Why are 'social issues' more popular than general politics?

Why do people generally vote and discuss 'social issues' such as same-sex marriage or abortion more so than broader issues such as the economy, social welfare, healthcare etc, that arguably affect more people?

Edit: This is not undermining 'social issues' such as those in the example btw and I'm simply commenting on an observation I've noticed.

Because people like to worship the Constitution.

Because they are more personal.

Because that is the area where the President can actually do something. The President can't control the economy - that's a market/business area and Presidents tend to inherit the results of prior administrations, healthcare and social welfare involve spending most of which actually lies with Congress and state governments, and s/he actually has fairly limited authority as part of our checks and balances system.

The President can directly affect Social issues, on the other hand, by nominating Supreme Court justices, issuing executive orders, choosing which laws to focus on enforcing most stringently,vetoing/approving bills which will create laws directly connected to those social issues, and appointing heads of agencies who will follow his or her political ideologies.

It's easy to ask that question when your not a woman or gay. But the answer is actually simple. Americans and humans in general tend to delve more into emotional issues rather than non-emotional ones.

Keeping that in mind, it makes sense why a rather emotional issue will get more attention than a hard-to-understand concept such as the economy.

Because this is the world the White man has created.

^

Because social issues are much simpler to grasp for many people.

more personal, these are issues people interact with every day no matter where they are and because its really important but i dont think people talk about social issues any more than they talk about other political issues

Because social issues effect general politics.

Poor access to reproductive rights is going to affect one's health care, their economics and social welfare. Same thing for equal rights. If you can be fired for your job for having a queer identity then thats effecting all those general politics issues.

Not everything is about women, homosexuals or white people you know. There is more to the world than that.

Because general politics are harder to understand. The economy and things like foreign policy need some knowledge of history and the ability to read past one paragraph. Plus social issues are more personal.

Because we kinda have no control on politics, we don't even elect the president.

Probably because everyone already understands that politicians are greedy, megalomaniacal buttholes that are destroying the world.

And everyone knows you can't legislate human behavior. The minute a law is created, a bunch of people come up with ways to exploit all the "gray" areas in between.

It's not social issues, it's easily digestable social issues, people put far more effort into gay rights, trans issues than they do obesity, ageing society and fatherless children.

It's a simple fact that all of the latter are more important and have a far bigger impact on society than the former yet you have very few people of note address them or get recognition for doing so.

The gays have a ton of political power, I would have actual respect for people that will address issues that aren't seen as a hot topic and get them a ton of praise in the media and focusing on bullying would best help them when they need help the most but it isn't seen as sexy.

I'm sure I'll get flack for this but it's because it requires no research or real knowledge on a subject. There are no real facts, no numbers, no statistics to read, process, and interpret. By and large it is just opinion...and anyone can have an opinion. Plus social issues are 'sexy' in the world of politics.

Damn it do not get me ranting about the f**king Electoral College and how pointless it is in today's day and age...

@granitesoldier: lol, I rant about it constantly

One requires considerably more investment of thought and effort into the construction of a nuanced opinion than the other, which is also why the opinions of stupid laypeople count for very little in the fields of economy or law but are predominantly important in social issues.

Social issues for the most part are how the media distract the voting public from what is really going on in both the us and the world. They are used to manipulate and divide us.

@eyedcyou: Ikr? F*ck liberty

And it's true we really don't have control over politics.

I don't think it has anything to do with the Constitution but people thinking with their emotions more than political topics that actually effect everyone like taxes, jobs, economy etc

@cable_extreme: Not a single election's outcome has been affected by a "faithless elector."

@thebourneposter: plenty of times where popular vote was different than the electoral college vote.

Because social issues can leak in to issues like economy.

For example black people and females back in the day weren't payed equal to white dudes.

Because it's newer. The problems have always been there but they have more recently taken off and become more widely discussed.

Social issues can be the result of political issues.

They aren't. They are driven by emotion often which means people usually care more, but issues with the people in charge of our country are more important that making sure everyone is happy.

Because minorities make up a voting majority and can swing elections. Notice the minorities that are too small to make a difference in the electorate, nobody cares about. (Asexuals, Asains, Native Americans, Pagans, etc)

@superadam: Whites are the voting majority.

Some whites are considered minorities.

........

@cable_extreme: Do you mean the electoral college or electoral votes?

Jews may be a numerical minority but they're generally considered White now.

Women are considered a "minority" and they make up roughly 53% of the population. Read that again. People with any sort of a disability are considered a minority. And homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals are all considered minorities. Add to that racial minorities and religious minorities, and you literally have almost the entire population of America. Also, Latinos weren't considered a minority group until the 1980's.

@superadam: And white women are also the majority

It is because they are most accessible to just about everything. People will always be most primarily concerned with people and what is made visible. Right now, homosexuality, feminism etc are the big focus of the media, and the messages are pushed to the forefront of public attention, so naturally they will garner the most discussion.

That's where you'll find most of the "I don't really care about this, but..." or "Stop pushing this in my face" commentary.

cuz gossip

@thebourneposter: the electoral college elects the president.

@cable_extreme: The electoral college elects the president, yes. And no election has ever been changed by a representative in the electoral college voting differently than their state did.

lol

@thebourneposter: but the electoral college ignores the minority vote of each state.

@cable_extreme: Yeah that's a legitimate problem. It's just usually when people first learn about the electoral college, they seem to think it's just a group of people ignoring everyones vote and picking whoever they want, which isn't the case. I was just making sure you were clear on that.

@granitesoldier: You son of a...I'm just kidding. I agree with you 100%.

Because people could relate to social issues easier and sympathize with those involved in it.

Lol, I can't tell if you're being ironic or not, but I love it.

gossip