I Think iCan, I Think iCan

courtesy of metafilter

To combat the feeling that "many people are still very disillusioned and cynical about politics" the BBC has developed iCan a service designed to make politics, and specifically investigating issues and political figures, accessible to the general public.

The features are nice. There is a topic of the week, to which viewers can add comments. You can join a campaign. There is even a "hottest" topics section.

But look a little closer. The campaign listed on the fron page is to ban chewing gum. The hottest topics are rubbish and recycling and influencing policy. As for the topic of the week? Speed bumps.

Seriously people, chewing gum bans and speed bumps.

I agree with Bill Hicks when he said "The British don't have crime like we have crime."

Still I think it would be interesting to set up a system like iCan and see what the American public would do with it. I'm fairly sure it would totally degenerate into ad hominem attacks and emotional appeal. Most Americans would like to blame the media but the truth is the majority of Americans have had their critical thinking process pretty much shaped by the evening news and other "news programs". I suppose when I get some free time in the year 2025 I can try setting up some sort of American equivalent.


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