Thoughts On Political Attack Ads

[Xprimentyl]

I know attack ads are nothing new, and it’s likely a bit late to complain given elections are happening in just a few days and they'll all but go away for a spell, but I saw an ad yesterday that just went too far. The “approving” candidate’s side stated flatly that her opponent “believed that women who get abortions should get the death penalty.” Now, I’m not particularly well-versed in the ins and outs of my local politics, but my rational gut tells me that’s not true, at the very least, not true in the context in which it was used in an “approved” message to represent her opponent’s character. Granted, Trump has shown us that absurdity in politics knows no bounds, but I’m fairly certain something as radical as prescribing a capital punishment for a presently legal medical procedure would make headlines before election season. That our elected representatives actively prey on misled constituents is all the evidence you need that the system is broken.

I think attack ads should be illegal. I know, it’s our duty to research and inform ourselves, but let’s be honest, of the millions of eligible voters, who’s going to put in the effort to dig and debunk lies for themselves, particularly when most people are content to vote along party lines? I say if the liars get to take the low road, slapping together snippets of sound bites and quotes creating ransom notes of oddly convenient “truths,” it only makes sense to put some traffic cops on that same low road. If a candidate can’t win votes on the merits of their own character and conviction, then it’s clear they’re not fit to represent the people and shouldn’t. If they feel the need to mislead and outright LIE about opposition just to get votes, they should be punished.

Thoughts?

 

[Iron]

I think political debates and elections should be televised and ran like a battle-royale, where the last remaining politician gets to run the country for the next year and then get to defend their position in the next battle-royale.

 

[Thaluikhain]

The “approving” candidate’s side stated flatly that her opponent “believed that women who get abortions should get the death penalty.” Now, I’m not particularly well-versed in the ins and outs of my local politics, but my rational gut tells me that’s not true, at the very least, not true in the context in which it was used in an “approved” message to represent her opponent’s character. Granted, Trump has shown us that absurdity in politics knows no bounds, but I’m fairly certain something as radical as prescribing a capital punishment for a presently legal medical procedure would make headlines before election season.

Eh, that actually happens every so often, I'd not be surprised if it was true. Or at least something someone said a few years back and hasn't walked back.

I think attack ads should be illegal. I know, it’s our duty to research and inform ourselves, but let’s be honest, of the millions of eligible voters, who’s going to put in the effort to dig and debunk lies for themselves, particularly when most people are content to vote along party lines? I say if the liars get to take the low road, slapping together snippets of sound bites and quotes creating ransom notes of oddly convenient “truths,” it only makes sense to put some traffic cops on that same low road. If a candidate can’t win votes on the merits of their own character and conviction, then it’s clear they’re not fit to represent the people and shouldn’t. If they feel the need to mislead and outright LIE about opposition just to get votes, they should be punished.

Punished? By who?

You're running into a free speech problem there, that there's problems with allowing people to say things, and there's big problems with someone being entrusted to stop people saying things for the sake of society. Muzzling candidates for election...yeah, there's a few ways that could go badly wrong.

It's up to the voters to educate themselves rather than listen to soundbites. Which doesn't really work, of course, but it doesn't really work in a less bad way.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

I agree. They're the fucking worst. The US revels in them so much more too, almost like a shameless celebration of the worst of the human spirit/consciousness. I feel like it represents the true nature of these institutions, though unfortunately not obvious enough for many ppl it seems.

 

[Kyrian007]

Negative political advertising isn't going anywhere, it works. The only thing we can do to stop it, is to stop listening to it. If it ceases to be effective... it will cease. In one local election (a couple of years ago) a mayoral candidate was struck with an ad accusing him of sexual misconduct while he had been in the state legislature. It featured 3 women who said they were staffers that had been the victims of sexual harassment at his hands. The charge was debunked by a local newspaper (the women were actresses paid to be in the commercial,) but the charges followed the candidate on social media where nobody cares about the actual truth. And that was the point, just to get the charges on social media where they can't be hurt by the truth.

Although, fun coda to that story. 3 local politicians who were behind the ad (a city council member, a state representative, and a county commissioner) are getting ousted next election cycle because of a recording of them trying to spin the blame for the false ad onto in-party rivals was released by the ad's creator who flipped on them. One of the 3 is up for election next week, and could still win. This is a guy who has been under investigation for the false ad for more than a year, and who on a recording admits his role in creating the false accusations and conspires to shift the blame. But because of the letter by his name, and the fact that even though people complain loudly about negative political advertising... nobody actually really cares and it still works, he could easily still win.

 

[Seanchaidh]

The question is not whether an ad is negative but whether it is true. Lies in politics are not going to go anywhere as long as there is a ruling class because, even if you legislate against lying, it will become liars who get to determine what is the truth.

 

[Schadrach]

I think political debates and elections should be televised and ran like a battle-royale, where the last remaining politician gets to run the country for the next year and then get to defend their position in the next battle-royale.

Kratocracy huh? I suppose there are worse forms of deciding power.

 

[Baffle]

I'm not a fan. Beyond being childish, they come across as not 'look how great we could be', and more as 'look how shit it could be otherwise'. It might be realistic, but it's very dismal. Just look at the Brexit campaign. One (Leave) promised a glorious, positive future (looking a bit like a fib at this point); the other could only say 'More of the same, really'. We're all miserable enough as it is, don't make it worse.

 

[Iron]

Kratocracy huh? I suppose there are worse forms of deciding power.

There's a name for that idea? woo latin

 

[Trunkage]

Negative political advertising isn't going anywhere, it works. The only thing we can do to stop it, is to stop listening to it. If it ceases to be effective... it will cease. In one local election (a couple of years ago) a mayoral candidate was struck with an ad accusing him of sexual misconduct while he had been in the state legislature. It featured 3 women who said they were staffers that had been the victims of sexual harassment at his hands. The charge was debunked by a local newspaper (the women were actresses paid to be in the commercial,) but the charges followed the candidate on social media where nobody cares about the actual truth. And that was the point, just to get the charges on social media where they can't be hurt by the truth.

Although, fun coda to that story. 3 local politicians who were behind the ad (a city council member, a state representative, and a county commissioner) are getting ousted next election cycle because of a recording of them trying to spin the blame for the false ad onto in-party rivals was released by the ad's creator who flipped on them. One of the 3 is up for election next week, and could still win. This is a guy who has been under investigation for the false ad for more than a year, and who on a recording admits his role in creating the false accusations and conspires to shift the blame. But because of the letter by his name, and the fact that even though people complain loudly about negative political advertising... nobody actually really cares and it still works, he could easily still win.

I wonder if we, as a society, will ever realise that we ASKED for the MSM and all other media to be the way it is.

 

[MrCalavera]

I wonder if we, as a society, will ever realise that we ASKED for the MSM and all other media to be the way it is.

Just like there's "no ethical consumption under capitalism", there's hardly a place for ethical reporting under bussiness model that encourages views above anything else.

 

[Trunkage]

Just like there's "no ethical consumption under capitalism", there's hardly a place for ethical reporting under bussiness model that encourages views above anything else.

Even if you take the money out of it, we'd still want to hear the worst about people.

 

[Thaluikhain]

One (Leave) promised a glorious, positive future (looking a bit like a fib at this point); the other could only say 'More of the same, really'.

Were not the Remainers literally running on the idea of not changing things? Sorta limits you're options to promise exciting changes there.

 

[Baffle]

Were not the Remainers literally running on the idea of not changing things? Sorta limits you're options to promise exciting changes there.

Yep, but the 'attack ads' were easily discarded as Project Fear (currently being rebranded Project Reality or something). 2016 seems so far away, but I don't recall there being much about what we actually gain from EU membership so much as what we would lose (same message, different delivery). Eh, looking back it was fairly doomed anyway -- most of my parents' generation in my family (blood and in-laws) voted leave because of a general idea they didn't like the EU (whatever that is), but pretend now that they didn't (2016 wasn't that long ago, I have got some memories).

 

[BrawlMan]

I've pretty much habe to watch YouTube with ad blocker on. Too many political ads interrupting long videos I enjoy watching. Especially the Trump ads. I don't want to see any them when I watching something else or don't want to be bothered. Fuck'em!