It is every citizen's responsibility to know politics.

[Lipstick Vogue]

Knowing politics means you can identify where and how hard the government are buggering you. Can it stop them from doing it? No, not in my country anyway. Not if you're working class scum.

 

[Entermaid]

Isn't that the way with all things? We don't know ourselves well enough to succeed in relationships, to pick a career that satisfies us, or even to do the things that truly make us happy. It seems quite obvious to me that ignorance is an essential part of the human condition and thus I am pessimistic that we could ever develop an educated, truly informed body of voting citizens.

I certainly believe it does apply to all aspects of life that requires making choices. Though, I would argue we can limit ignorance or we can cultivate it. The only way we can limit ignorance is through resistance and critical social sciences (Habermasian critical theory). Currently, our education system teaches us to be "value-free" and "objective", but at the same time it indoctrinates us with values -- especially capitalistic values (but also heteronormative, colorblind, and sexist values). Education can cultivate ignorance or cultivate authentic living (being cognizant of one's own system of beliefs and understanding shared societal values).

If we were able to debate values as they actually exist, such abilities would allow for greater mutual recognition and greater opportunities to approach consensuses on more issues than in our current system of supposed "value-freedom". We need to be taught how values are formed, and the ideologies underlying them, in order to actually be value-free. Though, we may never be value-free, we can have a greater degree of value-freedom.

 

[Caaethil]

Only if you're going to vote.