My Epilogue on Kos

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are always cocksure and the intelligent are always filled with doubt. -- Bertrand Russell

[Shamelessly lifted from a kos user]

There’s a summary of sorts I posted on my blog, where I mention poll results, and make some final observations about my (brief) experiences at Kos.

In summary – group dynamics that foster exclusion, censorship a mob-mentality aren’t going to help anyone get elected. Worse – if the goal of Kos is to help Democrats get elected, and that helping individuals refine their thinking, build counter-arguments etc. is part of the process, the mission of the place is undermined by the reprisals against users who voice, or support, positions that fall outside whatever passes for “mainstream kos.”

And last – any particularly rabid minority can exert an inordinate influence in the place. In that way, it reflects the most unfortunate social dynamic in either national political party.

I was watching a local news television program last week, and the reporter was interviewing someone from a political think tank (wish I could remember which one. The interviewer was local reporter Chris Vanocur). They were contrasting elections in Australia, with elections in the U.S.

In Australia, voting is mandatory. Though citizens can choose not to vote, they must do so by sending a letter explaining their reasons. For most, the letter’s more bother than casting a ballot, and Australians typically vote in numbers well over 90%.

This has resulted, according to Vanocur’s guest, in a fundamentally different strategy for campaigns. In the US, political parties are each attempting to maximize the number of party members going to the polls (and perhaps instilling some hopelessness in members of the other party, but that’s another story). Each party attempts to appeal to those within their respective group most likely to vote – those with the strongest opinions. The goal of campaign advertising is therefore motivational – it’s intended to whip party loyalists up into enough of a frenzy that, come election day, they’ll drag their lazy selves up off of the couch and stumble to the polls. This is why campaigns so often end up resembling shouting matches.

This is also why negative campaigning continues to flourish, despite the overall impact it exerts on public opinion as a political tool.

In Australia, on the other hand, campaigns are intended to address the majority of the population, rather than the majority of voters. The majority of a population is, by definition, centrist. Because motivation to vote at all is no longer an issue, there is a greater emphasis on the actual issues, rather than on inflammatory issues US parties rely on to urge people to the polls. The tenor of political campaigns is significantly different.

One comment on my thread (which I couldn’t respond to, by the time I saw it) discussed the diversity of opinion at kos, and scoffed at the idea that kossites are somehow unified in their opinions and actions. That, however, is an argument I never would’ve made. My objection to the impact of trusted users and their ability to troll-rate comments (and thereby ban users) is that any particularly rabid minority group can exert inordinate influence on any particular thread. I’m sure the majority of kossites are reasonable, intelligent folks I’d love to have coffee with.

But those aren’t the people who banned me. Or Switters. Nor were the others apparently willing to stand up to such organized venom – the threat against a (apparently venerable) participant who uprated one of my comments speaks to the social prohibitions for bucking the mob.

There’s research on strength of opinion and resistance of opinion to challenge that suggests many of the most vehement in any group, (this would include kos), are also the least sophisticated – the strength of their opinion compensates for their underlying insecurity or conflict about it. Those with the most well-formed opinions are more nuanced – they take longer to answer questions, and they are more likely to continue bringing up caveats and exclusions. People like that make poor mob members. At Kos, apparently they also make poor opponents to the mob mentality.

In the end, the whole thing reminds me most of this Monty Python sketch

So, good luck with your mission, Kos. I’d rather spend my time in places where Democratic ideals are also practiced, not just talked about, and unpleasant truths can be discussed without fear of censure.