The Big Picture: One Day in November Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NEXT | |
Anyone who will not vote because Halo 4 came out should certainly NOT vote. I love and spend a lot of time and money on videogames, but they are a hobby. I will be going to a baseball game on the day Diablo III comes out and I will be voting on the day Halo 4 comes out. | |
Kinda grateful that this didn't end up being a rant against Halo. As it stands this is an interesting episode and has given me something to think about. Though of course it doesn't matter to me since I am not American and despite my love of Halo I'm not keen on Halo 4.
What side do you reckon the Arbiter would support. | |
I saw this quoted, but I didn't see anyone answer it, so I thought I'd give you the explanation. The election day spelled out in the Constitution is the first Tuesday followed by the first Monday in November. It comes from when the nation was more rural and more religious. It couldn't be on a weekend to avoid sabbaths, it couldn't be on Monday because people needed a day to travel to town to vote and that would mean requiring a major portion of the population to travel on Sunday, ergo Tuesday, but it also could not be November 1st because it is a religious holiday for some group, so first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Or at least that is the explanation I was always given. | |
Do you just throw darts at a wall with topics on it to come up with what your going to put in your episodes? | |
Yes, cooperations control everything, freedom is just an illusion, we're slaves, SLAVES! It's not like Republicans and Democrats regularly change seats in the house and senate depending on public opinion (which more or less seesaws), and that government policies change depending on who is control. Obama Care would have been passed even if Democrats weren't in control of the senate at the time...Also, the government caused 9/11, the moon landing was faked, and Jesus was an alien, they knew it and no one is telling us TAI YONG MEDICAL CONTROLS THE WORLD...I dunno, call me a brainwashed idiot if you want but I smell bull. | |
So there is a huge flaw to the idea that Microsoft would time a game release to influence a presidential election towards a republican candidate. However, due to reasons that anyone who has read my profile will understand, I cannot say what that flaw is. It is huge though. s | |
THE PATRIOTS ARE REAL! WE NEED OLD SNAKE! | |
What? Seriously? This was a thing? | |
I would love to see a company that promotes the elections in a broad sense. Like if turnout for the demographic is X% they'll hold a special event or release some content. It would be nice to see the industry get strongly behind the idea of politics, as opposed to a specific politician.
Easily the most easily acceptable conspiracy theory in 10-15 years. Still probably wrong, but the least stupid one I've seen going around since I really got into the internet. | |
Interesting; Thanks for that brief history lesson, but I was actually talking about Microsoft and why they picked the date, not why the Elections were on that day; which Invadergray gave one possibility.
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even when i dont live in the states, i dont trust politics and even in my country i dont care because all the candidates are the same lying, money sucking, greedy bastards who hardly make a change and make things from bad to worse. but people should still take the time for other things. they can buy the game and still go voting if they want to. they have the game already, it will not run away. | |
yes it is a coincidence... go look up game release dates. What comes out a week after halo 4/the election/november 6? EDIT; okay wow... i just kinda stumbled onto the release date on facebook and thought "that's why!" only to realize just now, that info was released today. i assume microsoft knew beforehand and scheduled halo 4 a week before. hmmmmm. which is worse? microsoft using inside info to run it's flagship franchise ahead of one of it's top competitors? Or using it's flagship franchise to try and swing an election? | |
ok but I have one question. | |
Well, the cospiricy theory holds more weight than I think Bob is giving it credit for. Microsoft was a business throws money at both parties so it will be owed favors no matter who wins. Since it can't control the outcome, it tries to play both sides. That said if you read back on what Obama has been saying about video games: http://www.myce.com/news/pres-obama-continues-anti-video-game-crusade-20004/ It's pretty obvious what side a company like Microsoft is going to be on. While superficially there is nothing terrible in that article (I picked a fairly tame one to prevent de-railing the thread, but do some searches and Obama being a whack-a-doo on this subject is and understatement), he does use the video games as a scapegoat to avoid having to address other issues. After all it's easy to blame video games for youth problems, as opposed to dealing with the problems with society that prevent kids from going outside in many places (leading to them playing the video games) which run counter to his position as a social liberal. After all with the streets of today being an unsafe place for children to roam, compared to decades ago, it's not like he can exactly profess to want to start rounding up all the whackos and problem groups that have lead to the current situation, never mind addressing simple questions like liability that in some places has basically made it illegal or impractical for kids to roam neighborhoods unattended. A simple trip down to the playground creates questions of liability if the kid is injured there, or on the way, so the parents are required to be present, and if they aren't it's considered neglectful. This is to say nothing of the entire issue of society now revolving aroud TWO working parents meaning that there isn't generally a well-rested parent to wander around with the kids constantly, contributing to the whole "in the home" position, something that can't be really addressed without coming bloody close to a lot of the right wing "family values" position. Basically Obama DOES jump up there and when dealing with issues like health, violence, or whatever else, pulls out the Cat O' Nine Tails and starts flogging away at video games to create the illusion of him doing something. This is to say nothing of the Obama/Clinton alliance with Hillary being a big part of what drove the entire "Hot Coffee" scandal http://www.gamespot.com/news/hillary-clinton-to-take-on-rockstar-over-hot-coffee-6129021 Just one of many links, but people tend to forget about that. Given how much business Microsoft has done with Rock Star, including buying all that temporarily exclusive content for "GTA IV", it's not surprising that they might have a grudge not only about this, but the general precedent, which has continued since then. Basically Obama's administration comes with Hillary in an appointed position, doing exactly the same kind of crap. Also don't forget that it was under Obama's watch that we had the whole issue of game censorship brought before The Supreme Court even if many Republicans were involved. It's a cross party issue (both sides use it) but one that got that far due to so much general support. Right now it probably hasn't gone unnoticed that under Obama more inroads have been made against video games, and free speech in general, than we've seen before. In general Conservatives talk a lot of smack and try and get things banned, but they generally oppose the idea of big goverment and rely on those same speech protections to the point where they don't make moves for sweeping legislation. Interestingly the 80s under guys like Reagan were probably one of the big heydays of extreme media (for it's time), with the US actually holding the torch of free expression while europe was banning things during their whole video nasties censorship campaign: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Nasties Now, for those who read this far (There must be some), I will say that I am not presenting Mitt bloody Romney as some paragon of free speech or anything. He is however a first term President if elected and the damage he can do is minimal. Obama gets a second term he can pretty much do whatever he wants without having to worry so much about re-election. On or off this front Obama has been suggesting some pretty crazy stuff as his legacy: Unrelated to free speech, but well... http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/kfidideyidey/rss2/ It shows Obama is at least considering pushing for some rather insane things once his position is secure as a two term president and he doesn't need to care anymore. If he's considering cutting missles/missle defense and similar things (that's just one article, there are a lot of them) god knows what he might wind up supporting on a censorship front especially with people like Hillary in his administration. So yeah, I can see a business like Microsoft trying this, they have some pretty solid motives. That doesn't mean that it was planned that way, but if it was, they are exactly the guys I'd expect to do it. That said, it's liable to be another razor's edge vote, so every little bit helps. Despite left wing claims of a clear majority in either sense, they really don't have one (that's just what the media they control generally says). That's why your seeing things like the florida recounts, and Obama being touted as a "major success" with like a 7% lead at his absolute best. That said, Bob is right that the country is polarized, and being pretty much 50-50 with the left wing generally being unwilling to compromise on a number of major issues (and vice versa, but it's usually the left wing accepting no compromise on social issues) and it's going to probably come down to "X factors" rather than one side or the other being swayed. That said, I'm pretty much in the "not Obama" camp. Honestly I didn't want Romney running for the right, but really I have no real viable option other than to note vote or support Obama. Obama failed to convince me he's the right guy for the job. Given this year's freak show of cantidates, I was going to support Gingrich because at least he supports the space program.... but nope, just like with Giuliani I won't be able to vote for the guy I actually think would be best for the country right now. | |
I tend to agree to be honest, and to some extent I hope this is part of a conspiricy as a result. To be honest I've never much cared for tapping the youth vote in elections, because kids are too stupid to make informed desicians. I think back to the 1990s with Bill Clinton and how they were doing the whole "Rock The Vote" schtick, and worse yet "Presidential Brother"... shorts featuring Bill Clinton's brother on MTV... trying to convince kids to vote for the "hip" cantidate while ignoring any of the issues involved. I've been of the opinion that anyone should have the abillity to vote, but should have to meet certain criteria first, and I think the age to vote should probably be raised to 30 or older. Requirements of having been involved in military or security/civil service for so many years (shades of Starship Troopers) wouldn't see me objecting.... of course that won't ever fly for obvious reasons. See, it terrifies me to know there are kids running out to the polls to say vote for Bill Clinton (yesterday's issue) because they found his brother amusing. The very fact that Obama has largely relied on the youth vote, given the state of today's youth, doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. | |
Steal peoples mail on the day the voting slips are sent out, rig an election. | |
It really doesn't matter what the topic was. It is a valid question to ask why he didn't 'do his homework' like this for another of his recent rants: especially when the result essentially made him attack his fellow gamers. Seriously, how do you go from
to
Bob is an intelligent guy, and when you are known for being intelligent in such a public setting, your foibles suddenly look catastrophic in contrast. | |
Try 60-80%. Plus it is a political freedom not to vote. | |
Whoops. Shows me for being halfway to sleep deprived. Just assumed someone wanted a history lesson. I guess I won't charge you... this time. | |
Gah. Now I'm curious what that flaw is? Is Microsoft secretly the head quarters of the Illuminati and everyone at MS is in on it? Is it just the November 6 is an inside joke? I want to know. | |
I just want to point out the current 18-24 year old are little more politically diverse than even 4 years ago and much much more than previous generations. The fact that younger voters are politically liberal-sided is hardly true as it once was. | |
Once again, I am relieved that I live in a country where voting is compulsory. As it should be. | |
You obviously don't know how lobbying works. Big businesses "donate" large sums of money to a certain presidential candidate (among other politicians they have in their pockets). More money means a better campaign with more media coverage. So it doesn't matter who wins because politicians in power are already being payed by the big business owners. What politicians do and how they do it depends on the agenda of the ones paying for his campaign, reelection etc. Look at that stupid git Newt Gingrich. He's out of the race now but that's irrelevant. One of his biggest campaign contributors is NRA (The National Rifle Association). NRA's goal is to sell more weapons because it's good for business. War is also good for business because it means more government contracts with gun manufacturers. And look at Newt's view on weapons and wars. He thinks that the country would be a lot safer if EVERYONE had a gun. Not only that, but he even went as far as to say that the entire world should have guns. This kind of crap is coming from a guy who think that nuclear weapons make the world a more dangerous place. A guy who wants to go to war with Iran because of some imaginary nuclear weapons. So it's not OK for other countries to own nuclear weapons but it's completely OK for everyone in the world to have a gun. There is a country in the world where almost everyone has a gun. It's called Somalia. And it's further from safe than North is from South. That's politics for you. Pushing corporate agendas without thinking if what you actually say makes any god damn sense at all. And the worst thing of all are people like you who can't fuckin' see what's right in front of their eyes. | |
I think at this moment only Half Life 3 could have the potential to do something like this. And that'd only be if Valve announced that it was on sale for one day only, the day right before the election. I really doubt it'll make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, they've probably chosen the date because it'll be easy to remember due to more mainstream publicity. | |
it's not as simple as politicians getting payed to promote certain interests. there is a complex dynamic of the politician's own opinions, the will of the people, and the donatations from lobbyists: newt gets money from the NRA because he believes guns make society safer, and because the people who vote for him believe the same. these people are members of the NRA because they want their viewpoint to prevail. the NRA does this by donating to Newt. dismissing certain politicians as puppets of lobby groups is very easy, but none of them would be in office if people didn't vote for them. the truth is that even though you may not agree with politicians like Gingrich, they are representing the people. | |
Could any of you Americans explain to this Dutch person how much of a hassle voting actually is in the states? Over here, in the city that I live in, it is quite easy and quick (as long as you don't go when people are getting back from work). There are multiple voting locations, you can go to any of them as long as they are in the city, including one at the university which I attend (quite convenient). And voter registration is automatic. Voter turnout is usually around 80% for national elections. Our cabinet just fell (good riddance I say) and our next elections will be on September the 12th. | |
I think another poster already put it well, these people represent the people not "the man" Also you're being awfully hostile...but then again IT'S THE LA LE LI LO LU IT'S THE LA LE LI LO LU! | |
Interesting video, very plausible. I'd definitely drum up extra support for the release of Halo 4, if it meant that Obama doesn't get a second term. He shouldn't have had a first term.
It's been awhile since I registered to vote, so I don't know how it works now, but this is how it went for me: Basically, if people wanted to register to vote, they had to go to the local Bureau of Motor Vehicles building and register there. I ended up registering for the first time when I was 21 when I had to go in an renew my driver's license. The BMV is one of the slowest places to sign up for things in the US. At the BMV near me, at the time, there could be six people working there and five patrons, then I walk in and it could take me anywhere from one to two hours before I got done in the place. So doing stuff takes forever at the BMV. I would say the typical American sees that as being 55 to 115 minutes too long to wait just to show my ID, input a little info into a computer, sign a document, and then get a printed document saying I'm registered. ::: Now comes the stuff I do know is still in effect: In most states, counties are pretty small, so usually if you move to someplace new, chances are you are going to be in a new county and have to re-register. Now on voting: If you do it the normal way, you have to figure out what public buildings the election areas are in. Now unless you live close by, which most people won't, people are looking at a minimum of driving 5 miles to 10 miles to get to the election place, and in some cases with cities those miles are going to take 30 minutes to an hour to drive. Now, most people don't have the time to take off work to go vote, so they have to go after. So since most people are going after, there will be incredibly long lines, so it can take hours to vote on top of the time to drive there. I remember when I was a kid that my mom came home from work and then left to go vote and she wasn't back for four hours and all she did was drive to the place, vote, and come right back. Now, lets take college students, and people that can get home to the voting place. When I voted in the last election, this is what I had to do since I was three hours from home at college. I got a form from an office at my college(I think other people can print one off online), I filled out the form with my reason for needing to mail in my vote, then I mailed it off. I then waited for one to two weeks, then I got my form to vote(I voted for McCain, because he was the much lesser evil compared to Obama), then I sealed my ballot in a special envelop, then I put that in another envelop, and then mailed it to wherever it went to be counted. Mail ins usually have to be mailed out at least couple weeks or more in advance of the election. Basically: Voting in the US is a very long and usually convoluted process. The only way it is going to be easy, is easy for the most patient people that know they are going to live in the same place for many many years to come. | |
That would actually be a really cool idea. I have no idea how it could be implemented (not from the US so I don't know the exact details of their in person voting process) but I would be 100% in support of it. Voting rates here in Canada are pretty pathetic, especially amongst the young, so anything that could encourage younger voters to actually vote (even if it takes something as silly as a sale price on a game) can't be a bad thing. | |
The NRA is not about selling guns. It is about protecting the right Americans have to own guns. It is also a non-profit group. It is also club for gun lovers/owners. My dad is a member. He was in the US Navy for several years, served on the aircraft carrier Enterprise. He later worked security on a naval base and then worked for a couple decades and is still working with guns for the Navy. He doesn't hunt, but he is all for guns as a means of protection, so that is why he is a member. It is a organization that supports the right to own weapons for not just protection, but also sport like hunting. Get your facts straight before spouting stuff like what you said. | |
Ah yes! The MYTH that ANYONE can run for office. I have a middle class income. I have the priviledge of running for office on paper. The reality is, without the money, the campaign will die. I could run and I would be yet ANOTHER third party candidate that crashes and burns. Its Ok, I will put my time into something more worthwhile. Don't assume because I wrote a post on a website on how I do not think voting is worthwhile, that that means I sit around and do nothing. | |
Given the mail-in ballots here in Washington State, we kinda /have/ to vote before Election Day, so the conspiracy kinda falls flat around here. | |
And all of a sudden I understand the relatively low voter turnout in the states (that and voter-apathy due to living in a, for all intents and purposes, 2 party country). Do you have to register to vote once per election or just every time you move? (If so not that dissimilar from what we do here, each time you move (even within a single municipality) you have to inform your local government (which can be done online, yay).) A minimum of 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 km) to the nearest polling place?! Damn those scale differences between the states and the Netherlands just keep surprising me. Let's run the numbers. The city I live in (Nijmegen) has about 165000 inhabitants and is about 57 km^2 (~22 miles^2) in size, the closest city is Arnhem (~141000 inhabitants) and lies at a distance of about 17 km (~10 miles). During the last elections there were 97 polling places in Nijmegen, about 1.6 per km^2 or about 4.3 per mile^2. Sounds to me like the states needs a reliable system for voting over the internet. Mmm apparently we used such a thing in 2006 to allow expats to vote in the elections, Rijnland Internet Election System. | |
Anyone who can't be bothered to wait a few extra hours for a video game probably couldn't have been bothered to do a lot of research to inform their vote. In general, the more voters of that mindset that you take out of the equation, the BETTER the process gets. That said, I don't like the demographic focus that is at play here, as it will likely benefit one candidate more than another. | |
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but do you really want camping trolls messing up the political scene too ?
really?
thought not.