidentally elevate an actual Nazi.
There is a sort of weird, lazy luxury in this. Not having to think about policies. Not having read any bullshit. Not having to listen to the lies and hot garbage. I get now how people can be like this about everything. It does my head, because wilful ignorance is a huge part of why we’re fucked.
This is me exactly except I for the whole Ninefax thing. I'm also staying off Twitter until after the US election just to get my face out of the firehose pressured flood of US election/covid related posting for a while. My brain needs a break from it.
Its even crazier at the level of local government, we are in such an election and like you my limited review of those putting their hands up is to try and identify the nazis and god botherers to put them last on my list of 9 candidates. Surprising how few of them have an actual on-line presence you can view. For a couple, I think most will choose based on the one column provided in the postal election ballot.
As an American, I read the news (and sometimes listen to it or view it) simply to see the Trumpian Outrage of the Day. It seems strange but yes, there seems to be a daily outrage. Luckily, I have taken advantage of early voting, which was cathartic. I no longer care about the Outrage of the Day because I can do nothing about it; so I have cancelled my LA Times and Wall Street Journal subscriptions. Next I'm cancelling the New York Times and Washington Post. Gone is cable television--and the screaming talking heads on news shows--everything now is streamed and cherry-picked content. I'm the head cherry picker, too.
I lost many old friends with whom I had nothing in common because I got fed up with the shitstorm of politics on Facebook and so shut that account down. Twitter? It's not worth the continuous effort to wade through the bushwa just to find a pearl every now and then.
One by one I am turning off the screams from the outside world. Like you, I enjoy it. The White Noise of [Untrue] Reality has become the science fiction event that turns out the lights and ushers in a blessed darkness.
It would be nice if they gave us an extra option on the ballot... "None Of The Above". If they're going to make us vote, at least give us a choice to not vote for them... ß-Þ
You should check your voting rules. Don't know about Qld, but in a few jurisdictions they've changed so that after a few pips your vote can "exhaust". Done properly that can have exactly the same effect as the vote that you described, but you get the satisfaction of not having given the Nazis any chance.
This is me exactly except I for the whole Ninefax thing. I'm also staying off Twitter until after the US election just to get my face out of the firehose pressured flood of US election/covid related posting for a while. My brain needs a break from it.
Its even crazier at the level of local government, we are in such an election and like you my limited review of those putting their hands up is to try and identify the nazis and god botherers to put them last on my list of 9 candidates. Surprising how few of them have an actual on-line presence you can view. For a couple, I think most will choose based on the one column provided in the postal election ballot.
As an American, I read the news (and sometimes listen to it or view it) simply to see the Trumpian Outrage of the Day. It seems strange but yes, there seems to be a daily outrage. Luckily, I have taken advantage of early voting, which was cathartic. I no longer care about the Outrage of the Day because I can do nothing about it; so I have cancelled my LA Times and Wall Street Journal subscriptions. Next I'm cancelling the New York Times and Washington Post. Gone is cable television--and the screaming talking heads on news shows--everything now is streamed and cherry-picked content. I'm the head cherry picker, too.
I lost many old friends with whom I had nothing in common because I got fed up with the shitstorm of politics on Facebook and so shut that account down. Twitter? It's not worth the continuous effort to wade through the bushwa just to find a pearl every now and then.
One by one I am turning off the screams from the outside world. Like you, I enjoy it. The White Noise of [Untrue] Reality has become the science fiction event that turns out the lights and ushers in a blessed darkness.
I know! It's such a relief not to force myself to watch and listen to the crap and bullying that is Australian politics now.
Registered for postal vote. Answered a call or two by candidate's people. That's it for engagement.
It would be nice if they gave us an extra option on the ballot... "None Of The Above". If they're going to make us vote, at least give us a choice to not vote for them... ß-Þ
You should check your voting rules. Don't know about Qld, but in a few jurisdictions they've changed so that after a few pips your vote can "exhaust". Done properly that can have exactly the same effect as the vote that you described, but you get the satisfaction of not having given the Nazis any chance.