Unbelievable.
Just … unbelievable.
Right now, Corky from Life Goes On is sitting in a room somewhere, watching the election results, shaking his head, saying “wow, the voters of Washington sure are dumb!”
After saying “no” one year ago … just one short year ago, the voters of Washington have inexplicably approved nearly the same initiative that they turned down in 2010 — Initiative 1183.
Costco repackaged the same initiative that was turned down last year, except this year, they spent $22 million advertising it on television. This time, it overwhelmingly passed.
And so it is.
This election, November 2011, has proven conclusively why democracy does not work. American Democracy is two geniuses, 85 moderately intelligent people, and 800 complete morons voting on public policy. The least intelligent of us will always poison the vote.
Always.
Here’s the thing … the creative class, otherwise known as the “cognitive elite”, generally possess an IQ > 120. Arguably, this is the threshold for true critical and abstract thinking.
The masses, however … the vast majority of Americans (91%) have an IQ below 120. This in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. The IQ of the average police officer is estimated to be 104, and most of them seem to get along just fine.
IQ’s of less than 120 do, however, preclude a level of cerebral function required to make informed and independent decisions about complex matters. There is a level of abstraction which is simply impossible for those below a certain intelligence threshold. Instead, these people tend to make decisions based on repetition and consensus. For the duration of their lives, people in this IQ range are likely to vote the same way their parents voted, and to believe in the same god their parents believed in. Repetition and consensus.
This, is by and large, the achilles heel of democracy. It explains why candidates spend so much money advertising, and it explains why the best funded candidates generally win. Facts mean nothing, it’s all about repetition and consensus. It’s why movements like Occupy Wall Street will never work. Movements like this in America are like teaching calculus to chimpanzees. It’s completely futile.
So, what happens to everyone else? The 9% with IQ’s above 120?
Well, they either get into politics and control the subs, make a ton of money and buy the subs, or … they sit in a dark closet and cry at least once a week. They become very, very frustrated. It’s almost cruel to lump them into the same group as their dimmer counterparts. I mean, imagine the Afghan Wolfhounds being allowed to make all of the decisions for the Golden Retrievers. This is the every day reality for the cognitive elite.
Now, from a philosophical standpoint, I didn’t really care which way the 1183 vote went. I don’t care where the masses buy their booze.
What is completely catastrophic to the psyche, however, is the realization that the minds of the masses are so easily swayed by a few corporate dollars. The moment of lucidity when you realize that the convictions of your fellow man are non-existent. That they literally look to television commercials to tell them what to do, when to act, and how to vote. The realization that, no matter how little credit you give to your fellow man, that credit was too generous.
Face it, folks, Democracy does not work. It never has worked, and it never will work. It can’t work. The polls will forever be controlled by a majority vote of the least intelligent.
If you didn’t believe me before, you certainly should now.
After being soundly defeated last year, on the back of a few hilariously deceptive television commercials, 1183 has now been approved.
Kudos, Costco. Kudos. You knew all along what I am just now getting around to writing.
Now if you will excuse me, there is a closet in the hallway with my name on it.
I’m overdue.
The Laws of Stupidity:
1) There is always more stupidity in the world than you think.
2) Even after accounting for Rule #1, there is still always more stupidity in the world than you think.
While I don’t disagree with most of your statement, I don’t think this example is very cut and dry. And close to the end of your article here you hit some of the caveats that make my point.
I believe the original initiative being struck down was the example of the low IQ following the deceptive commercials. While, yes, this most recent one was championed by corporate interests, no one seemed to care that much.
Personally, while I’m fairly against a person or company being able to effectively buy a vote, it was one I agreed with beforehand anyway. So, I was ok with them dumping a load of cash in to it. I don’t drink much, but I also don’t like a government office telling me what I can get and where and when.
I think some of the “Who will think of the children?!?!” arguments are losing a bit of their argumentative silver bullet status. Especially when they’re fairly thinly veiled, like this one was.
The only down side I see to this is the possible knee-jerk reaction from the state to want to use this as an excuse to raise taxes on the alcohol. It’s not an un-common perception that the state legislature seems to “punish” citizen’s efforts to reduce perceived un-just fees/taxes/etc by simply replacing them with other fees/taxes/etc.
Personally, while I’m fairly against a person or company being able to effectively buy a vote, it was one I agreed with beforehand anyway. So, I was ok with them dumping a load of cash in to it. I don’t drink much, but I also don’t like a government office telling me what I can get and where and when.
Really?
So, to further your goal of “not being told where you can get booze and when”, you voted in favor of 1183?
1183, the initiative that just gave large corporations the right to sell booze, while prohibiting small businesses from doing the same?
That 1183?
I’m not sure how much thought you put into this initiative, but 1183 is another pro-consolidation law that prohibits small businesses from competing with big businesses, thus ensuring that more and more people will become increasingly dependent upon the corporate plantation for their very survival.
1183 says that if you open a small grocery store tomorrow … you cannot sell booze because you aren’t big and moneyed like Costco. If you even try to do so, 1183 provides for increased “enforcement” … enforcement which ensures that if you even try to compete with Costco, you can be thrown in a locked cage.
That’s right, if your small, family-owned business sells the same goods that Costco can now sell, armed agents will show up at your house, kick your door down, traumatize your children, possibly shoot your dog, and they will lock you in a steel cage.
But, you support 1183 because it’s all about your freedom. Your freedom to buy ethanol from a big box store.
Do I have this correct?
1183 is a blatantly anti-competitive law that slaps you across the face with the cock of corporate favoritism and anti-small business bias, and you’re good with that because it shaves 10 minutes off your drive to buy a bottle of Jim Beam?
And you think that this makes the pro-IQ point?
Alright. If you say so.
Rex, you should really read through the entire verbage of 1183. You are clearly mis-informed about several of your major gripes about the initiative. The “No” campaign for 1183 was as disgusting as the “Yes” campaign as far as money spent, half truths, etc. The whole “Think of our children” bullshit is why I think most people that were on the fence, ended up voting “Yes”. Remember, the No campaign was funded by large corporation as well.
I still could care less which way the vote went, even though I did end up voting yes. Though it passed, I am just as happy as if it had failed.
Oh, and BTW, I have a 160 IQ, and I’m not be a long shot the only one ;)
Rex, you should really read through the entire verbage of 1183. You are clearly mis-informed about several of your major gripes about the initiative.
I read 1183.
All 60 pages.
To which section in particular are you referring?
I’ll show you mine:
(g) Require that a retail store must have ten thousand square feet or more of fully enclosed retail space within a single structure in order to get a license to sell liquor, with limited exceptions;
Oh, and BTW, I have a 160 IQ, and I’m not be a long shot the only one ;)
Oh, don’t be modest. An IQ of 160 places you in the 99.9968313965th percentile
Only 1 in 31,560 people have an IQ of 160 or higher.
To put this into perspective, only 211 people in Washington State have an IQ of 160 or higher.
Only 19 people in the city of Seattle.
There are less than .25 people per square mile with such rare intelligence.
So, considering that the nearest person to you with the same or higher IQ is over 2 miles away, I’d say you are more or less by yourself.
Assuming you have an IQ of 160, of course.
The last liquor vote was confusing to a lot of people because there were two. Repetition wasn’t the cause for the passing of 1183 it was because it was streamlined into 1 initiative. Your average joe who doesn’t read the entire initiative was able to make a decision about who sells liquor without the doubt or wonder of which one is good and which one is bad or why are there two.
The population is squishy, always will be. I think they really wanted it the first time, but Janet is correct, it was just too confusing for the average person that doesn’t read what they are voting for. I like liquor stores, I think they are a good compromise between accessibility and thee general social good – but I don’t like that it was set up to line the pockets of a few liquor wholesalers. I would have liked us to dump the wholesalers and keep the liquor stores… but I can live with 1183. Gotta run – off to Costco to buy a gross of toilet paper and a case of Patron.
WA state voters gave away their liquor business, just gave it away to the major corporations to make a profit on. The state of WA is so screwed, even I can do simple math and there is no way 1183 will provide the projected revenues. Even if the price is cheaper, highly doubtful, will not equal major revenue profits. It descriminates against small business in total favor of the major corporations, one reason why the country is in the mess its in. Everyone in WA state get ready to pay a state income tax, it will be next.