10-24-2016, 10:52 AM
(10-24-2016, 10:41 AM)Dill Wrote: You are a thoughtful person, Bels, and I always respect what you have to say. In this case, though, I think we should be careful not to accept "perception" as identical to reality, while recognizing your point that for enough people it is. This would be one of the central points made in my ideal civics course, that we strive to make this distinction.
As for the effect on diplomatic relations, we live in a world now in which, if "perception" can be crafted and manipulated, it will be. Any politician may him or herself have very little control over this.
I'm not advocating that perception should be reality, only that is. If people understood public opinion in the political realm then they may be more inclined to work to understand the issues more, and I'm all for that, but that just isn't the case. Even among those that should know better.
"A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy..." - TR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
