Real Time with Bill Maher: Voters In Mississippi

Now, I have mixed feelings about this video. I think it is very biased and that these people were hand picked to show a stereotypical view rather than a balanced view of Mississippi. But I still think the message is important.

We have all seen the videos of "Obama voters" saying ridiculous things like "Obama is gonna pay for my gas and mortgage". The only thing this video does is show the ignorance on the other side as well...I think we can all agree there are ignorant voters on both sides.

So I thought this video was important to show how there are people out there voting completely against their own interests...and that there is in fact racist still in America (since some have denied that).

So here is the video...discuss...debate....just don't shoot the messenger.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher



I agree with you a hundred percent and wish that this would start a fair and honest debate but in this day and age , we've been so brainwashed that something as touchy as this will no doubt come down to same old foolish Left/Right debate that infects most debates in America like a virus.
So a star and a flag for you even though I doubt this thread will go anywhere but down.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


Thanks, OP. Cool video.

I have seen and heard a lot of the same rhetoric here in CA. It's sad how much ignorance there is. On the other hand, people are just a product of their environment. It really isn't their fault.
Bill is a funny man. I'd be interested in seeing a video of his response. I bet he had a field day lol.

I completely agree with you as well. I have spent time in northern Mississippi, near Memphis TN, and the people in that regieon are so conservative and religeous that it drove me nuts. You have poor people everywhere yet the churches are multimillion dollar complexes.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


he actually had a disclaimer before he played it that they absolutely did not hand pick people. it was made by alexandra pelosi. he said that they actually had to cut out a lot of toothless people to not look biased.

I saw this live Friday night, I'm a big Maher fan despite his atheism and liberal biases. They said that they were going to do the same thing in an inner city somewhere soon. we'll see how that turns out though I have my doubts about the partiality of the person doing the filming.

FYI the person doing the filming, if I heard it right Friday night, is none other than Alexandra Pelosi. Yes, Nancy Pelosi's daughter. I will be pleasantly surprised if they get the same level of ignorance on screen from the inner-city when they go there.

Originally posted by homeskillet
reply to post by OutKast Searcher

 

he actually had a disclaimer before he played it that they absolutely did not hand pick people. it was made by alexandra pelosi. he said that they actually had to cut out a lot of toothless people to not look biased.

Yes, I understand he said that...but it still seems a little biased.

Now I do believe that there are more people like this in Mississippi than Maine or New York...but I'm sure they have their fair share as well.

I think what is important to note about the video though is that these people are just clueless and are actively voting to make their life worse.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


Whether they were hand picked or not, I would agree that a lot of southerners and bible belt states pick presidents based upon their religion or moral beliefs. It does seem odd that the poorest state in the nation is conservative.

A lot of people in this country vote for a candidate based upon really narrow minded reasons. Instead of taking the overall view of issues that have a dire effect on this nation, they will pick a candidate based upon looks, how they talk, religious affiliation, race, nationality, party affiliation or based upon only 1 issue that they feel strongly about like guns and abortion.

Every candidates views on issues can't encompass everything a voter believes. I just think too many people in the U.S. don't research candidates enough, or listen to their views before going to vote. Sometimes I think they should have an online test comparison of candidates and their views on political issues. Allow people to check-off what views they agree on, and at the end of the test it would tally up the majority of views that align with their beliefs. The candidate that best fits their beliefs would be suggested.

I remember completing a test on religion beliefs and was surprised what religion I aligned my beliefs with.

The fact is that the GOP has been insanely successful in getting conservative voters to vote against their own economic best interests and instead base their voting on wedge issues like abortion, gay-marriage and other culture war hot buttons.

It's mystifying.

And the more democrats talk about it, like we are - the more it underscores the conservative tendencies of the voting populace.

Liberals tend to underestimate the importance of public discourse and its effect on the brains of our citizens. All thought is physical. You think with your brain. You have no alternative. Brain circuitry strengthens with repeated activation. And language, far from being neutral, activates complex brain circuitry that is rooted in conservative and liberal moral systems. Conservative language, even when argued against, activates and strengthens conservative brain circuitry. This is extremely important for so-called "independents," who actually have both conservative and liberal moral systems in their brains and can shift back and forth. The more they hear conservative language over the next eight months, the more their conservative brain circuitry will be strengthened.

www.truth-out.org...

I do not always agree with you outcast but i do agree with you on this, I also believe it to be biased for his show and his audience. That being said it might not be that inaccurate either. I live in central california and I see this from all groups for whatever reason-- race being one of them. Racism is alive and thriving today and it comes down to ignorance which is also alive and thriving.


p.s. If he has to justify the clip nearly as long as the clip itself, maybe its just not worth viewing

Originally posted by KillerQueen
The fact is that the GOP has been insanely successful in getting conservative voters to vote against their own economic best interests and instead base their voting on wedge issues like abortion, gay-marriage and other culture war hot buttons.

It's mystifying.

And the more democrats talk about it, like we are - the more it underscores the conservative tendencies of the voting populace.

Liberals tend to underestimate the importance of public discourse and its effect on the brains of our citizens. All thought is physical. You think with your brain. You have no alternative. Brain circuitry strengthens with repeated activation. And language, far from being neutral, activates complex brain circuitry that is rooted in conservative and liberal moral systems. Conservative language, even when argued against, activates and strengthens conservative brain circuitry. This is extremely important for so-called "independents," who actually have both conservative and liberal moral systems in their brains and can shift back and forth. The more they hear conservative language over the next eight months, the more their conservative brain circuitry will be strengthened.

www.truth-out.org...

Very nice thread Outkast. Much like a previous poster said, I hope this can open the door for an honest debate. Then I saw the post I quoted

Not to single out KillerQueen, because he is making a solid point, but it is not just the GOP. Democrats also use these same wedge issues just like the GOP does. Unfortunately , it works very VERY well. People get caught up on all these side issues, which really boils down to the legislation of personal behavior, and we take our eyes off the ball. It's pathetic really.

I live in Arizona.

You might as well pick up Arizona and place it right smack in Mississippi.

The next person that says race is not an issue with Obama - - needs a reality check. Of course it is an issue.

As is his Islamic sounding name.

Enough with Ostrich mentality.

reply to post by KillerQueen


The South mostly voted Democrat, but when Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 it was pretty much the death knell for the Democratic party among southern whites.

Nixon knew he could use Southern resentment for political advantage, and him and Barry Goldwater came up with their Southern Strategy. The South has pretty much been a Republican stronghold among white southerners ever since.

Sadly wedge issues worked then and they work now.

In recent years, the term "Southern strategy" has been used in a more general sense, referring to the way in which political parties use cultural themes in election campaigns — primarily but not exclusively in the American South. In the past, politicians' highlighting of issues such as busing or states' rights appealed to white angst about integration. More recently, Republican politicians made appeals to "conservative values", and used cultural issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and religion to mobilize their base. This has also been viewed as the "Southernization" of American politics.

Source:en.wikipedia.org...

That looks so bad @ 2:33...Is that the only segment that African Americans are shown? A truck load of goods with 2 African Americans in the back of the truck, and a white guy talking over that part about just sitting around waiting for others to take care of them. I can see why some of these people would vote for Santorum or Romney, they lack the common sense. There wasn't even one Hispanic person! That is so RACIST!

reply to post by Annee

The next person that says race is not an issue with Obama - - needs a reality check. Of course it is an issue. As is his Islamic sounding name.

God forbid you bring it up on ATS....automatically accused of the race card. This just isn't in the south however. Really it's anywhere rural as there tends to be far fewer minorities around. Where I grew up, there were essentially no minorities....and plenty of racists.

I don't know if anyone remembers "Cross Colours", but it was a clothing line that was popular at the time. Many of the students that wore these clothes were called "Wiggers" because they were "perceived" as dressing like black people. Yeah, that's how stupid it was. We actually had Chicago media come to the high school to cover the story. One girl was punched, another was spit on, etc. The whole thing was stupid.

The school i went to was surrounded by corn fields.

But yes, there is absolutely extremes on both sides....and both of those extremes accuse everyone who is even slightly to the left or right of them as being the enemy.

reply to post by jlv70

The South mostly voted Democrat, but when Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 it was pretty much the death knell for the Democratic party among southern whites.

If it weren't for the Vietnam war, Lyndon Johnson would be known as one of our greatest Presidents. Unfortunately, it has completely tarnished his legacy. He did some great things. Medicare is one of them.

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
Now, I have mixed feelings about this video. I think it is very biased and that these people were hand picked to show a stereotypical view rather than a balanced view of Mississippi. But I still think the message is important.

We have all seen the videos of "Obama voters" saying ridiculous things like "Obama is gonna pay for my gas and mortgage". The only thing this video does is show the ignorance on the other side as well...I think we can all agree there are ignorant voters on both sides.

So I thought this video was important to show how there are people out there voting completely against their own interests...and that there is in fact racist still in America (since some have denied that).

So here is the video...discuss...debate....just don't shoot the messenger.

edit on 13-3-2012 by OutKast Searcher because: (no reason given)

Hi outcast,
I would like to see if there is a reason for me to comment on your video but my computer or the phone line won't let me watch it without constantly buffeting what ever that is. Any way can you tell me if they polled Democrats or give me the heart of the vid. Thanks brother.

Well I never really cared for Bill Maher anyway...

But Having lived in Mississippi since 1993 I can tell you that the entire state is not like that.

Every state has their poor areas. The reason Mississippi is so poor is because the State Government wants it that way. If they don't get their cut from Business they don't let them in. Most Businesses don't want to deal with all the corruption and nepotism found here.

However looking on the bright side it keeps the cost of living cheaper

Originally posted by Annee

The next person that says race is not an issue with Obama - - needs a reality check. Of course it is an issue.

Wow, something we agree on...whoda thought?

I won't say it’s not an issue - but I will say that it is not a one sided issue.

I would argue that there are probably just as many people who would vote for Obama because of his skin color as would vote against him for that same reason.

Voting based on race is absurd regardless of one's intent, be it pro or con.

Originally posted by Annee

Enough with Ostrich mentality.

I agree it's time the Obamites admit that racism works both ways.

Originally posted by Golf66
I agree it's time the Obamites admit that racism works both ways.

Of course it works both ways.

Are you now going to tell me the blacks who voted for Obama are fueling the Birthers?