A Microcosm of the 2016 Presidential Election

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

A conversation with my 8-year-old son after his friends in school got him somewhat interested in politics in our conservative town...

Son: Do you like Clinton or Trump?

Me: So you've been hearing about the election?
Son: Yeah.

Me: So what have you heard?
Son: Hillary Clinton wants to make us go to school on Sundays.

Me: The other day you said that Donald Trump wants to blow up the world.
Son: Yeah.

Me: So who would you vote for?
Son: Trump.

Me: But you said Trump wants to blow up the world.
Son: He can't really blow up the whole world. There would still be something left.

 

[Harry Bosch]

A conversation with my 8-year-old son after his friends in school got him somewhat interested in politics in our conservative town...

Son: Do you like Clinton or Trump?

Me: So you've been hearing about the election?
Son: Yeah.

Me: So what have you heard?
Son: Hillary Clinton wants to make us go to school on Sundays.

Me: The other day you said that Donald Trump wants to blow up the world.
Son: Yeah.

Me: So who would you vote for?
Son: Trump.

Me: But you said Trump wants to blow up the world.
Son: He can't really blow up the whole world. There would still be something left.

Interesting. I do think that Trump tapped into a deep seated (and very irrational) fear of Muslim terrorists. I think that it was perceived that Obama (and thereby HRC) have been too weak regarding Islamists. But at least your kid is somewhat interested in politics! Mine could care less.

 

[Deepak]

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

A conversation with my 8-year-old son after his friends in school got him somewhat interested in politics in our conservative town...

Son: Do you like Clinton or Trump?

Me: So you've been hearing about the election?
Son: Yeah.

Me: So what have you heard?
Son: Hillary Clinton wants to make us go to school on Sundays.

Me: The other day you said that Donald Trump wants to blow up the world.
Son: Yeah.

Me: So who would you vote for?
Son: Trump.

Me: But you said Trump wants to blow up the world.
Son: He can't really blow up the whole world. There would still be something left.

Interesting. I do think that Trump tapped into a deep seated (and very irrational) fear of Muslim terrorists. I think that it was perceived that Obama (and thereby HRC) have been too weak regarding Islamists. But at least your kid is somewhat interested in politics! Mine could care less.

Some observations...

Is my son's beginning interest in politics really as good a thing as it ought to be? There seems to be an issue of tribalism in there, like what "team" do his friends like in school? Yankees versus Red Sox, my family versus yours, my classroom versus yours. We live in a conservative town. Feelings on the candidates seem to be passed down from parents opinions and then shared at school, though quite changed. So probably the majority of his friends are pro-Trump.

There's a perception of Clinton as a bureaucrat and Trump as a nutcase. Those ideas get translated in some digestible way to elementary school kids as Clinton wants school on Sunday and Trumps wants to blow up the world. The misinformation filter is also in the "Off" position.

So, tribalism, irrationality, and misinformation seem to have won the day. Is that really different than adult politics?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Interesting. I do think that Trump tapped into a deep seated (and very irrational) fear of Muslim terrorists. I think that it was perceived that Obama (and thereby HRC) have been too weak regarding Islamists. But at least your kid is somewhat interested in politics! Mine could care less.

Some observations...

Is my son's beginning interest in politics really as good a thing as it ought to be?

There is interest in Civics and American Politics... and then there is the Reality TV politics that exists.

So, tribalism, irrationality, and misinformation seem to have won the day. Is that really different than adult politics?

In general, the kids hear what their parents are saying. So the misinformation gets dumb'd down to the kids level (assuming the parent was ever at an adult level to begin with).

 

[Elixir]

So, tribalism, irrationality, and misinformation seem to have won the day. Is that really different than adult politics?

In general, the kids hear what their parents are saying. So the misinformation gets dumb'd down to the kids level (assuming the parent was ever at an adult level to begin with).

So in short, - no. it's the same primal tribalism that has driven politics ("adult" or otherwise*) since time immemorial.

* Perhaps some adult content would improve turnout. Say, nude debates?