The Fora: A Higher Education Community

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on Today at 08:25:57 AMFor my part, I'll start on the referee report today, and maybe start work on T5 just for fun.

Report done, 650 words into T5.

I live across the street from a park with a splash pad, which means a stead stream of ice cream trucks in the summer, which are trivially aggravating me. One in particular in addition to the music has a recording of a women saying HELLO! very very loudly every minute or so. That one is by far the worst. The current one just has a very weird music medley, which since I've been paying attention in the last few minutes has included Rudolf the Red Noised Raindeer, My Darling Clementine, and Tis a Gift to be Simple, none of which exactly say "ice cream" to me.

Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on July 01, 2024, 09:12:19 AMJuly goals:

• Make progress on paper #1 (with colleague)
• Make progress on paper #2 (with colleagues) - presenting at conference in August
• Make progress on paper #3 (with colleagues)
• Make progress on book #1 (with colleague)
• Make progress on book #2 - submit grant application related to this project

I submitted a grant proposal related to book #2 today. More generally, I've been focusing my time on that project, despite some holdup on the contract.

I also did some bits and pieces for papers #1 and #3 over the last couple of weeks. Hoping to have them both out the door in August, but that is ultimately going to be up to my coauthors.

Quote from: marshwiggle on Today at 11:09:47 AM

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on Today at 09:01:13 AM

Quote from: marshwiggle on Today at 06:43:41 AMIf voters think it's an issue, it's an issue. That is the point.
Telling them they're stupid and out of touch won't get their votes.

Voters don't care about it.

According to that survey, only 5% said abortion was most important,  (and only 2% said civil liberties), and yet apparently that's one of the issues Dems seem to feel is good for them to campaign on. (I suppose it's possible that it falls under "healthcare", which 14% thought most important, but it's odd that it wouldn't show up in "civil liberties".)

If the survey just gave people a list to choose from, then that would only present things in the terms of the survey, which comes back to the same problem of trying to dictate to people what choices they should (and therefore should not) have. Like the question "Have you stopped beating your wife?"

As someone who uses questionnaires extensively in research, I've always thought the "most important" question was super bad and useless. People care about a lot of things, and they will basically always say that economic factors are most important, but that doesn't mean their vote isn't *also* influenced by other factors, or even that other factors aren't *more* important (e.g., you can think something is really important but not think there is much difference between the candidates on it, in which case it won't impact your vote). There is pretty clear empirical evidence since Dobbs that when measures to preserve/restore reproductive rights are on the ballet, it helps Democrats, even if people aren't saying it is their most important issue in surveys.

Good morning!

Pangram and above genius. Last word yesterday was teethed.

Happy solving!

Quote from: marshwiggle on Today at 11:09:47 AM

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on Today at 09:01:13 AM

Quote from: marshwiggle on Today at 06:43:41 AMIf voters think it's an issue, it's an issue. That is the point.
Telling them they're stupid and out of touch won't get their votes.

Voters don't care about it.

According to that survey, only 5% said abortion was most important,  (and only 2% said civil liberties), and yet apparently that's one of the issues Dems seem to feel is good for them to campaign on. (I suppose it's possible that it falls under "healthcare", which 14% thought most important, but it's odd that it wouldn't show up in "civil liberties".)

If the survey just gave people a list to choose from, then that would only present things in the terms of the survey, which comes back to the same problem of trying to dictate to people what choices they should (and therefore should not) have. Like the question "Have you stopped beating your wife?"

The survey can be somewhat misleading. It asks what is most important to the voter. But there are many issues, and some will be less important to voters. And ranking is not the same as intensity of belief.

What the parties are doing is picking issues their supporters feel are most important and ignoring those their opponents think most important. It is not so much about convincing the opponents but mobilizing the supporters, and that in simple emotive ways. I expect the parties know what they are doing.

To make this really simple, the major issue for Democratic voters is Trump! Forget the weeds of policy. For Republicans it's probably culture and economics. There, too, forget the weeds of policy.

Forget the weeds, for voters are rationally ignorant.

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on Today at 09:01:13 AM

Quote from: marshwiggle on Today at 06:43:41 AMIf voters think it's an issue, it's an issue. That is the point.
Telling them they're stupid and out of touch won't get their votes.

Voters don't care about it.

According to that survey, only 5% said abortion was most important,  (and only 2% said civil liberties), and yet apparently that's one of the issues Dems seem to feel is good for them to campaign on. (I suppose it's possible that it falls under "healthcare", which 14% thought most important, but it's odd that it wouldn't show up in "civil liberties".)

If the survey just gave people a list to choose from, then that would only present things in the terms of the survey, which comes back to the same problem of trying to dictate to people what choices they should (and therefore should not) have. Like the question "Have you stopped beating your wife?"

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on July 21, 2024, 05:33:05 PMDid the marking, then got the devastating news and started looking for a new home.

I read the other thread, and am so sorry. That stinks, but I hope it works out well for you and yours in the long run.

Quote from: ciao_yall on Today at 06:31:25 AM

Quote from: marshwiggle on Today at 05:19:40 AM

Quote from: jimbogumbo on July 25, 2024, 09:43:11 AMmarsh: I completely understand, but it still frustrates me. Specifically, when people have an issue with something that doesn't really exist (like my migrant crime example). I probably should have asked on a different thread, because I'm still trying to wrap my head around real issues people actually agree to disagree on (or work to solve) versus ginned up fake stuff to score talking points.


FWIW, I don't think many people are thing about BLM, and Free Palestine went from a topic really only seen on college campuses to something I would term real due to all the destruction and actual death. Whether or not the Israeli response to Oct. 7 is justified or not really does cross party lines.

Issues that people are really concerned about are things like men in women's sports and changing rooms (and prisons). Even more important is that Dems will disparage peoples' character for even expressing concern about these issues.

Cowtowing to the extreme activists instead of telling them when they have gone too far does not go well with centrist voters.

(And it doesn't matter what I think; if I'm wrong, everything I say is irrelevant. But if I'm right, then unless and until any party wanting to be in power actually pays attention to voters, rather than trying to tell them what to think, they will be out in the cold.)

Because it's Not. An. Issue.

Fox News has people so freaked out about the occasional trans person who, trust me, doesn't want to make a big deal of their presence, that they are convinced Trump is the only person protecting their daughters from some perv in a wig.

I just moved to the suburbs and the neighborhood Facebook group had a post from a local mom with a rising middle schooler worried about whether there were "furries."

Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick.

OMG. That's hilarious! Oh no! Not the furries! What's the world coming to? Sheesh!

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