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Comment by mrleiter | Hacker News Reader

No, there are some less educated people who share the same views as me. But it is no secret that the degree of education correlates strongly with certain political views. And the people currently in power in America certainly know that and play that to their advantage.

They know full well that their proposed solutions won't work a bit, but instead make them richer along the way. But the less educated people don't know that, they are being abused and mislead. I am not against conservative people and also not against people with different views. We live in a plural society and that is a good thing. It becomes a problem when some of those people can't tell the difference between truth and lie.

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While it's probable that formal education levels correlate with political choices, it doesn't necessary imply that higher degree leads to better ones, or even reduces possibility of being manipulated.

Also, every major player of every political fight knows, and has tools to "play to their advantage", it's not like some bad vs good fairytale.

And if you are against all major players then you may want to consider that it is exactly yours opinion which eventually will be censored if the idea about mandatory purging of "bad information" wins.

Exactly. I was referring to formal education. And I didn't mean that a higher degree leads to better choices. But it does reduce the possibility of being manipulated through fake news. And while talking about education, we should also overhaul the way it is mostly taught - from simple memory functions to actual critical thinking and understanding. Go check any authoritarian or reactionary government - they cut spending in education, fighting poverty and social welfare. For exactly that reason: gaining more voters in the long term.

>it does reduce the possibility of being manipulated through fake news

I'm sorry to say, but there's no evidence it's true. Formally more educated, and formally less educated belong to different social tribes, and react to different information stimulants, and that's all. Advertising industry successfully pushes peoples choices of all sorts of education.

Also, I believe your idea of authoritarianism is not wholly correct. I was born, and raised in a real dictatorship which provided free tuition (probably, at least partially because it makes a great influence, and control apparatus once nationalized) as well as cheap health, and communal services. In fact, all left dictatorships did/do it to some extent to have an ideological selling point. Also, dictatorships often care less about one's voting pattern, because they can count it properly. What do they always care about? Information. They all restrict freedom of speech.

What kind of evidence would convince you that education results in less susceptibility to propaganda? This seems facially true to me, but if someone studied it formally would you believe the results since the researchers are educated?

> But it does reduce the possibility of being manipulated through fake news.

Really??? Most "educated" people are proud of their indoctrination. They frame it and put it on their wall and resume

Education is, by intent, the opposite of indoctrination.

Using scare quotes and imolicitly asserting that most of what goes by as education is actually indoctrination without argument as if it was an established, uncontroversial fact is not a substantive contribution to the discussion, though it is a good way of signalling a particular tribal affiliation.

> I am not against conservative people and also not against people with different views. … It becomes a problem when some of those people can't tell the difference between truth and lie.

Perhaps we should create camps that educate these people on political issues.

Rehabilitation is no doubt in order.

You live in a bubble that reinforces your views. It's a problem everyone deals with.

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