Political Ads

Its sad, but a political reality in this country. If a candidate has to rely on the voters intelligence to get elected then they are not going to win. Shock and awe tactics are base and simplify the situation discussed to the extreme, but the time it takes to explain it properly is usually longer than the time it takes to get the correct emotional response against your opponent or for your own side.

Besides, the more shocking you can make it, the more memorable the ad is. And since the negativity is usually directed towards your opponent, that just helps you in the eyes of the average voter who doesn't have the time or drive to actually look these things up themselves.

There's also sound byte quality to consider too...

I found them in a link within wingsy's first link.

Well it's a god excuse for posting this cartoon (I found it here: SPGB btw I follow NO party line, nor am an active member of any political party: at present!)

I have to wonder though, have we ever TRIED relying on the voters intelligence? After reading a few things about human behavior I understand why politicians think mudslinging is necessary. We humans have tribalism hardwired into our brains. We like being with like minded people, and we get a joy out of defaming "others." Despite that, I feel confident in saying humans are more than capable of responding to a positive message that DOESN'T rely on an "us vs them" mentality.

I wonder too, but when candidates already get so little of the population to vote on off years even with all the mudslinging, polarizing, and contempt, one wonders who would vote without all that stuff.

I mean how many people have the time left in the day to look up the intricacies of each candidates political stances and their societal consequences? Who even has the mental fortitude to consider the ramifications of these staces when you just want to go to bed after a day of work?

There is a herd mentality that goes along with this type of thing, but there is another reason this works. Emotional responses are easier to internalize than rational ones that actually require thought, especially when the listener is only half awake anyway.