comment: >
  
  It’s correct either way
context: I think its the social media-fication of everything.  Tik Tok, FB, youtube shorts is all geared toward having a very short attention span.  People don't want to read something, or research anything when forming their opinions.  They get 30 second scare ads pumped to their eyeballs, and increasingly 15 second political ads.  You can't convey a meaningful point in 15 seconds.
  And then you couple that with terrible education, and its a recipe for disaster.  In my city, 75% of high school seniors cannot read or do math at grade level.  And that doesn't include the 30-40% who drop out, I'm going to guess 90% of the dropouts cannot read.  When you have an illiterate and innumerate populace, and you pump them full of garbage ads...  Yeah, they don't listen because they cannot understand.
  Political debates are just a shitshow.  I can't recall the last time I saw a politician make a coherent point in a debate, and then the opponent attempted to refute the point with facts and logic.  Its just idiots yelling at each other and talking over each other, trying to get a zinger.  Lincoln Douglas debates ain't happening. >
  
  I would agree here but don't discount the effect of reddit here as well.
  Popular opinions are almost always up voted. But comments that go against popular opinions are down voted.
  But popularity isn't a marker of good debate. Good debate is both sides being able to see and talk to each other and discuss. >
  
  Recommend podcast: The Rest is Politics with Alistair Campbell & Rory Stewart.
  They touch on this issue in one of their episodes in regards to politicians who consider 30 second social media videos more important that parliamentary debate. This means that they try to score a quick quip rather than discuss in measured arguments. >
  
  This was explored in Neil Postman's famous book "Amusing ourselves to death", which explores how the medium of television (and later internet) are geared towards entertainment and quick rewards. As a result our political discourse became entertainment, then just quick confirmation bias rewards.
  I believe it also is covered partly by Noam Chomsky's ideas on Manufacturing Consent.
  Tldr: We used to read, now we don't, now we dumb. >
  
  That's just Donald "Grab her by the pussy don't even ask" Trump making America great again. You get the standard of political discussion that people vote for. Republicans couldn't bring that bar low enough. >
  
  Is that your impression from New Zealand?