Notices by myrmepropagandist (futurebird@sauropods.win), page 18

A leader can teach, but is also always open to learning. A leader helps choose where everyone should focus to work effectively, we don't have leaders we have windsocks.

@PizzaDemon

I just had the nightmare image of having all of these politicians in a kindergarten class where we'd learn things like taking turns, sharing, saying thank you, listening, stealing is wrong...

I do know that with "open response" polls even a small collection of duplicate answers gets a lot of attention.

Eight people mentioning "corrupt lawyers" would be enough to at least waste hours of some consultants time trying to understand what it was.

The data driven campaign is run on a knife edge. They trust the stats they create too much and don't listen to their statisticians when we say "could be noise" nearly enough... which was another reason I gave up on that.

Just think about "corrupt lawyers" as and issue and the imaginary person for whom, when asked "what is your top political issue" they say "Ugh! It's all the corrupt lawyers!"

I sincerely believe if we just try, we can get Cuomo to believe these people exist. Because in his heart he wishes they existed. He needs them.

"corrupt lawyers" is just a random combination of two negative words. It could be "cracker barrel logo" or anything else.

Part of the reason I care about polling so much is I have worked in political polling and for a moment it looked like an exciting career. I could use my skill in mathematics and data to do something powerful and positive.

I love the puzzle of designing a good poll, the challenges of creating random samples. The analysis of the data.

But, I'm not enough of a campy Democratic cheerleader to really make a living. The next step in the career ladder was before me and I couldn't take it.

So last week I was trying to get everyone I knew to salt the "Clear Insights" poll from Cuomo. I didn't find many people on here who got the poll (it went out to people on NYC voter roles) BUT posting on my co-op message board where we complain about how long it's taking to replace the roof and the laundry room got some action.

At least two other people have told Cuomo they are "moderate" and their top issue is "Corrupt Lawyers"

We picked "Corrupt Lawyers" as our fake write-in issue because I want this to *work* I don't want Cuomo's consultants to just dismiss our answers as people trolling the poll.

So the issue needed to sound plausible but also be... just not something that anyone really cares about.

The poll is still being run. So if you see it say you are "moderate" and write in "corrupt lawyers"

Writing up the report in my new job as head of labor statistics in the USA, then adding 1 to the job loss number just before I turn it in because I know how it's gonna go for me. ☹️

How much do you think it cost automakers to add seat-belts to their cars? Probably not that much, when compared with the overall cost of the car. This made it seem incredible to some of the public, for a time, that car manufacturers would be fighting legislation to force them to add seat-belts in bad faith.

But, there was, and always is, a lager issue at hand. To the auto industry seat belts represented public responsibility for the overall safety of their product.

To lose that battle wouldn't just cost them in nylon and the cost of steal buckles, it would represent ... creep. Creep towards the notion that they were in part responsible for the thousands who died in car crashes each year.

@SRLevine

No, but I should check that out. I was just watching RFK in his congressional hearing.

And thinking about how, even to me, it seemed implausible that this could just be about not wanting to pay for universal vaccines for everyone. That there are people who are alarmed and horrified by people getting yearly vaccines for the flu because if they admit it saves lives ... what else will the public demand?

Better for every mother to "do her own research" and feel frightened.

@SRLevine

I can understand the scared and confused antivaxer mom more easily than I can understand those in insurance, government who look at the modest (relatively speaking) cost of a vaccine, or clean water, or public toilets or seat-belts and quail because they think "What else will the rabble demand?"

After all, there are so many simple things we could do that could save many lives.

And so they muddy the waters, keep the "debate" rolling just to save a blood-soaked dollar.

@noplasticshower

Have you made any positive progress? Their app, and I also didn't know this, is "gamified" it has timers that say "buy now or miss the deal" it has lootboxes and reward points. It slurps up your contact list from your phone and tries to rope in everyone you know like Farmville or one of those Maffia Boss facebook games.

Gambling addict treatment programs ask that their participants abstain from Temu because it's got gambling elements and can trigger people.

@uguisubari

I would have enjoyed that. Such an odd business, though I did have a moment when I was about 13 and got convinced that we needed to get that "Swords of History" subscription bugging my poor mother until she gave me a lecture about advertising.

Apparently the quality of their products varied wildly. And in some ways they almost seem quaint and honest compared to Temu.

But, they did pave the way for the "business model"

@uguisubari

I'm really susceptible to ads and so is my husband. I suspect this is true of many people but what makes us rare is we are willing to admit it? It's one of the things we bonded over.

Show me a shamwow commercial and I'm amazed. "Look at all the things it can do!" And just 19.99! (for three installments, plus shipping, terms and conditions may apply)

This is why I avoid ads whenever possible. They work. Even if you watch them thinking "this is trying to manipulate me"

@uguisubari

The human mind evolved to listen to and mostly trust other people. I don't really think the average person is set up or well placed to be the sophisticated research-driven type of person you'd need to be to be immersed in advertising all day without being influenced and at times tricked.

The simplest way to avoid being tricked or manipulated is to not see ads whenever possible.

... I still kind of want those "Swords of History" ... *eyes ebay furtively*

The most frequent shoppers on Temu are over 59 years old. That wasn't what I expected. Based mostly on their marketing, which often seems to involve younger female influencers I would have thought they were selling to young people, but this isn't the case.

The people they are making money from are old. Much like those "dial 1800 commercials" for civil war chess sets from decades ago.

I remember an episode of "hoarders" where most of what packed the house of a deceased elderly woman were products bought mail order from "dial 1800" commercials. Almost nothing was even opened... but even unopened and brand new all of the junk was still too worthless for the distressed children to even bother with selling. By the time the items arrived she often didn't remember what she ordered.

Their mother died in debt buried in worthless junk.

Call your mother. Call your uncle.

If you get a poll from "Clear Insights" in your text messages it's from Cuomo who is spending a lot of money to find "better messaging"

I think it's perfectly safe to take this poll and encourage you to take it and fill it with nonsense.

I always say I'm a "moderate" my top issue is "Corrupt Lawyers" I say I'm "undecided" in everything, but pick the weakest sounding messages to find "very convincing"

It's better if you have a "persona" and answer the polls similarly

@david_preston

That's the vibe I got. But this is just a vibe. It was confusing. I've never had anyone ask me for a photo ID just to look around a shop.

And frankly I don't think people should have to even feel the need to always have an ID on them.

It's absurd to expect that. This is not the Pentagon campus. I'm shopping! Leave me alone!

(this is one of the reasons driving culture is insidious. It makes people forget that, no, you do not need to carry a photo ID with you to just... live.)