4 ms·

> relatively easy to get involved with IRL. How is the political process easy to get involved in? If I want to make a difference in politics, what can I do? O

> relatively easy to get involved with IRL. How is the political process easy to get involved in? If I want to make a difference in politics, what can I do? Other than voting, seems to me that it is extraordinarily difficult to make any impact beyond the local level.

JoshuaDavid 6y ago
The phrase that has stuck with me is "pull policy ropes sideways[1]." Basically the idea is to find an area of policy that is impactful but not highly politicized (ideally boring, technical, and important), and push for changes there. If you can't think of any things that government could be doing better that aren't already well-publicized and politicized, consider that you may not actually be more politically informed than the average voter, and the way we collect preferences from voters with average levels of insight into government systems is called "voting". Note that there's nothing wrong with this approach, and in fact it is the approach I use the vast majority of the time. In terms of how to push for changes in terms of concrete actions, write an actual physical letter to your congress person. [1] http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/policy_tugowar.html http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/policy_tugowar.html
- 6510 6y ago
  Okay, could you show us what you've accomplished?
  - 6510 6y ago
    This doesn't seem like an unreasonable request? I've been told before that there is much one can do to influence the system. Most of us are not doing anything however. Some success stories could go a long way.
- vharuck 6y ago
  If you think nobody is championing a cause because it's never mentioned, try looking it up wherever there's a list of all the bills bouncing around your government. If there's still nothing, and it's not a current partisan litmus test, consider reaching out with your reasoning. I remember looking through the history of bills sponsored by my (disliked) representative, and being surprised by a bunch focusing on a very specific topic he rarely mentions in the press. And it was a topic I really doubt he or his family personally encountered.
- JSavageOne 6y ago
  You haven't really answered the question of how to make a difference. What does "push for changes" mean? That's not actionable advice. > If you can't think of any things that government could be doing better that aren't already well-publicized and politicized, consider that you may not actually be more politically informed than the average voter, and the way we collect preferences from voters with average levels of insight into government systems is called "voting" What does that even mean? Most of the most important issues are well-publicized and politicized, yet we don't see any changes. You're basically just saying to vote - which most people rightfully don't feel makes any major difference. Any layman can think of a million things the government could be doing better - for example making online tax returns prepopulated with information the government already has on your income isn't exactly rocket science and most other countries already do it. The problem isn't lack of knowledge, it's that nothing really gets done. Also, the tone of your paragraph just reeks of arrogance (translation: "you're probably not 'politically informed' enough (whatever that means) to have anything useful to contribute, so just vote"). > In terms of how to push for changes in terms of concrete actions, write an actual physical letter to your congress person. I've actually written to my Congressmen before, never once got a response. And if in 2020 we need to resort to snail mail to get our representative's ear, well that's just sad. The fundamental problem is our representative democracy and two-party system, both of which severely limit the impact that any individual can make and gives exorbitant power to the establishment. If voting for Democrat/Republican every couple years is the only influence any individual can make, then it's no surprise why most Americans don't feel like their government is representing them and we have Trump (who lost the popular vote btw) and his children in the White House. If we were to move to a system more resembling direct democracy, then individuals could actively participate in governing themselves instead of being beholden to elected officials in their gerrymandered districts. Representative democracy made sense in 1776 when men were riding around on horseback and direct democracy was not really physically possible at a federal level, but with today's technology we could easily implement something like liquid democracy [1] Or if we want to stick to electing representatives, at the very least we need to adopt ranked voting so that we can have more than just two political parties in our government (right now third party votes are "wasted" and only help the opposition). But yea I guess I can just vote and accept the charade that is our government. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_democracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_democracy
dariusj18 6y ago
Politics is local. Step one IS to learn about your local government and political parties. Get involved in local politics; to start, just go to council meetings, join your local party committee and go to their meetings. Learn about the processes that governments and parties run by. (Roberts Rules of Order are a great starting point). Personally, often my involvement is to help bridge divides between people, and when things get heated to make sure I know the rules and attempt to make sure they are followed. Step two, after being involved locally enough, people who are not local can start looking to you to help them. Maybe they want to speak at a meeting and need your support with something, maybe they are already speaking at the meeting and you can approach them about an issue you feel is important. Make it personal, so much of politics is in personal relationships. EDIT: Or just pay politicians for access via big ticket fundraising dinners.
- Twixes 6y ago
  Seems like a tough effort to be honest. Nah, I'd rather use a few hundred thousand dollars that I just have laying around to pay some established politicians.

JoshuaDavid 6y ago

The phrase that has stuck with me is "pull policy ropes sideways[1]." Basically the idea is to find an area of policy that is impactful but not highly politicized (ideally boring, technical, and important), and push for changes there. If you can't think of any things that government could be doing better that aren't already well-publicized and politicized, consider that you may not actually be more politically informed than the average voter, and the way we collect preferences from voters with average levels of insight into government systems is called "voting". Note that there's nothing wrong with this approach, and in fact it is the approach I use the vast majority of the time. In terms of how to push for changes in terms of concrete actions, write an actual physical letter to your congress person. [1] http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/policy_tugowar.html http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/policy_tugowar.html

6510 6y ago
Okay, could you show us what you've accomplished?
- 6510 6y ago
  This doesn't seem like an unreasonable request? I've been told before that there is much one can do to influence the system. Most of us are not doing anything however. Some success stories could go a long way.
vharuck 6y ago
If you think nobody is championing a cause because it's never mentioned, try looking it up wherever there's a list of all the bills bouncing around your government. If there's still nothing, and it's not a current partisan litmus test, consider reaching out with your reasoning. I remember looking through the history of bills sponsored by my (disliked) representative, and being surprised by a bunch focusing on a very specific topic he rarely mentions in the press. And it was a topic I really doubt he or his family personally encountered.
JSavageOne 6y ago
You haven't really answered the question of how to make a difference. What does "push for changes" mean? That's not actionable advice. > If you can't think of any things that government could be doing better that aren't already well-publicized and politicized, consider that you may not actually be more politically informed than the average voter, and the way we collect preferences from voters with average levels of insight into government systems is called "voting" What does that even mean? Most of the most important issues are well-publicized and politicized, yet we don't see any changes. You're basically just saying to vote - which most people rightfully don't feel makes any major difference. Any layman can think of a million things the government could be doing better - for example making online tax returns prepopulated with information the government already has on your income isn't exactly rocket science and most other countries already do it. The problem isn't lack of knowledge, it's that nothing really gets done. Also, the tone of your paragraph just reeks of arrogance (translation: "you're probably not 'politically informed' enough (whatever that means) to have anything useful to contribute, so just vote"). > In terms of how to push for changes in terms of concrete actions, write an actual physical letter to your congress person. I've actually written to my Congressmen before, never once got a response. And if in 2020 we need to resort to snail mail to get our representative's ear, well that's just sad. The fundamental problem is our representative democracy and two-party system, both of which severely limit the impact that any individual can make and gives exorbitant power to the establishment. If voting for Democrat/Republican every couple years is the only influence any individual can make, then it's no surprise why most Americans don't feel like their government is representing them and we have Trump (who lost the popular vote btw) and his children in the White House. If we were to move to a system more resembling direct democracy, then individuals could actively participate in governing themselves instead of being beholden to elected officials in their gerrymandered districts. Representative democracy made sense in 1776 when men were riding around on horseback and direct democracy was not really physically possible at a federal level, but with today's technology we could easily implement something like liquid democracy [1] Or if we want to stick to electing representatives, at the very least we need to adopt ranked voting so that we can have more than just two political parties in our government (right now third party votes are "wasted" and only help the opposition). But yea I guess I can just vote and accept the charade that is our government. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_democracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_democracy

dariusj18 6y ago

Politics is local. Step one IS to learn about your local government and political parties. Get involved in local politics; to start, just go to council meetings, join your local party committee and go to their meetings. Learn about the processes that governments and parties run by. (Roberts Rules of Order are a great starting point). Personally, often my involvement is to help bridge divides between people, and when things get heated to make sure I know the rules and attempt to make sure they are followed. Step two, after being involved locally enough, people who are not local can start looking to you to help them. Maybe they want to speak at a meeting and need your support with something, maybe they are already speaking at the meeting and you can approach them about an issue you feel is important. Make it personal, so much of politics is in personal relationships. EDIT: Or just pay politicians for access via big ticket fundraising dinners.

Twixes 6y ago
Seems like a tough effort to be honest. Nah, I'd rather use a few hundred thousand dollars that I just have laying around to pay some established politicians.