Isn't it politically incorrect to call voters "stupid" ?

[kentuck]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/155107_firstperson05.html

<snip>
What can explain his popularity? Can that many people be enamored of what he has accomplished in Iraq? Of how he has fortified our constitutional freedoms with the USA Patriot Act? Of how he has bolstered our economy? Of how he has protected our environment? Perhaps they've been impressed with the president's personal integrity and the articulation of his grand vision for America?

<snip>
I, however, will blare out its name so that at last people can address the issue and perhaps adopt strategies to overcome it.

It's the "Stupid factor," the S factor: Some people -- sometimes through no fault of their own -- are just not very bright.



<snip>
It's not merely that some people are insufficiently intelligent to grasp the nuances of foreign policy, of constitutional law, of macroeconomics or of the variegated interplay of humans and the environment. These aren't the people I'm referring to. The people I'm referring to cannot understand the phenomenon of cause and effect. They're perplexed by issues comprising more than two sides. They don't have the wherewithal to expand the sources of their information. And above all -- far above all -- they don't think.

You know these people; they're all around you (they're not you, else you would not be reading this article this far). They're the ones who keep the puerile shows on TV, who appear as regular recipients of the Darwin Awards, who raise our insurance rates by doing dumb things, who generally make life much more miserable for all of us than it ought to be. Sad to say, they comprise a substantial minority -- perhaps even a majority -- of the populace.

[snooper2]

1. It shouldn't be..

Good thing a larger chunk of the "Stupid" people don't vote as it is.

[JailForBush]

2. You can't cure an alcoholic until he admits he has a drinking problem.

Likewise, we'll never take back America until the sheeple come face to face with their monumental stupidity.

On another note, I find it amusing that this particular article was printed in the Seattle Times, a famously stupid paper that endorsed George W. Bush.

[outinforce]

4. Elitist Talk That Helps in Losing Elections

"Likewise, we'll never take back America until the sheeple come face to face with their monumental stupidity."

With all due respect, JailForBush, this sort of talk strikes me (and, I would venture to say, a great many people) as being elitist.

To a hard-working farmer stuggling to pay off debts or to a working mom who doesn't have time to become as informed about the complexities of the issues as you or I might, being called a "sheeple" probably sounds very insulting.

It also sound most judgmental (and condemning) to suggest that "the sheeple" have "monumental stupidity". I'm sure you don't mean to sound that way, but imagine how you might feel if someone were to suggest to you that your position on the political issues was the result of "monumental stupidity" on your part. You might be inclined to think that the person calling you "monumentally stupid" was a snobby, elitist person who thinks that s/he has all the answers and who looks down his/her nose at anyone else "stupid" enough not to see the world in his or her way.

I have found that it usually is a better idea to try to find out what the other person's concerns and issues, and then to make a real effort to address those issue and concerns rather than call people who don't share my own point of view "monumentally stupid".

[ScotTissue]

3. It is STUPID to call voters stupid

Forget political correctness. Want to lose an election by as large a margin as possible? Insult the people you need to appeal to and come off as arrogant.

[Yupster]

5. Especially when

the least educated voters vote Democratic by the largest numbers.

2000 Exit Poll

For voters who didn't graduate high school

Gore 59 %
Bush 39 %

Insult the base. A tried and true way to be elected.

[NV1962]

6. Give people the facts and they'll have an informed opinion

Give people opinion for a fact, and they'll become stupid.

That applies to Rush Limbaugh's dittoheads, Fox News' unfair and imbalanced regular audience, and the Oh' Really show.

That's the mission of the rockheads: to rig the vote.

Having said that...

The phrase "politically incorrect" refers to unfashionable behavior.

So, unless people are willing to publicly embrace a self-effacing attitude, I'd say it is politically unwise instead.

Then again, courage and righteousness aren't determined by polls. :evilgrin: