Do you think it will work?

[Leifer]

So we are a few months away from another provincial election.
The posts slagging the two dominant parties will start appearing with greater frequency.

"The NDP is stupid....and you are stupid for supporting them!"
""Christy is the actual devil....and you are stupid for supporting her party!"

I often wonder if anyone's positions actually get changed....or even marginally influenced by what is posted on these forums.
Does anybody follow a thread and exclaim "Wow...I had that wrong....time to change sides"?
Is everyone just *bleep* in the wind here?

For myself....I have been wrong about plenty of things over my lifetime. My impressions of people, my understanding of religion, the value of work/life balance. Hell, when I left the forces I hated gay people. Could not tell you really why....but I hated them all the same.
It took me years to get that out of my system. I was wrong....I changed...probably have plenty more change to come.

[Veovis]

The bulk of the electorate that will actually create the winner will simply look and listen to the extremists rants and look at both parties and decide which will make their life better or at least not worse and then vote for it.

Big promises like LNG, or Cheap Daycare, though fun promises are never as simple or realistic for the majority to buy into and vote with what will be beneficial.

In my mind at least.

The big promises will work on a few thousand for sure as many people like dreams better than reality, but I think the bulk has elected and reelected on a basis of what will be the least disruptive to their lives and jobs.

[Even Steven]

I often wonder if anyone's positions actually get changed....or even marginally influenced by what is posted on these forums.

For the most part, people post not to discuss things or change anyone's opinions, but as a self-pleasure. It pleases them to be right, it pleases them to be confrontational, and it pleases them to get a reaction of perceived enemies - people from the other camp. People seek short-term pleasure from it. The debates are very predicable and once again serve as self-pleasing marathon - "me smart, them dumb". They're also extremely entrenched in their opinions.

My theory is that it's a form of OCD. Some people wash dishes, some people stack things neatly or some other repetitive task with no meaning. And some people argue politics as a way calming down amid understanding that their own life is in the shambles. So, they need something repetitive, something that never changes, something that is within their comfort zone, and arguing politics is exactly that.

[gordon_as]

I'm not sure how many people read the forums without commenting , but it is evident that very , very few people actually partake in the debates here. If they all found a common ground , and voted for an independent , he/she would end up with about 18 votes.

[Boda]

I can honestly say I've changed my position on a (very) few topics as a result of reading valid arguments against an opinion here on the forums.

[Smurf]

I doubt I have changed many opinions but I do get a lot of information. I am a slow reader these days and therefore tend to read only a lot of what I am interested in. On here I sort of let a lot of people do my research for me. I like reading information from both sides of a subject and then making my own decisions, which probably lean to my original feeling in the end. I find it much easier to here than to try to dig it up myself. I do believe I benefit from it.

[rustled]

I have lots of "I hadn't thought of that" moments while reading others' posts.

To me, voting shouldn't be about entrenched habit, or taking sides, or insisting I'm right (cuz I'm not always totally convinced I'm right.)

It should be about who is presently running, and the likelihood of "best outcome".

[Rwede]

*removed*

[George+]

*removed*