Comment by nonrandomstring | Hacker News Reader

Comment by nonrandomstring | Hacker News Reader

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nonrandomstring

> to them the relevant knowledge is knowledge of what voters will support or tolerate

That's relevant knowledge. It's not the relevant knowledge. Another piece of relevant knowledge is facts about complex things like political science, cryptography, etc. Since politicians actually need to decide and implement things, as a side gig to being popular, lack of the proper knowledge to do so is a shortcoming.

> I would like to know what the public opinion on these issues is

Not big sample sizes, but I regularly ask and interview people from all sides of life, and to a simple question like "Do you think the police should spy on you if that catches criminals?" the answer is always a resounding "no". Especially young people. They just way "No way. We're not criminals". They "arguments" may be choppy, muddy waters, but I don't think peoples feelings about being spied on is much of a mystery.

Here in Sweden the answer from the general public often is "yes, I am honest and have nothing to hide".

Unlike French media, Swedish media does not have a well-developed tradition of confronting those in power and/or demanding accountability.

I often get frustrated by how easily interviewees dodge direct questions by answering something completely different, and get a "thank you" from the journalist in return, instead of a follow-up question.

That sounds like the US in the postwar era, under Eisenhower. It broke down quickly, as the journalists were not slow to catch on when the leaders abused that trust.

It's not just our media, it's our culture.

We have a looong and storied tradition of not liking the government, starting with our first revolution in 1789, continuing in 1830 and 1848, and further reinforced by the Nazi occupation during WW2. When I went to England, I heard the joke "where are all the French people? Oh right, probably on strike again".

I feel like some people would probably go out and protest if the government went so far as to suggest that maybe regular tooth brushing might be a good idea, just out of principle.

Yeah we don't do that here. Our culture was Pirate Bay and nation-wide torrenting until the government said it was stealing and people stopped because we are Honest Citizens.

No revolutions, unless explicitly permitted by the government.

Actually makes me a bit worried given the recent geopolitical development in the world.

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