Rob Ford's Toronto

[One Nut Kruk]

Gene Simmons is the bassist.

Sorry...having a pedantic moment.

Sorry, brain fart. I meant to write rhythm guitarist.

 

[TOperson]

You know that special kind of cognitive dissonance (or whatever the correct term is) that makes some Americans thinks that Obamacare is socialist enslavement but Medicare is A-OK? I think that is what Ford Nation has.

I also have this vague idea that perhaps modern society has reached a level of complexity that is beyond the cognitive abilities of the majority of human beings to understand. That's why so many of them like simple solutions, slogans, black-and-white thinking, short-term thinking, etc. It's all they can handle.

The other day I was talking to a co-worker, a by-no-means stupid person, who said that even though she had benefited from many social programs as a single teen mother, she finds that now that she is getting older she is more conservative and less supportive of her tax dollars going to such programs. ???? (I think there is an empathy deficit at work here too.)

I'm not explaining this well, but you get the idea.

(Part of this is coming from a book I've been reading about the state of Canadian universities. Basically, they let anyone in now, grade inflation is off the charts, and even a fairly lousy student can end up with a degree. So a large chunk of our "educated" population is, uh, not so bright or educated. But they think they are - they've got a degree that proves it! Which bolsters their confidence in their unexamined ideas.)

 

[DTGeek]

I also have this vague idea that perhaps modern society has reached a level of complexity that is beyond the cognitive abilities of the majority of human beings to understand. That's why so many of them like simple solutions, slogans, black-and-white thinking, short-term thinking, etc. It's all they can handle.

The internet has also allowed (mis)information to spread much more rapidly and with far less filtering. I never would have thought it would turn out this way 10-20 years ago; myself and a lot of people assumed there could only be minor downsides to information being so readily available, but I didn't consider the effects on people who lack the critical thinking skills to sort through it properly.

 

[TOperson]

The internet has also allowed (mis)information to spread much more rapidly and with far less filtering. I never would have thought it would turn out this way 10-20 years ago; myself and a lot of people assumed there could only be minor downsides to information being so readily available, but I didn't consider the effects on people who lack the critical thinking skills to sort through it properly.

Oh yes, that too. And it's easy to stick to websites etc that only confirm your beliefs, never challenge them. The combo of too much info and not enough thinking skill is very dangerous.

 

[GeekGirl]

Can someone explain the intended point behind "Nayshun"?

Is it because it includes "nay", and thus refers to a person who votes in the negative? Or is the "shun" part some reference to street eubonics and his suppliers in street gangs?

I got'sta know. My favourite Dirty Harry bad guy quote.

Don't know, I didn't coin the term but I take it to mean a group of people who cannot be shunned, or feel shunned. Either one describes Ford Nation. Re: the wife abuse - I truly do not think it will matter. In my experience in the same circles (I grew up in housing), the wife abusers were feared and tolerated because of that fear.

 

[SunriseChampion]

What I said in a mostly unrelated post, not long ago: Doug Ford, worst Torontonian ever.

Doug Ford is NOT a Torontonian; he's a swine. Perhaps even the worst swine ever.

 

[GeekGirl]

Don't forget... when all else fails just bring up the gas plants. "Even on crack he didn't waste a billion dollars like the lieberals!!".

Yes, this is always the default position when they have nothing else. Oh, look over there! Standard tactic of the tea party right.

 

[GeekGirl]

A lot of time spent lately focusing on the obstinacy of the tiny remaining enclave of Ford nation. Who cares if they don't change their mind, and why does it even matter? No matter how you slice the numbers, Ford is done. Fuck those people. They're a waste of space and air time.

I agree. Time to stop pandering to these people. It is an useless as Obama trying to pander to the tea party zealots. A complete waste of time. They are a small percentage of people. Forget them, shun them and move on.

 

[SunriseChampion]

I wish I could forget them, but I run into vast numbers of the degenerates through work.

 

[GeekGirl]

I wish I could forget them, but I run into vast numbers of the degenerates through work.

I feel for you. I work with a friend whom I've known for a couple of decades. Used to be against Ford, now pro-Ford. He believes wee Robbie is getting bad media, and my friend now sympathizes with him, despite knowing how wholly unfit for office he is.

 

[evvabeing]

What I said in a mostly unrelated post, not long ago: Doug Ford, worst Torontonian ever.

and that's even more evident with this...

But Councillor Ford insisted Thursday that the brothers entered into filming of the Sun News program with the full understanding that it would be a “one-off†affair, not a prolonged series.

While no production company or TV network would confirm interest in a Rob Ford reality show when contacted by the Post this week, it’s known at least one U.S. based production company was looking for a way to get in touch with the mayor about pitching a potential show.

 

[evvabeing]

Doug Ford is NOT a Torontonian; he's a swine. Perhaps even the worst swine ever.

then he's a hogtownian.

 

[evvabeing]

what a great way to put it...

The key feature of the mayor's budget plan: spend more money than you're willing to raise.

http://torontoist.com/2013/11/why-rob-fords-budget-proposal-is-as-irrelevant-as-he-is/

 

[JustAnotherGuy]

The internet has also allowed (mis)information to spread much more rapidly and with far less filtering. I never would have thought it would turn out this way 10-20 years ago; myself and a lot of people assumed there could only be minor downsides to information being so readily available, but I didn't consider the effects on people who lack the critical thinking skills to sort through it properly.

I'm not sure that the education system, even at its highest levels, is particularly adept at teaching critical thinking. In other words, it isn't just the ostensibly "uneducated" who lack the capacity to analyze, question, and counter conventional wisdom, even when it is no wisdom at all.

As for the Internet, yes, it contains a torrent of data and information, some of it misinformation. But, on the whole, I still favor freedom of information and freedom of thought. It's up to each of us to make our own sense of the information tsunami.

Perhaps we should also consider the dark arts of the propagandists. They've gotten better at their jobs as polling and data mining have advanced over the years. Rob Ford wasn't elected on his own. He had a formidable Conservative electoral machine behind him, and they knew what buttons to push and how to manipulate the electorate's fears and prejudices. What concerns me, perhaps most of all, is that the science of demagoguery has been refined, maybe to a point where it will work more often than before.

All of which means that critical thinking becomes not just a desirable trait, but something that is absolutely imperative.

 

[evvabeing]

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