Politics: voters’ preferences

Self-tutoring about politics in Canada: the tutor mentions an evolved characteristic of the Canadian voter.

I read with interest Brian Lilley’s (Toronto Sun) opinion piece about the fact that ministers in Canada needn’t resign anymore when they don’t measure up. Lilley mentions that nowadays, Canadian voters seem not to care about malfeasance from ministers.

It’s hard to argue with Lilley, given the evidence in his article. Moreover, I’ve had similar thoughts myself, even before reading it. I think what Lilley is noticing is a symptom of the post-truth society we now live in. Some can’t remember before it; for people who can, it presents some surprises.

What voters in Canada seem to mind nowadays, above all, is a “big deal.” Regardless of the reason for a noise, they want the noise to stop. Hence, situations that should upset voters, and should cause them to demand reform, are just as often swept under the rug; after all, voters don’t want to spend the energy getting upset. The government is wise to this trend.

It’s logical, really, that in a post-truth world, the voters prefer peace and quiet to facing an uncomfortable truth. Jimmy Carter, a Democrat and President of the USA 1976-1980, seemed to be aware of this trend: he warned Americans that to make progress, they had to face the truth. Apparently, not everyone wanted to hear it: Carter was voted out the following year.

In the post-truth world, people seem more forgiving of malfeasance than they are of agitation.

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