far Right Dutch political Party targets mentally challenged voters

[sisu]

@Aferim

Sounds like they’re adopting American-style political debates:

“We are nice people, just like you.
Our opponents kill kittens and kick puppies.
They are NOT like you. In fact, they don’t like you.
Here’s a video of a chick with huge tits that says she will vote for us.
If you want to bang her, you should vote for us.”

Got my vote.

[ElvisL1ves]

@Aferim

Sounds like they’re adopting American-style political debates:

“We are nice people, just like you.
Our opponents kill kittens and kick puppies.
They are NOT like you. In fact, they don’t like you.
Here’s a video of a chick with huge tits that says she will vote for us.
If you want to bang her, you should vote for us.”

I am intrigued by their ideas and would like to subscribe to their newsletter.

[Grumman]

@willthekittensurvive

But on the other hand don’t they deserve representation?

I’d approach it from the other direction: should everyone else be subject to the whims of an idiot? What voting is really about is deciding how the government will exert its authority over other people. If we know someone is not going to use that power responsibly (either because they’re a felon with little regard for the rights of others, or because they’re suffering from a severe intellectual disability that renders them incapable of making the necessary informed decisions), giving them any meaningful representation harms everybody else.

[Superfluous_Parentheses]

@Grumman

I’d approach it from the other direction: should everyone else be subject to the whims of an idiot? What voting is really about is deciding how the government will exert its authority over other people. If we know someone is not going to use that power responsibly (either because they’re a felon with little regard for the rights of others, or because they’re suffering from a severe intellectual disability that renders them incapable of making the necessary informed decisions), giving them any meaningful representation harms everybody else.

I’m willing to take that risk over the risk that someone else declares me unable to take informed decisions any day of the week. I do think the text is ridiculously misrepresenting the party in question, but that’s what political parties tend to do anyway.

[Tim_T-Bonham.net]

@Grumman

I’d approach it from the other direction: should everyone else be subject to the whims of an idiot?

Certainly not.
We replaced him in 2008.

[Chen019]

@willthekittensurvive

The Dutch populist anti-immigration party recently issued a simplified version of their political program, targeted especially at mentally challenged voters….

Interesting enough Immigration is not mentioned in this version of their program.

So what do you think?Is it kosher to target mentaly handicaped people,( who might not have the critical skils needed to understand modern politics)
Or should other political parties follow?

Well, how many people actually have the “critical skills needed to understand modern politics”?

I guess this is an argument against full democracy, maybe you should have to pass some test to be eligible to vote?

[Least_Original_User_Name_Ever]

Usually in politics, there’s only so much time and money to go around talking to people. If there weren’t those limits, you’d certainly talk to everyone and make your pitch. It seems counterproductive, assuming that the threshold to determine what “mentally challenged” isn’t too out of the ordinary, that’s a pretty small constituency to go picking on for seemingly no reason.

Really, I think I’m asking for more background information here. What’s the definition of “mentally challenged” there? How many people, percentage-wise, fit under that definition? Why’s it an issue?

[willthekittensurvive]

@Least_Original_User_Name_Ever

Really, I think I’m asking for more background information here. What’s the definition of “mentally challenged” there? How many people, percentage-wise, fit under that definition? Why’s it an issue?

According to this document the Dutch adult mentally handicapped population (older then 23) has grown to 82.000 http://www.scp.nl/dsresource?objectid=24811&type=pdf
, so if all the mentally handicapped voted in 2010 as a block they would able to send one person to our House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal out of 150
And that might even be significant, because the parties in our govement do not have a majority in the House of Representatives ,

[Least_Original_User_Name_Ever]

@willthekittensurvive

According to this document the Dutch adult mentally handicapped population (older then 23) has grown to 82.000 http://www.scp.nl/dsresource?objectid=24811&type=pdf
, so if all the mentally handicapped voted in 2010 as a block they would able to send one person to our House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal out of 150
And that might even be significant, because the parties in our govement do not have a majority in the House of Representatives ,

Maybe it’s my ignorance of anything other than American political systems, but why would all mentally handicapped folks vote as a bloc? If it buys them one seat in the entire house of representatives, I don’t see what that gets them.

[tagos]

@Grumman

If they lack the critical skills needed to understand politics, maybe they shouldn’t be voting at all.

That pretty much rules out 95% of the electorate in any country though.