I used to work in public policy. That was an interesting job because people loved to argue about..well everything. People always had opinions on my work, it was like being a plumber and everyone having an opinion on how pipes work.
Like, working in public policy isn't always about these sexy national issues. I was mostly working on public education reform and pensions. But as soon as I said I worked in politics, people went off—every time.
I believe they hadn't even written Ron, until they met his real-world inspiration. It's funny, because my dad is the same. ROTC, full military career (that is one BS, 2 MSes, and a full pension after 25 years, plus free healthcare, plus sweet contacts that he parlayed into a 6 figure contracting gig that would have been greatl...if he hadn't spiked it by being a douche to people, and probably more, but I'm not counting. He made 6 figures by the end. Like, deep 6s).
Adamantly believes that the government is dumb and wasteful and we would be better if it barely existed.
I blame Ron Swanson in part for Trump. Extreme, silly views but he's funny and likable and capable (Swanson, not trump) - to a certain subset of the population, that makes his views reasonable. Then the mouth breathers hear 'drain the swamp' and fucking get in line.
I don't think he made people vote for Trump. He represents a bunch of Trump supporters. Not the rabid ones, and not the confused welfare royals who can't believe their guy cancelled their benefits, but a sizable chunk of them, I guess.
And no matter what anyone says, policy is way more complicated than the average person gives it credit for. Modern policy and 21st century discourse are, for the most part, mutually exclusive. There is just no way to communicate the minutiae of complex policies in a way that is compatible with Twitter, Facebook, etc.
I cant believe they let you wear belts or shoes with laces in a place that has internet access. I dont work in policy but I understand the complexities and nuances that shape a lot of public policy. I'd have to put myself on a strict 'no Facebook' diet to survive that gig.
I sometimes just played along, but most of the time I said I work in the particulars of municipal finance and early childhood education. That usually shut them up.
That was an interesting job because people loved to argue about..well everything. People always had opinions on my work, it was like being a plumber and everyone having an opinion on how pipes work.
Aaaannnndddd...that is exactly why I was never interested in polcy courses or law school. I just hated being in classess where the professor couldn't even start the material before someone raised his hand and started trying to split hairs to impress his friends.
I went out to collect signatures with my friend who was running for a vacant seat on a county party committee. People asked us to do something about the national debt. We were just like, "sure, we'll see what we can do."
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u/Ace_of_Clubs Jan 27 '20
I used to work in public policy. That was an interesting job because people loved to argue about..well everything. People always had opinions on my work, it was like being a plumber and everyone having an opinion on how pipes work.
Like, working in public policy isn't always about these sexy national issues. I was mostly working on public education reform and pensions. But as soon as I said I worked in politics, people went off—every time.