The problem now is that we have 2 groups engaging in groupthink (of course, we always think we're part of the correct group) and the margin between them really isn't great enough to determine much of anything, which is why we have a government blithely governing against the will of the majority.
What we need to do is expand voting, not contract it. Get some of those unsophisticated, apathetic people in there casting ballots. Focus groups are already doing this on a small scale, but they tend to err on the side of the witless who don't know enough to start asking any questions. Politics needs to include the alienated majority; focus groups need to include a few of the suspicious minority.
There are a lot of videos out there that are somewhat longer that describe the phenomenon and its use for determining everything from credit worthiness to locating a sunken nuclear submarine. In the latter case, a roomful of experts were all far off the mark, but the average turned out to be 600 yards from where the sub was finally found.
Individually, morons are morons. Put them into a large enough group, and they become an incredibly powerful problem solving tool. This is the foundation of democracy, but suffrage needs to be universal and voting needs to be compulsory for it to work.
= new reply since forum marked as read
