Comment on Why people consistently vote against their own interests to benefit the rich?

Sundial@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

• SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  They also successfully killed public education, so literally the citizens are too stupid to understand they’re being conned.

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  • Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    This is the most important part.

    And also they push religion hard which is inherently a system of control for the uneducated and exploited.

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    • SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Not just control, but Christianity specifically (as well as a few others) is really good because it promises a paradise after you die.

      You can get idiot plebes to spend their whole lives dreaming about it all being better after they die, because they were pious and accepted abuse during life.

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      • Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        Exactly. The “love thy enemy” nonsense always got me too:

        Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you

        • Mathew 5:44

        Think about slavery in history. Christianity was forced upon slaves in US history. Think about current era people working horrible conditions, factories, sweatshops, whatever. What a CONVENIENT verse for the slave owners.

        Just be good, do what you’re told, don’t fight back, and love your enemy (exploiter/persecuter). If you do, promise of heaven like you said.

        But if you disobey (commit murder, dare I say of the person exploiting you), infinite and eternal torture and suffering in hell.

        Also don’t commit suicide, that’s a sin too so straight to hell if you do.

        Its just so fucking obvious.

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    • Fandangalo@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I was an atheist for the last 20 years and recently converted to Unitarian Universalist.

      I would say that in the west, this characterization tends to be true. But I do think there are honest faith communities acting with good intent. Unfortunately, there are few.

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  • Kolanaki@yiffit.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I must’ve fallen through the cracks, because I went through the American education system and I’m not completely stupid.

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    • SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      It’s more that the system itself just leaves more and more children behind, as passing kids who aren’t actually making the grade has become the norm because parents are abusive and more apt to harass/harangue and schools are pressured with funding to make sure enough kids are graduating. Teachers themselves are left with few options and there’s still bright kids, they’re just waaaaay in the minority compared to the apparently teeming masses of absolute fuckwits.

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      • SendMePhotos@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        I always think of the George Carlin saying…

        "imagine how stupid the average person is… then realize half of all people are stupider than that. "

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      • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        Hey, not ALL millennials are on the hook for this one!

        For instance, I never found anyone to love me, and have kids with. So THERE! You can’t blame ME for idiots today!

        …but also yes. Kids in the 90s, that I went to school with were fucking idiots. Including me.

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      • bassomitron@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        If kids are dumb today, millennials are on the hook for it, boomers didn’t do this one.

        The bulk of older teenagers/college kids are from Gen X, not so much from millennials.

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    • Dasus@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      “There’s no educating a smart boy.”

      — Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time (Discworld, #26)

      GNU Sir Terry

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    • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Probably the exception to the rule. I did as well, and constantly find myself at a loss for how it simply doesn’t occur to most people to stop and think about something for a split second as opposed to just impulsively doing whatever.

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    • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      …well…

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• FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  And, social media, these days nearly as important, if not more important.

  You (very understandably) a lot about state-sponsored (especially Russian) astroturfing, but very little about billionaire and company sponsored astroturing, which is very much a thing.

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