Activity

Because if the preference is simply to go around in circles and get frustrated with each other, I’m wasting my time and effort.

Isn’t that the current strategy of our political leaders, supported by social media?

Here’s my summary of the last decade, as it relates to this thread. I watched with mild amusement, then increasing horror as people claimed, louder and louder, that Obama was ruining this nation. I’ll skip the specifics as I think everyone reading this knows them. Chris Rock, on SNL after the 2016 election had the same amused reaction at the white folks suddenly experiencing being left out, marginalized, lied to, cheated and stolen from, while being accused of doing of all of those things.

But did we adjust our attitudes? Did we focus efforts on Citizen’s United or Gerrymandering? Or did we do exactly what those on the other “side” did and start lamenting the end of democracy? Obama got 69 million votes in 2008 and voting has dropped off by millions since. 2018 could be a sign of a reversal, but we’ll see.

So, yeah, I believe participation is the answer, but not just with voting. It’s learning to build communities everywhere like the ones that used to exist in Washington DC. They used to move to DC with their families and mingle at social events and have lunch together and have their kids on the same ball team. Our leaders aren’t civil anymore because it’s profitable to not be civil. Democracy won’t die because of bad leadership. It was created because we know that power corrupts. But because it’s hard to be nice to someone who doesn’t think we do, we’re going to let them have it anyway.