Election Debate

Did you watch the Election Debate(s)? I did not, and not on purpose either, I didn't know what time they were on, and when I turned on my T.V. they were over. Poor planning on my part you say? Ok point taken. I should have found out in advance when they were on, and what channel to tune into. To my credit though, There really wasn't much reminding me to do so. I mean a UFC fight gets more coverage and more advertisements than the fight for control of Parliament. Something is wrong here. Dave Meslin, on a TED talks lecture explained that there are solutions to this problem. There is an 'antidote to apathy' where politics are concerned. He argues that politics and civic involvement should be encouraged in the same manner as participation in the private sector. He says the government should advertise in the same way as Nike.

I agree, but only to a point. The problem with advertisements in the private sector is that they are often misleading. Advertisers aren't allowed to lie but they are allowed to play to our emotions and leave out the facts. Political parties are allowed to leave out facts (they often do), they aren't allowed to lie (though they often do) but they are allowed to play to our emotions. However, political parties don't seem very good though at getting us emotionally involved in their campaigns. I'll admit that I've had tears well up in my eyes after watching a long-distance phone commercial, but never after a political party commercial. In fact the commercials of political parties are not engaging at all. They are low budget, and obviously so. I'm not proposing that the budgets for political campaigns increase, just that they be spent more effectively. The commercials for campaigns should tell us about the party platforms, and why we should care. This is where the pandering to our emotions could come in. eg "Are you or a loved on on a long waiting list for a specialist? Have you been waiting too long to see a Doctor? Vote for the NDP in the next election, on May 2nd, 2011. The NDP has a plan to improve the health care system." or How about a home improvement commercial : [Kids playing in the front yard of home undergoing renovations.] "The Liberal Party is about to make it much easier for you to catch up on home improvements with the green renovation tax Credit. all you have to do is choose environmentally responsible renovations and we'll give you a break on your taxes. Whats more, we'll even provide better options for daycare, so you can get the work done while you children are a safe distance away."

Ok, so obviously I'm never going to be in advertising, but you get the point right? Campaign party commercials need to be appealing to us. We need to have a reason to vote for a particular party. What most campaign commercials do now though, is tell us how all the parties have failed. I've parts of the debate and it looks like the debate focused on what has, and will go wrong. To be honest that's not what I want to hear. I want to hear what the parties have planned to make Canada better. Coca-cola doesn't advertise by telling you why Pepsi is bad, they just tell you to buy Coke.

The debate itself should have been advertised better. Perhaps  in the same way as a new season of a reality show is. I propose that the parliamentary debates be advertised like the cat fights on reality T.V. (The Real Housewives of D.C. Promo

 Ok I'm kidding a little, but wouldn't it be funny to see Layton's video diary about how Harper?

Mr Meslin says that "we live in a world that actively discourages engagement by constantly putting obstacle and barriers in our way." He notes that advertisements for city planning changes aren't easy to understand and aren't engaging. The commercials for the English debate were non-existent to me. I watch the CBC every now and then, and I listen to CBC radio at work but I still missed the debate. I would argue that this is due in part to the lack of information about the debate. I know when the Real Housewives of DC is one even though I've never watched an episode, yet I had no idea when the debate was on. I think that if the government really wants voter turn out to improve, then they need to change their strategies. They need to start marketing voting in a different way. They need to appeal to a younger audiences. This can be done in a variety of different ways, and changing the marketing style is only a small part of the solution.


Ok here is the debate as best I could find it.

 

Even if you still don't care about civic engagement, you should watch Dave Meslin's talk anyways. I was inspired, and I hope you are too!
Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy Video on TED.com