Question: What draws conservatives to school boards and city council meetings?

[Initech]

Me personally even if I had kids, sitting through a school board meeting is the last thing I want to do with my free time. I would rather have a root canal.

But conservatives are drawn to this shit like flies to a bug zapper. And the more engrossed one is in the right wing propaganda sphere, the more likely they are to infiltrate these meetings. And they say the stupidest shit possible while they are there. A lot of these people don't even have kids at that, either!

Who's telling them to do this stuff and do they really believe the shit they are saying? I don't get it.

[LonePirate]

1. Fear, bigotry and stupidity

[marble falls]

2. Cheaper than the movies? Wrasslin wuzn't on the TV? Poutrage?

[Initech]

4. Movies are too dang lib'rul! They ain't teaching our values!

[marble falls]

9. I got values, whatever they are?

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Control....because they are righteously ignorant.

Important point of discussion. I truly hope the 30-50 YO's get involved to counter this force of small minded thinkers.

[Initech]

8. I have a conservative neighbor who is obsessed with the local school board.

And the irony is that she doesn't even have children in the district! One graduated and the other is in private school. And she is obsessed with what they "might be teaching our children!!!".

So... that just is another

[SheltieLover]

20. This!👆

[Septua]

34. That would be nice, however...

..the zealots are scary with their threats. Even though I'd guess most are all mouth, civilized people are intimidated. I have formed a theory the radicals have decided to reach their objectives by scaring off all the Dems from public office, schools etc so radicals can take charge...that is scary.

But I keep saying, us civil folks are eventually gonna' have to take a different stance towards all the wingnuts...otherwise they will reach their objectives.

[hibbing]

5. And they are running for those positions

Had a distick here elected to the school board and her children went to private school.


Peace

[unblock]

6. Mrs unblock and I were talking about whether or not they really believe all that crap

Not regarding school board meetings in particular, just generally the right-wing lunacy.

My thought is that they don't even consider it. It's not a question of whether they believe it or not, because they don't even ask themselves that question.

They believe they are foot soldiers for their tribe, and their job is to spout whatever their leaders tell them to spout.

It's just their role, it's just the game they play. I think it's like wwf wrestling. So obviously scripted, but the fan game was to absolutely insist it's real. It's just part of being a fan.

[drray23]

7. because local politics matter enormously

You start at the bottom in school boards and city councils and you can use that as a springboard to get elected to bigger things.
A lot of decisions made locally also matter a lot. Being in the city council for example is nothing to sneeze at.

[Initech]

12. Yup! Last year I talked about a MAGA who got elected to the school board.

Ran on a platform to "depoliticize the classroom" even though her Jeep was loaded with right wing bumper stickers and a giant American flag. So you can already guess her politics.

This woman was identified at the Capitol Riot wearing a Trump hat. There was an effort to recall her but it didn't go anywhere.

[LeftInTX]

10. It's a gateway drug to real politics!

Seriously, the pukes push this stuff....

I think they also have time and money for it. It's time consuming. I went to a city council meeting a few years ago and it was overwhelmed with people who were opposed to remote thermostats. No one was forcing them to buy them, but they said it was a "Violation of Liberty".

[JI7]

11. They don't have many other interests in life apart from their political agenda

which is also based on hatred and fear.

It's the same reason they spend all day listening to talk radio, fox news and other shit.

While liberals enjoy things like reading and films and many other things which aren't directly political.

It's the same reason right wingers always try to get on juries while liberal leaning types want to avoid it as much as possible.

[Diamond_Dog]

15. +100

[Cattledog]

13. Easy targets to bully.

[maxrandb]

14. Because they are a soft target

They know they can go and spew their hate and ignorance, and the worst that will happen to them is that Hate Radio or Faux News will make them heroes.

They have tried their shit at football and baseball games, and have gotten their stupid signs shoved up their asses.

If they went into a bar, or a subway station and started talking to people the way they do at these School Board meetings, they'd get their ass beat.

They go after those that won't fight back. It's what bullies do.

[stillcool]

16. some are not from the area

no connection to the school. Very Roger Stone-ish, or Tea-Party-ish, or Koch Bros-ish, or...well you know. Performing Arts

[Sneederbunk]

17. They believe they are confronting power.

[2naSalit]

18. Crisis actors?

[jmbar2]

19. It is a well-organizing astroturf movement involving Steve Bannon, ALEC, and other RW groups

Here's one article about it. I read a better one recently, but can't recall where I saw it. Worth digging into.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/politics/2021/07/21/conservative-groups-are-training-activists-to-swarm-school-board-meetings-

[chia]

22. Bingo

[TreasonousBastard]

27. Yes it is. For years the wingnuts have been pushing to take on the...

local levels, and school boards areas local as it gets.

[dweller]

21. It's like open mic

for the Rwnutjobs … listen to meeeee


✌🏻

[Grasswire2]

23. open your eyes, citizens

Many of those people are hired crisis actors.

This is a PLOT to destroy public schools and take local control.

Read up. Educate yourself on the matter.

[samplegirl]

24. I'm running for trustee

in my town because it’s all republicans.
It’s very important! Local politics is where it all starts!!!

[TreasonousBastard]

28. Good for you! I did the same thing years ago. (but lost)

[samplegirl]

32. I'm running against the

X chief of police… which don’t need the job but Is a right winger posing as democrat. He’s a real gem.
His brother had a seat and they both ran last election and lost.
There are like three others all right wingers but someone has to make a stand.

[twin_ghost]

25. They like to rant nonsense at the board members.

This goes on because the boards & councils have open microphones. If the boards and councils changed the way to submit comments to in writing only they couldn't rant and rave on a microphone.

[Skittles]

26. Koch

yup

[LakeArenal]

29. Bullying theatrics. It works too.

They get elected.

[StarfishSaver]

30. Because they've figured out that power emanates from the ground up

The question is why aren't more liberals at these meetings.

[Progressive Jones]

31. They want to control said school boards so they can fuck up

public schools.
They try to do so through infestation, like roaches.

[Hekate]

33. They aren't conservatives.They are radicalized thugs, a lot of whom do not have kids in pub school

As for who’s telling them to show up, one group is Proud Boys, as they’ve sent out flyers instructing their minions to show up and cause trouble.

[JHB]

35. Because they believe these are infested with venal bureaucrats and radical left zealots...

...so it is their patriotic duty to hold the line against the degenerates trying to drive the country into the ground (who are definitely someone else, not them).

I'd blame RW media, but this behavior goes back before the invention of radio. Hell, probably before the invention of print.

[KentuckyWoman]

36. Easy pickings for crisis actors.

They sit around all day in whatever social media Q people use to spread the crazy and get ideas.

Some of them might be paid but I think it's mostly people who've been a quarter bubble off a long time feeling empowered to let it all out in the open.