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My American friends asked me this week what the Swiss think of American politics. Shame was heard in them – or in my neighbor’s case, he looked.
The United States was looking forward to the first television debate between Donald Trump (74) and Joe Biden (77). There was talk on social media that this duel will be like the Super Bowl and Thanksgiving at the same time. On Tuesday night, however, we experienced total chaos that made the family feud appear in a different light last Christmas.
The debate could have been a huge success for democracy: More than 73 million Americans watched the duel. Only the first meeting of Trump and Hillary Clinton (72) four years ago attracted more people in front of the screens. In 2020, Americans are not suddenly too interested in politics, quite the opposite.
Americans want to have fun with grief
At the beginning of the week I asked friends and acquaintances from all over the world and from all age groups if they wanted to see the debate and why. Just everyone has promised to turn it on for at least a moment. And almost everyone has cited entertainment as one of the main reasons.
My survey is not representative. However, it matches the findings from 2016. Political scientists have stated that the high marks were due, among other things, to the entertainment factor, this was particularly important for young people.
That also corresponds to my experience. Many of my young colleagues in their twenties, some politically interested, others not at all, turned Tuesday’s television debate into an event. A drinking game is particularly popular: if Trump or Biden utter a previously agreed word, one or the other group has to drink.
Drinking game turns into drinking frustration
This drinking game does not favor democracy. For the moment, a political debate should not entertain, but inform. In Switzerland, the centrist parties used to say that their boring politics is the recipe for our country’s success. Whether they are right remains to be seen. But: do you have a friend who plays drinking at the “SRF Arena”? Single.
This year, the television debate has not even entertained, it has annoyed people. Two in three respondents said after the 90-minute political spectacle in a US media poll that they were dissatisfied with the debate. And that is even worse for democracy than the desire for entertainment. Because if you stray from politics, you can’t be informed either.
But for those who re-ignite next time, the drinking game is much more likely to degenerate into a frustration drink. It is also not beneficial.
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