hawara160421 t1_iye3rai wrote on November 30, 2022 at 6:43 PM

Reply to comment by Got_No_Situation in EU Commission proposes blocking billions in funds to Hungary by Bald-Eagle619

>Note that the election in April of this year, most of their voters (which is still less than 50%) believed that voting "no" would immediately result in them being sent to war.

Wait, what? What's the story, here?

Tromort77 t1_iyehccb wrote on November 30, 2022 at 8:10 PM

The main opponent said that we have to support NATO and our allies as much as possible and their propaganda machine translated it as it's either FIDESZ or your sons will be sent to the fronts. Their propaganda machine is immense and they can create any narrative.

higgs8 t1_iyejt6h wrote on November 30, 2022 at 8:26 PM

As the war broke out, Orbán was quick to put up election posters everywhere with his face saying "Let's preserve Hungary's security and safety", and others with opposition leaders claiming they are "Dangerous". As well as stories about how the opposition wants war and that Fidesz is the only party who can prevent it. With the opposition having no money for posters and being banned from television altogether (since all TV is state-run), there was no way for them to refute the claims.

Sure, people could in theory inform themselves on the internet, but keep in mind that the internet is only useful to people who have been educated to have critical thinking. Most people in Hungary are too poor to make effective use of information online. They just watch TV and that's it.

It makes no sense whatsoever. But the majority of Hungary's territory is slums with people living in such poverty that their only source of information are the posters and the state-run TV channels. They may not have running water but they have endless propaganda. Would you vote for the people telling you that war is bad? Or the "others" who you've never really heard of and who apparently want some kind of war. Also they want transexuals and transvestites to convince your kids about getting gender reassignment surgery. I'm not kidding. There was an actual referendum about whether or not you want your kids to get gender reassignment surgery, on the same day as the election, with the clear implication that the government is asking these questions to protect you from such terrible things. In reality, the referendum was invalid due to low participation. But those who answered felt like they are in real danger, and they obviously voted for the government.

Oh, also they get 5000 HUF if they vote for Fidesz (source: I was one of the many commissioned by the OSCE to document election fraud on election day), which is like 2 packs of cigarettes. Who in their right mind would say no to that?