h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

< A Snippet from a conversation about 'placement' of political parties within the spectrum, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F57153?thread=101917#p857766 > ...the theory seems to be based on the fact that the political choices for voters are constant, and it's the voter's opinion which are volatile or changeable. There's a theory out there which runs quite the other way (I don't know if it has been published somewhere, nor whether it's got a name). It is based around the metaphor of an ice cream vendor and lots of potential customers spread along some 2km of a beach. Perhaps this model is too simple, but: which position is he most likely to choose? Obviously, he will be found in the center, because everybody can reach him. If he were at one end of the beach then some customers on the opposite side could begin to trade off their efforts against the pleasure of an ice cream. Now let's introduce a competitor and ask the same question again. To which the answer is that they /both/ will be found in the center, no more than a few meters apart! If they would divide the beach into two sectors of 1km each and position themselves in the centers of these sectors then they would perhaps give away the customers in the middle to the other one. Sticking to the center of the whole beach leaves them both a chance of 50%. Now let's introduce a third ice cream vendor... Result: the third one will be right in the center, and the others walk away some distance, but will keep not too far from the middle. Two additional vendors will be found close to the very extremes of the beach, hoping to maintain a niche for themselves there. Now let's assume the sun is going to set, which leaves half of the beach in the shadow of some rock, and the customers start moving into the other half...[and so on] The point is: in this model it's the political parties who put themselves in the best positions and are adapting to changes in the overall situation. It's them who have to choose their political programs such that they gain maximum profit (ie: votes) out of it. It is /them/ who are actually performing the vote !? Umm, weird, isn't it? Bossel

all adds up to me.

I think in fact it could be part of a unified theory of everything.

There were other such observations (shell fish and the like) on this entry but have yet to re-appear post Rupert, I think we have mearly touched the tip of this one.


Glad to see people are still reading the older stuff.



ChawkE

Well, that's what scouting is all about

Oldies are Goodies!