Don’t get me wrong–I have found many people here to be intelligent, articulate and earnest about the things that matter to them. But the level of cynicism here about politics is (however understandable) totally out of control.
People write threads in which is a sincere candidate like Nader, with a long record of public service, is likened to career politicians with no credibility. Everyone applauds. (Whether you agree with Nader or not, at least give the guy credit for having ideals and not selling them out).
People complain that their taxes are too high–that they don’t want to pay for room and board in jails–but they stop right there. They seem not to know or to care that the US has become prison capital of the world. (We have 5% of the world’s population and 25% of its prisoners; almost 90% of them are in jail for non-violent, usually drug-related, offenses. About half are non-white) This isn’t just a taxpayer problem. It’s a national disgrace.
People are understandably pissed off that their jobs aren’t secure; that they have to work their asses off to support themselves. But they don’t seem to connect this to the incredible rise of inequality in this country–over the last few decades the middle class has shrunk so that the US now has the same rich/vs.poor ratio as a third world country.
People are understandably turned off by the polarized attitudes of Bush vs. Gore–but their response is to want to pretend that it’s all subjective anyway. Or they’re pleased that the government will be deadlocked b/c they’ve decided that the best kind of government is one too divided to do anything. But what about the fact that there are things that almost all of us agree need doing?!
People are fed up with the way that the election has been reduced to trivialities like Gore’s exaggerations or Bush’s malaproprisms–but they’re willing to accept that the monopolistic media that profits from propagating such trash is an unchangeable reality or, worse still, an expression of the free market.
Please don’t tell me that I should check out the Great Debates. I have looked there and there’s obviously some more rigorous discussion going on there but that’s not my point. My point is that here is where people come to vent, and the dominant political venting attitude that I’ve observed is a disaffected cynicism that is itself part of the problem.
I have only been here for a month or so, so maybe my impression is a wrong one. If it is, I’m sure to hear about it. My intent isn’t to offend or insult anyone.
But if I’m even just a little bit right then I think that this is a telling symptom of a democracy in decline.
All of you here are prosperous enough to have a computer and educated enough to choose to post on a venue like this one. And you’re angry enough to want to be in a Pit–at least part of the time. Maybe I’m insane, but I think that people like you can do a lot to improve the world that you (sometimes) despair of.
To work for the majority of people, a democracy can’t be just a place where people vote once a year (and already more than 1/2 of the US population doesn’t even bother to do that). To live in a genuine democracy is to feel that you have the power to make an impact when you feel that something is wrong. There are things wrong with this country that people on both the left and the right agree on–and that can be a starting point.
My point isn’t that you shouldn’t be wasting your time ranting and flaming: my point is that the same energy that you put into your rants and flames can (at least some of the time) empower you.
There is no greater gift to whomever you think is taking advantage of you (whether it’s hypocritical politicians, or multi-national corporations, apathetic bureaucrats or shitty employers) than your own cynicism. And that’s true whether you vote or not.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading.
