You know, we may not realize it,
but fear plays a huge role
in the world of politics.
Think about the last time you voted,
and let's be honest,
have you ever voted for something
specifically because you were
worried about what would
happen if the other side one?
Well, I spoke with Seattle University
political science professor
Marco Low for some insight.
I think this is a question that may
be a little bit triggering for some,
but do you believe that that
fear plays a role in politics?
Absolutely, people fear that
with the other side were to win.
It would dramatically change their country,
their community, their personal lives,
and within campaigns.
Fear is a powerful motivator.
You are afraid you're going to
lose to the other candidate,
or the measure will be defeated or passed.
So fear runs through the the whole
world of politics like a river.
And so that's what really
motivates people to. I don't know.
Put out signs and to be a
part of a political campaign.
Absolutely, you're trying to
evoke change or for change or the
other side might do as much as
what you're hoping your cycle,
right? What examples of fear and
politics have we seen lately?
You know, I think we saw a turn out
surge in the 2020 presidential election.
I mean, President Biden got 80 million votes.
We saw just four years earlier the two
candidates were in the 60 million.
I think people were more voting out of
fear of a second President Trump term.
This is much as you saw,
President Trump have a really
high vote count as well,
well above his 2016 victory number
is his own supporters who are
afraid of a Biden presidency.
So we saw a surge in
voters due to that fear.
What about on the local level?
Have we seen that impact?
Maybe recently? Sure,
I think the Seattle races showed that
there was a fear in certain segments of
the city over the direction of the city
or the current policies of the city.
And folks turned out and did quite a
political shift in the city over one night.
Can we recognize when fear
is impacting politics?
You know, I think it's always there.
It would be hard to envision
the least in the modern era,
a world where voters and campaigns are
talking in ways that you could acknowledge.
Both sides have a good point,
but my side might be a little better.
We really work in a polarized political
environment where all communication
is almost a catastrophic event.
Should the other side wins.
So here is just from the beginning to end,
and then I don't think it's
healthy for our country or even
the people who are engaged.
In politics,
so is there a world where fear
cannot impact politics? I mean,
is that even possible? I think
it is possible.
I think we see elections in
other countries that are much
more discussion of the issues.
It's not a you know hysterical
message of what the other side
would be and you really are
debating what is a substantial
issue but isn't going to decide
that the future aggregation.
How can we you know as
as citizens as as voters?
Maybe allay some fears we have.
I think that you know every
time we do for our candidate,
it's maybe never as great as we hoped,
or maybe never as bad as we help.
So how can we as a voter calm those fears?
I think being informed voter starting with
me to benefit from really understanding
the issues better and understand what
the other side is trying to achieve.
We often really want to do what
we call confirmation bias.
We think this is true,
so we're going to find the candidate
that also thinks the same thing.
I think we would all do better
hearing what the other side,
what their values are,
what they're really trying to achieve,
rather than just what my site
tells me they believe.
Do you think that there's a point in
history in American history that fear
maybe change the course of our nation?
You know, I think post 9/11 we
had a nation that was very much
reacting to the attacks in New York
and the Pentagon and the plane that
crashed and we watched that fear.
Not only you know really help,
you know the Republican Party,
but also let us into two wars.
Can fear ever have a positive impact
on the government or on politics? You
know, I think if if if there is
truly a threat and the voters
are are reasonably unaccountably
fearful of that threat, absolutely.
I think if if if people were to look at
climate change and say we have to act now,
so then we act down the road,
it's not harder.
And there's already so many
deaths and damage done.
I think that would be an example of of
really trying to address something early.
Based on fear, unfortunately we don't
really talk that way in American politics.
That's really what's happening right now.
Do you think that politicians use fear
to motivate their voters? Quite often,
yes. Absolutely yes, all the time.
Thanks to Marco for that.
All good things to think
about the next time you vote.