In a new Op-Ed on the politics of distraction, GoodAttention members Zsolt Kapelner and Eirik Tangeraas Lygre argue that the predominance of discussion about wealth tax in the Norwegian election campaign signals that the ideal of political equality is under threat.
The fact that a small group of billionaires are able to push their own personal issues to the top of the agenda, demonstrates how agenda-setting power is not equally distributed but highly skewed in favor of the resourceful few. This problem is exacerbated in the current attention economy. But if democracy is to function well, it needs to identify and address the most pressing issues at hand, according to Kapelner and Lygre. This ability is undermined when the public attention is subject to distraction.
See altinget.no to read the text in full (in Norwegian): https://www.altinget.no/lovebakken/artikkel/formuesskatten-har-faatt-langt-meir-merksemd-enn-den-fortener