Some of my family members are more conservative than I am (which isn’t hard, admittedly). They vote based on what they believe benefits them and their families. From their perspective, that’s reasonable — why should they vote with others in mind if no one else does?
The idea that “I vote for what I want, you vote for what you want, and we’ll get what most people want” sounds democratic, but it’s also dangerously simplistic. It assumes everyone has equal power, equal knowledge, and that the system functions perfectly. I believe it’s a large factor in the division we’re seeing but I can’t say which came first.
Some of my family members are more conservative than I am (which isn’t hard, admittedly). They vote based on what they believe benefits them and their families. From their perspective, that’s reasonable — why should they vote with others in mind if no one else does?
The idea that “I vote for what I want, you vote for what you want, and we’ll get what most people want” sounds democratic, but it’s also dangerously simplistic. It assumes everyone has equal power, equal knowledge, and that the system functions perfectly. I believe it’s a large factor in the division we’re seeing but I can’t say which came first.