Most countries have laws that you can’t campaign for office until a few months before an election. In some places like Japan, 17 days.
The US makes it near endless because we have an election industrial complex. Constant fundraising, constant money being spent on ads on TV, constant ads presented during debates that last over a year. It leads to election fatigue and causes our government to spend far more time campaigning than doing their jobs. We could make it law that campaign season can be about 3 months long (statistically a reasonable amount of time because it lets you view the economy, laws, new candidates, etc) but we won’t because lawmakers also get lobbied and paid to keep the election industrial complex going.
I love this strip, but this is false equivalency. “Left & Right” on the screen implies the same mechanism exists on both sides to indoctrinate viewers. That’s simply not true. And before someone screams “MSNBC”, MSNBC regularly has panelists on who discuss problems in the current administration and challenges with the current President. And there are many discussions with true representatives of both ends of the spectrum, as well as other self-reflective ideas that hardly ever (perhaps never) grace the screen over at Fox News.
Distilling it down to “Left & Right” – whether in a comic strip or elsewhere – risks turning people off from politics altogether because of a false sense of “both-sides-ism.”
Arbitrary 7 months ago
Most countries have laws that you can’t campaign for office until a few months before an election. In some places like Japan, 17 days.
The US makes it near endless because we have an election industrial complex. Constant fundraising, constant money being spent on ads on TV, constant ads presented during debates that last over a year. It leads to election fatigue and causes our government to spend far more time campaigning than doing their jobs. We could make it law that campaign season can be about 3 months long (statistically a reasonable amount of time because it lets you view the economy, laws, new candidates, etc) but we won’t because lawmakers also get lobbied and paid to keep the election industrial complex going.
We’re a failed state.
SteveHL 7 months ago
Just about the most terrifying thing that I have ever seen in a Lio strip!
Bilan 7 months ago
The fault, dear Brutus , is not in our stars, But in ourselves.
Oh shoot. It is in the stars.
PlatudimusAtom Premium Member 7 months ago
If one doesn’t try to help turn this anti democratic train around one forfeits their right to complain about the outcome.
jagedlo 7 months ago
Might be time to hide out with your monster friends, Lio!
ilovecomics*infinity 7 months ago
I love this strip, but this is false equivalency. “Left & Right” on the screen implies the same mechanism exists on both sides to indoctrinate viewers. That’s simply not true. And before someone screams “MSNBC”, MSNBC regularly has panelists on who discuss problems in the current administration and challenges with the current President. And there are many discussions with true representatives of both ends of the spectrum, as well as other self-reflective ideas that hardly ever (perhaps never) grace the screen over at Fox News.
Distilling it down to “Left & Right” – whether in a comic strip or elsewhere – risks turning people off from politics altogether because of a false sense of “both-sides-ism.”
Okay, done. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
Ermine Notyours 7 months ago
Must be a drone show.
xaingo 7 months ago
I’m voting for Montgomery Brewster’s “None of the Above” campaign.
Zebrastripes 7 months ago
We, the people are saturated with what’s on the TV screen! Period!
Stephen Gilberg 7 months ago
Wait, 2024 factorial? That’s way too big a number.
"Doon the Watter" on the Waverley 7 months ago
A little bit too scary today….
tracybsmith 7 months ago
But you CAN turn off the t.v.!
eddi-TBH 7 months ago
Our fate is written in the stars…. wait that’s a formation of drones.
Slowly, he turned... 7 months ago
It is scary, isn’t it?