Ava
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Post by Ava on Oct 25, 2014 15:18:45 GMT -5
Last Thursday I was at my Global Business class. The professor was talking about politics. He suddenly asks the class; "Tell me; who's the governor in Connecticut?". This is an MBA class of 16 adults, most of them living and working in Connecticut. I was the only one who could answer him. I was really shocked. I know here people are not very involved in politics. I, on the other hand, am always informed and I always vote, now that I am a citizen. Maybe because where I come from being a responsible citizen involves voting and being informed, and you are encouraged to do that. I also grew up during a dictatorship where people were thrown out of helicopters into the ocean to make them disappear, so I guess that has something to do with it. I value democracy a lot. Still, I am shocked by that high a level of apathy.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Oct 25, 2014 15:21:52 GMT -5
That's just sad.
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gacpa
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Post by gacpa on Oct 25, 2014 15:26:28 GMT -5
Yep, it is sad, but I am just as guilty. My apathy towards voting in my youth was disgusting. Now that I am older, I make it a point to go vote. My mother always encouraged me to vote, but many times I was "too busy working" to actually go do it.
Better late than never, I guess, for me. You have the right attitude and more of us need to value our democracy, however flawed it may be, it is miles better than the government many other countries endure.
Good for you, Ava.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Oct 25, 2014 15:33:21 GMT -5
Last Thursday I was at my Global Business class. The professor was talking about politics. He suddenly asks the class; "Tell me; who's the governor in Connecticut?". This is an MBA class of 16 adults, most of them living and working in Connecticut. I was the only one who could answer him. I was really shocked. I know here people are not very involved in politics. I, on the other hand, am always informed and I always vote, now that I am a citizen. Maybe because where I come from being a responsible citizen involves voting and being informed, and you are encouraged to do that. I also grew up during a dictatorship where people were thrown out of helicopters into the ocean to make them disappear, so I guess that has something to do with it. I value democracy a lot. Still, I am shocked by that high a level of apathy. I agree. We really don't appreciate having the privilege to vote.
Our system isn't perfect but it's darn better than what goes on in other parts of the world.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Oct 25, 2014 15:38:11 GMT -5
I will say that when put on the spot I can never remember public figures' names. I stammer around and then someone says "Duh - his name is Barrack Obama" I say "Of course I knew that." And...no one believes me. Okay, I know the President's name, but I could totally see brain-farting our Governor, or the VP or my Congressman. When you posted this I thought "What is the name of the Governor of AZ?" My first thought was "Jane Hull" but that isn't it. If I had blurted it out, I would have looked so foolish. I would rather not say anything.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Oct 25, 2014 16:01:35 GMT -5
I will say that when put on the spot I can never remember public figures' names. I stammer around and then someone says "Duh - his name is Barrack Obama" I say "Of course I knew that." And...no one believes me. Okay, I know the President's name, but I could totally see brain-farting our Governor, or the VP or my Congressman. When you posted this I thought "What is the name of the Governor of AZ?" My first thought was "Jane Hull" but that isn't it. If I had blurted it out, I would have looked so foolish. I would rather not say anything. Lol! It's Barack.
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mcsangel2
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Post by mcsangel2 on Oct 25, 2014 16:06:31 GMT -5
I will say that when put on the spot I can never remember public figures' names. I stammer around and then someone says "Duh - his name is Barrack Obama" I say "Of course I knew that." And...no one believes me. Okay, I know the President's name, but I could totally see brain-farting our Governor, or the VP or my Congressman. When you posted this I thought "What is the name of the Governor of AZ?" My first thought was "Jane Hull" but that isn't it. If I had blurted it out, I would have looked so foolish. I would rather not say anything. Are you an Arizonan? Cause if not, I'd be giving you a pass. Jane Hull was governor from 1997 - 2003. I'd be impressed with anyone from out of state who can remember any of our governors.
(Current governor is Jan Brewer).
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sesfw
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Post by sesfw on Oct 25, 2014 19:47:40 GMT -5
AZ: Babbitt (I used to live in Flagstaff), Napolitano (glad Calif has her), Ev Meecham (the used car salesman). AZ is definitely interesting.
No, I don't know the governor of Conn.
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mmhmm
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Post by mmhmm on Oct 25, 2014 19:54:57 GMT -5
The governor of Connecticut is Dannel Malloy.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Oct 25, 2014 22:55:27 GMT -5
The governor of Connecticut is Dannel Malloy. Exactly. But we are talking about a group of people who work and live in Connecticut (except for a couple of international students) and they didn't know this.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Oct 25, 2014 23:20:02 GMT -5
I haven't asked around, but I would guess most people I know could name our governor. But it might because he is currently running for an unprecedented 4th term. So his name has been around for a long time.
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mmhmm
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Post by mmhmm on Oct 25, 2014 23:53:38 GMT -5
The governor of Connecticut is Dannel Malloy. Exactly. But we are talking about a group of people who work and live in Connecticut (except for a couple of international students) and they didn't know this. I'm surprised, too, ava. I'd think anybody would know the governor of the state they live in; however, this sure isn't the first time I've been shocked at what people don't know!
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Oct 26, 2014 7:22:37 GMT -5
I thought it was joe visconti.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Oct 26, 2014 7:36:24 GMT -5
I'm fairly confident everyone in my state over the age of 18-20 knows the name of our gov. He's on his 3rd election in 4 years (1st election; recall and now re-election campaign) and I'm pretty sure some people never took their support signs down.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2014 9:50:20 GMT -5
How can you help but know by all the ads? I have seen countless ads by Malloy and Foley. And at least 4 debates have been televised in CT.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Oct 26, 2014 12:11:43 GMT -5
I will say that when put on the spot I can never remember public figures' names. I stammer around and then someone says "Duh - his name is Barrack Obama" I say "Of course I knew that." And...no one believes me. Okay, I know the President's name, but I could totally see brain-farting our Governor, or the VP or my Congressman. When you posted this I thought "What is the name of the Governor of AZ?" My first thought was "Jane Hull" but that isn't it. If I had blurted it out, I would have looked so foolish. I would rather not say anything. Are you an Arizonan? Cause if not, I'd be giving you a pass. Jane Hull was governor from 1997 - 2003. I'd be impressed with anyone from out of state who can remember any of our governors.
(Current governor is Jan Brewer).
I am an Arizonan. I know that Jane Hull used to be governor, and I know that Jan Brewer is the current governor. But put out on the spot, I would have blurted out Jane instead of Jan. After I said it to myself, I thought "That's not right" and had to think hard to get the correct name in there. If I was in a classroom full of people, I may or may not have been able to get through the thought process in time, and once I did, I would have second guessed myself so much I wouldn't have said anything out loud. I'm just trying to say that the classroom full of people might not have been idiots, just busy, distracted people that don't think about their governor every day (or even every month.) A good portion of them might have known, but didn't say. The OP is a being a little snotty about how far superior she is because 15 people didn't jump up and declare their intelligence in politics. It isn't necessarily a sign of apathy, but there are so many facts that intelligent people are suppose to know off the tops of their heads, it isn't unusual to stammer a bit. I don't know what the election cycle is like in Connecticut, but right now I get an average of 17 pieces of political advertising per day - emails, phone calls and mailers. Not to mention that within 1 mile of my house there are at least 200 signs with names and faces on them. It is overwhelming. I can't even remember my neighbor's name, much less all the candidates and the people who are working for the candidates. When I vote, I sit down, research everyone, make notes, evaluate and make a decision. But, memorize all those names and keep them on the tip of my tongue in case someone "suddenly" asks me someone's name - sorry, I have eight thousand other facts and names that I need to be able to blurt out to be successful. Local politicians don't need my constant attention.
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Oct 26, 2014 12:13:10 GMT -5
Age and maturity (and background) can influence how much attention you pay to politicians, but I have found that where you live is important, too. When I lived in the 'burbs and the city I was less aware of who my local pols were, just due to the higher population density leading to lots of fractured districts - which guy is my guy? Now we are in a less densely populated rural area, and I seem to be tripping over "our" representatives. DH is in a volunteer fire company, last night was the installation of officers dinner, with lots of people: - Local rep to Albany, who is not running again; have met him a half dozen times
- Rep from other house in Albany sent an aide since she had four other functions to attend - I have met her before, and dealt with her office for my work
- Introduced DH to our county rep - know him from work
- Town supervisor, clerk, and judge were there - only one missing was tax collector, also know her from work as well as her DH the village police chief
- County sheriff
- School board president
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Oct 26, 2014 12:16:50 GMT -5
... maturity ... can influence how much attention you pay to politicians, ... So is it a sign of greater or less "maturity" to pay attention to politicians?
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Oct 26, 2014 12:23:34 GMT -5
... maturity ... can influence how much attention you pay to politicians, ... So is it a sign of greater or less "maturity" to pay attention to politicians? Lol, I guess what I meant was when I was younger I paid little attention to politics, I was too busy paying attention to me and mine. As I (hopefully) matured, I began to pay more attention to the larger community and events around me, and voting became more important. I focus more on local issues and people, as I have more hope of influence there. It is a different mindset, now that I know these people personally, not just as characters on tv ads.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Oct 26, 2014 12:36:46 GMT -5
So is it a sign of greater or less "maturity" to pay attention to politicians? Lol, I guess what I meant was when I was younger I paid little attention to politics, I was too busy paying attention to me and mine. As I (hopefully) matured, I began to pay more attention to the larger community and events around me, and voting became more important. I focus more on local issues and people, as I have more hope of influence there. It is a different mindset, now that I know these people personally, not just as characters on tv ads. Funny - I am the opposite, when I was young and had spare time, I knew all the issues and had time to read, and had the balls to think I knew the best way to run the world. I also hung out with people who cared and we could talk about it at dinner parties. Now that I am older, I have a ton more responsibility and 100x more to handle and worry about. As a percentage of my time, politics has slid down to a reasonable portion. As a social issue, my friends are fairly diverse on the political spectrum and I have had enough situations where a political discussion + booze = physical confrontation, so there is a narrow group of people and situations where I will even discuss it.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Oct 26, 2014 14:31:00 GMT -5
I find the concept of "maturity" interesting. Seems that those who have certain attitudes and views declare those attitudes as desirable and label them "mature". They then put down those with different attitudes and views of the world. Not sure why so many buy into it.
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whoami
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Post by whoami on Oct 26, 2014 15:18:22 GMT -5
I know Rick Perry is our governor. I recognize other politicians names from Texas but couldn't tell you what position they hold.
I pretty much believe they are all liars and nothing much changes regardless of whose in control especially when there is no majority. The Democrats will never be a majority in Texas so Im not concerned about a liberal agenda taking over here.
I am more interested in local issues, school bonds etc. I will take a look at the issues on the ballot (usually the morning I go vote) and make a decision from that.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Oct 26, 2014 17:01:13 GMT -5
I may not be able to name my State rep and Senators if asked, but I could if I was given a multiple choice test.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Oct 26, 2014 20:02:32 GMT -5
I did not know which state Malloy was from when he came here to campaign for a Senate candidate. As for our governor, he's been governor for what will be his 6th term, even though the state's largest newspaper did not endorse anybody for governor. He's had all kinds of scandals, but the other party has no one who will run against him who can win. I've always enjoyed politics and it's been an outlet for me since I retired. However, I am so ready for this election to be over. I am so sick of being in a state with a hotly contested senate seat and we are being told that next week, we will only be seeing political ads.
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Oct 27, 2014 8:32:46 GMT -5
I did not know which state Malloy was from when he came here to campaign for a Senate candidate. As for our governor, he's been governor for what will be his 6th term, even though the state's largest newspaper did not endorse anybody for governor. He's had all kinds of scandals, but the other party has no one who will run against him who can win. I've always enjoyed politics and it's been an outlet for me since I retired. However, I am so ready for this election to be over. I am so sick of being in a state with a hotly contested senate seat and we are being told that next week, we will only be seeing political ads. I've been seeing political ads since June, I think. I am so sick of seeing the name calling between Tom Reed ( voted for tax breaks for wealthy people like him) & Martha Robertson ( extreme liberal Ithaca agenda); all the other races' candidates seem to have some criminal indictment against them that the ads volley back and forth. Most of them are not-my-district, so it is really a waste of my time seeing these ads endlessly.
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Oct 27, 2014 8:59:04 GMT -5
I find the concept of "maturity" interesting. Seems that those who have certain attitudes and views declare those attitudes as desirable and label them "mature". They then put down those with different attitudes and views of the world. Not sure why so many buy into it. I told someone recently at a gathering that I had stopped watching/reading the news because it only stressed me out about things I have no control over. And I don't pay attention to politics, because politics has turned into a sporting event where people blindly follow their team without any thought or policy analysis. The man was so disdainful of me - like I was some sort of ignorant white trash loser. It was palpable.
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Oct 27, 2014 10:20:44 GMT -5
I will say that when put on the spot I can never remember public figures' names. I stammer around and then someone says "Duh - his name is Barrack Obama" I say "Of course I knew that." And...no one believes me. Okay, I know the President's name, but I could totally see brain-farting our Governor, or the VP or my Congressman. When you posted this I thought "What is the name of the Governor of AZ?" My first thought was "Jane Hull" but that isn't it. If I had blurted it out, I would have looked so foolish. I would rather not say anything. Have you seen his birth certificate?
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ohhkay2
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Post by ohhkay2 on Oct 27, 2014 14:19:02 GMT -5
I straddle the line. I could have answered for Connecticut because he's been around since I've been aware of politics. I graduated HS (greater hartford area) in 2006 and that was a big year for him if I remember correctly. I've since lived in AL and GA and couldn't answer it for either of those states. To be fair it's a mixture of me not paying attention and the fact that until this current year I've always just sent in an absentee ballot for CT if I wasn't up there for the fall semester. I still "claim" and keep loose tabs on Connecticut, mostly talking on the phone to my mom about what's happening up there, but I'd be a bump on a log if asked about my current state -shrugs-
{26 and not extremely political}
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Oct 27, 2014 22:03:42 GMT -5
Since we are the first in the union caucus, we figure the ads for the presidential race will start in January. Many of those potential candidates were at our State Fair in August already stumping. Now they are here stumping for "their" candidate.
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on Oct 28, 2014 7:28:07 GMT -5
I am always shocked when I come across a female who doesn't vote. It actually makes me want to smack them. Do they not realize that for eons women had not voting rights, or rights period. They were considered to be property owned by their fathers and eventually their husbands. It just seriously ticks me off when I hear a woman say she doesn't vote. I heard one older lady say once "she votes with her husband" I assume that means she votes for whomever he tells her to vote for her.
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