āPolitics determines taxes, war, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and civil rights, yet large numbers of Americans treat political awareness as a hobby they can leave to others rather than a personal civic responsibility to maintain and grow democracy.ā Which is why I hate that people are so proud to say āwe donāt talk about politics or religionā. Religion I get. Saying you donāt talk about politics is part of the reason we are in this mess. If you arenāt talking about politics you arenāt discussing the issues that affect people every day. Itās a moronic thing to say. And itās what has helped get us to such a polarized state because āI donāt talk about politicsā has become āI no longer know how to talk about politics.ā
This is my answer to those who boast of their indifference to politics and dislike of polticians: "Well, they love people like you, because they take and spend your money and you don't pay any attention to what they do."
This is one of the best summaries of the problems we are facing Iāve read. I really like your historical perspective; Iāve been worried for many years our world is almost incomprehensibly complex and government mediation on our behalf is our only protection. I have thought about how we address this: improve civic knowledge and harness informed civic input. My proposal would be to change jury duty to civic duty, make it mandatory for two days every year. You can still draw jurors from that pool but in the meantime, provide education and training on what government does from local up to state and federal levels. Iād also take this to another level and have civic duty be the basis for deliberative democracy. Pick an issue, give a reasonable sized group several hours of information about upcoming legislation or other civic issues and have that group provide a ārecommendingā vote. I donāt expect this to happen in my lifetime and now the GOP has shown it would likely weaponize such an institution. Still, I canāt think of a better remedy. I wish the deep blue states like mine, Illinois, would demonstrate how to improve democracy and civic intelligence. It has to start at a state level. I love your work!
Iām 78 and I admit I didnāt follow politics closely until 2016. Since then Iāve become a news junkie. It was unsettling for me to realize in reading your post that I have forgotten much of the niddy griddy of the system that I learned back in 5th grade. Can anyone suggest a book that can bring me up to speed? I work at the polls here in North Carolina so Iām up on the voting process here but federal and state - not so much. Thank you for your posts that shine a light on whatās happening.
That would be like saying, "I want to understand the NFL. Could someone recommend a book explaining the rules, along with things like the Draft and the Salary Cap?" The answer, is that there is no book; but if you watch it regularly, and follow things like the draft and talk to people, you can pick a lot of it up.
It's the same with civics. A lot of people have read the Constitution; but many of them have no idea what it means, or how it applies practically. I would, however, recommend reading an annotated copy of the Constitution, from time to time. Whatever state you live in, be familiar with the state constitution.
State constitutions can be a little long. But learn the basics: How are laws made? How are laws enforced? How are public officials elected and appointed? How often are elections? When are the primaries? How long do state officials serve? When are the local elections?
How can you amend your state's constitution? How can you amend your state's laws? Does your state provide for ballot initiatives? What's the process? A lot of these questions, you'll find your answers in your state's constitution.
Also, who are your reps? In the statehouse and nationally? Who are your city councilmen? Who's on your local school board? When are your local city council meetings? When are your local school board meetings?
I can't answer all of these questions, all of the timeā most Americans can't, even the ones who are well-informed. But I know most of the answers, most of the time. And I know where to find the answers. Frankly, our system is set up so that most of us don't have to know all of this stuffā at least not all the time. That's one of the benefits of a representative democracy, when it's working as it should: You pay these people to be informed and make decisions so that you can go about your life.
But one of the easiest things to do, is to start seeking out answers to these questions. Talk to your friends about them, as well. In addition, support your local newspaper. That is how citizens stay informed about these things. There's a direct correlation between living in a news dessert and supporting batshit authoritarian ideas.
An important, but distressing, message. Perhaps this just validates the notion that people simply can't be entrusted with self-governance. Especially in a country so large, diverse and geographically distributed, this may not be resolved in favor of democracy.
One example of many - Tune into right wing radio any night in America. And listen to what the hosts TELL you. There THAT is all you need to know.......... The End of the Fairness Doctrine led to the rise of Fox News, etc and it continues today with the defunding of PBS, the takeover of media like CBS, Bezos takeover of the Washington Post, the control of many many media outlets controlled by Sinclair Broadcasting, the recent massive mergers of media by the billionaires, the buying up and shutting down of regional and local newspapers,......ALL to consolidate Control of the Media and Control of the Messages sent into the Brains of listeners 24/7/365!!! (Remember the day in America when the same message was sent on hundreds of stations in America. Word for word into the Brains of everyone who heard them. The American Goebbels alive and well pumping their poison propaganda 24/7/365.......)
Unfortunately most Americans are totally comfortable because they don't see the danger and can't be bothered to engage in defense of their own interests.
Thank you Rachel for another informative insightful newsletter. I am like most who posted constantly having to explain why civic engagement is neccessary.
I will now forward this to them and maybe just maybe they will get it, and hopefully you will get more subscribers. Thanks again for keeping it real!
Dear Rachel. Sad and true commentary. Prior to my lifetime humanities, history, and philosophy were deemed to be non-essential to education. Education was designed to train someone for a job once one graduated with technical training being the most valuable trait. John Dewey opined that education was designed to move graduates into middle management levels, running businesses for the corporate elites but never entering into the ranks of power. To the contrary, a political science professor of mine once stated "education is designed to make you think; an apprenticeship is required to provide training for a job." My professor was quite prophetic.
It never ceases to amaze me about the number of homes you enter, and you cannot find a newspaper, book, magazine, or other educational materials. The Dewey acolytes have succeeded in dumbing down society.
Have you heard about the woman who searched "why are gas prices going up so much?" only to learn the reason was a war was going on? It could be an urban myth but I think it is pretty close to the truth.
Back in 2010 some 33 miners were trapped below ground in Chile. They weren't rescued for ten weeks. I brought it up at dinner conversation to a college student who was completely unaware of the story. It had been the main news story for days on end.
Years before that in 1980 when Mt St Helens blew up in Washington, I met a man days later who was unaware of it. So I believe people don't know a lot of what goes on--even very big things.
āPolitics determines taxes, war, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and civil rights, yet large numbers of Americans treat political awareness as a hobby they can leave to others rather than a personal civic responsibility to maintain and grow democracy.ā Which is why I hate that people are so proud to say āwe donāt talk about politics or religionā. Religion I get. Saying you donāt talk about politics is part of the reason we are in this mess. If you arenāt talking about politics you arenāt discussing the issues that affect people every day. Itās a moronic thing to say. And itās what has helped get us to such a polarized state because āI donāt talk about politicsā has become āI no longer know how to talk about politics.ā
This is my answer to those who boast of their indifference to politics and dislike of polticians: "Well, they love people like you, because they take and spend your money and you don't pay any attention to what they do."
I run into this a lot: "Even more troubling, many disengaged citizens view themselves as morally superior to those who participate."
This is one of the best summaries of the problems we are facing Iāve read. I really like your historical perspective; Iāve been worried for many years our world is almost incomprehensibly complex and government mediation on our behalf is our only protection. I have thought about how we address this: improve civic knowledge and harness informed civic input. My proposal would be to change jury duty to civic duty, make it mandatory for two days every year. You can still draw jurors from that pool but in the meantime, provide education and training on what government does from local up to state and federal levels. Iād also take this to another level and have civic duty be the basis for deliberative democracy. Pick an issue, give a reasonable sized group several hours of information about upcoming legislation or other civic issues and have that group provide a ārecommendingā vote. I donāt expect this to happen in my lifetime and now the GOP has shown it would likely weaponize such an institution. Still, I canāt think of a better remedy. I wish the deep blue states like mine, Illinois, would demonstrate how to improve democracy and civic intelligence. It has to start at a state level. I love your work!
Please read:
https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-next-coup-attempt/comments
Iām 78 and I admit I didnāt follow politics closely until 2016. Since then Iāve become a news junkie. It was unsettling for me to realize in reading your post that I have forgotten much of the niddy griddy of the system that I learned back in 5th grade. Can anyone suggest a book that can bring me up to speed? I work at the polls here in North Carolina so Iām up on the voting process here but federal and state - not so much. Thank you for your posts that shine a light on whatās happening.
That would be like saying, "I want to understand the NFL. Could someone recommend a book explaining the rules, along with things like the Draft and the Salary Cap?" The answer, is that there is no book; but if you watch it regularly, and follow things like the draft and talk to people, you can pick a lot of it up.
It's the same with civics. A lot of people have read the Constitution; but many of them have no idea what it means, or how it applies practically. I would, however, recommend reading an annotated copy of the Constitution, from time to time. Whatever state you live in, be familiar with the state constitution.
State constitutions can be a little long. But learn the basics: How are laws made? How are laws enforced? How are public officials elected and appointed? How often are elections? When are the primaries? How long do state officials serve? When are the local elections?
How can you amend your state's constitution? How can you amend your state's laws? Does your state provide for ballot initiatives? What's the process? A lot of these questions, you'll find your answers in your state's constitution.
Also, who are your reps? In the statehouse and nationally? Who are your city councilmen? Who's on your local school board? When are your local city council meetings? When are your local school board meetings?
I can't answer all of these questions, all of the timeā most Americans can't, even the ones who are well-informed. But I know most of the answers, most of the time. And I know where to find the answers. Frankly, our system is set up so that most of us don't have to know all of this stuffā at least not all the time. That's one of the benefits of a representative democracy, when it's working as it should: You pay these people to be informed and make decisions so that you can go about your life.
But one of the easiest things to do, is to start seeking out answers to these questions. Talk to your friends about them, as well. In addition, support your local newspaper. That is how citizens stay informed about these things. There's a direct correlation between living in a news dessert and supporting batshit authoritarian ideas.
An important, but distressing, message. Perhaps this just validates the notion that people simply can't be entrusted with self-governance. Especially in a country so large, diverse and geographically distributed, this may not be resolved in favor of democracy.
One example of many - Tune into right wing radio any night in America. And listen to what the hosts TELL you. There THAT is all you need to know.......... The End of the Fairness Doctrine led to the rise of Fox News, etc and it continues today with the defunding of PBS, the takeover of media like CBS, Bezos takeover of the Washington Post, the control of many many media outlets controlled by Sinclair Broadcasting, the recent massive mergers of media by the billionaires, the buying up and shutting down of regional and local newspapers,......ALL to consolidate Control of the Media and Control of the Messages sent into the Brains of listeners 24/7/365!!! (Remember the day in America when the same message was sent on hundreds of stations in America. Word for word into the Brains of everyone who heard them. The American Goebbels alive and well pumping their poison propaganda 24/7/365.......)
Unfortunately most Americans are totally comfortable because they don't see the danger and can't be bothered to engage in defense of their own interests.
The authors of The American Voter were at the University of Michigan, specifically its Survey Research Center, not Columbia.
Thank you Rachel for another informative insightful newsletter. I am like most who posted constantly having to explain why civic engagement is neccessary.
I will now forward this to them and maybe just maybe they will get it, and hopefully you will get more subscribers. Thanks again for keeping it real!
Dear Rachel. Sad and true commentary. Prior to my lifetime humanities, history, and philosophy were deemed to be non-essential to education. Education was designed to train someone for a job once one graduated with technical training being the most valuable trait. John Dewey opined that education was designed to move graduates into middle management levels, running businesses for the corporate elites but never entering into the ranks of power. To the contrary, a political science professor of mine once stated "education is designed to make you think; an apprenticeship is required to provide training for a job." My professor was quite prophetic.
It never ceases to amaze me about the number of homes you enter, and you cannot find a newspaper, book, magazine, or other educational materials. The Dewey acolytes have succeeded in dumbing down society.
Have you heard about the woman who searched "why are gas prices going up so much?" only to learn the reason was a war was going on? It could be an urban myth but I think it is pretty close to the truth.
Back in 2010 some 33 miners were trapped below ground in Chile. They weren't rescued for ten weeks. I brought it up at dinner conversation to a college student who was completely unaware of the story. It had been the main news story for days on end.
Years before that in 1980 when Mt St Helens blew up in Washington, I met a man days later who was unaware of it. So I believe people don't know a lot of what goes on--even very big things.