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Why Do People Attend Political Rallies? (self.asklemmy)

submitted 2 weeks ago by corroded to c/asklemmy

23 comments fedilink hide all child comments

At least in this post, I'm not advocating for any particular political position; I mean for this to be a more generalized discussion.

I have never understood what prompts people to attend political rallies. None of the current US political candidates 100% align with my views, but I am very confident that I made the right choice in who I voted for. That is to say, I'd consider myself a strong supporter of [name here].

To me, it feels like attending a political rally is like attending a college lecture. You have a person giving you information, but you don't gain anything by hearing it in-person as opposed to reading it or watching a recording. If I want to learn something, it's much more comfortable for me to read and article or watch a video in the comfort of my own home. If I want to understand what a political candidate stands for, I'd much rather watch a recording of a town-hall meeting or read something she (oops) wrote rather than taking the time to drive to a rally, get packed in with a bunch of other people, and simply stand and listen.

I understand concerts. Hearing live music sounds vastly different than listening to a recording. Same with movies; most of us don't have an IMAX theater at home. When you're trying to gather information, though, what's the draw in standing outside in a crowd at listening to it in person?

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[–] Subtracty 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The chance to see a future or sitting president and shake their hand is pretty incredible. Depends if you like their politics, obviously.

[–] JubilantJaguar 3 points 2 weeks ago

Once, as a teenager in the 90s, I walked into the Capitol building and, seeing a scrum of VIPs and reporters, barged my way through and shook hands with Bob Dole (the Republican beaten by Bill Clinton in 1996). I was a tourist, I'm not even American.

The openness of America's political system is special. You should protect it.

Depends if you like their politics, obviously.

It's a shame that things became this way. In a properly functioning democracy we would respect elected leaders, if only because we respect the office that they temporarily hold.