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I think this stems from the perception that the US federal government is monolithic, secretive, and imperceptible. The reality is that it's wildly diverse, staf
by cmckn 5y ago
I think this stems from the perception that the US federal government is monolithic, secretive, and imperceptible. The reality is that it's wildly diverse, staffed by "everyday" Americans, takes place almost entirely in the open, and very knowable (even if there is complexity -- just like computers). In the same way that many modern humans have grown distant from "nature," Americans have grown distant from our own government. I knew few Americans who truly believe our government is of the people, by the people, for the people. It's sad. :(
- herbst 5y agoFrom and outside perspective this government you are describing is only hard to visualize. For years now voting comes down to the lesser of two evils where everywhere else in the world new parties form and establish new ideas America still has two of them only, kinda. As Swiss it's also far from our understanding what democracy is supposed to be.
- cmckn 5y agoA ton of Americans think of it as a lesser of two evils; because many (most?) Americans have the luxury of being comfortable. They don’t really think about politics, they don’t really have policy wants/needs. It’s just sensationalism on Facebook and celebrity on Instagram. It’s more about sports-team tribalism than participating in a society. At the risk of sounding morose, I don’t know where we go from here. Everyone, myself included, is going insane.
- disabled 5y agoHere is a good read on where it goes: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/magazine/trump-coup.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/magazine/trump-coup.html All I know is that there is no way that I am going to be physically in the US for the next presidential election(s), if there is a neoliberal political candidate in that election.
- stjohnswarts 5y agoYou’re not worried about neoliberalism than Trumpism? Lol
- vcavallo 5y agoeven if people cared a lot, you think they’d get presidential primary candidates that they want? or a vice president that they want? these things are faze choices.
- cmckn 5y agoFor what it’s worth, I did have a candidate in the primary that I liked a lot. I think all of my friends did too. They didn’t get elected, but I also did nothing outside of casting the ballot to help get them elected. (And, part of caring a lot is paying attention to the other 99% of elected positions)
- vcavallo 5y agoIt's interesting to consider how those primary candidates got there and to what extent it would be possible to change who shows up in that position. Check out "Hate, Inc." by Matt Taibbi. He details the process by which party bosses essentially determine the primary field (and have done so for decades), and the media complex reinforces these choices using terms like "electable" or "wise choice" or "stubborn" or "off reservation". Yes, this is only about the single off of the President (the Vice President choice is even less available to the people), but there is something to be said about the most visible and paid-attention-to office being the one that is categorically the least in the hands of the people. ...yet nobody seems to mention it.
- vcavallo 5y agoThere is a political duopoly in this country that has a democracy-murdering stranglehold and barely anyone is aware of it.