I’m not really an “informed” or “enlightened” political person per se, so feel free to ignore this rant. Regardless, I am highly intrigued by the political process.
What intrigues me most is how the modern day politician is more of a celebrity than an authority figure or role model. They are often expected to make immediate decisions and bring change to systems that have morphed and evolved over the decades into machines of rhetoric and inaction fueled by ego, ignorance, arrogance and impotence.
Politicians are esteemed for their words and not their actions. Many of us vote a politician into office based on campaign promises, and then turn on our backs in dramatic irony when results are not immediately produced.
Often times, we elevate politicians just because of a perceived value that they pay lip service to. Yet, if we took the time to go beyond media coverage and examine their lives, we would see how human they are.
We look at the failure of individual politicians, yet fail to see the inadequacies of the system as a whole, which propagates corruption, mediocrity, favoritism, and elitism.
As long as we elect celebrities and not leaders, and seek to be entertained by the antics and failures of those in power, our political process will continue to divide the masses and favor those that shout the loudest. We have forgotten that politicians are meant to be an embodiment of ethics and leadership, reflecting the morals and values of an entire culture and society.
In an essay by Bill Moyers called “The Fight Of Our Lives,” he writes:
[Thomas] Paine had something we need to restore–an unwavering concentration to reach ordinary people with the message that they mattered and could stand up for themselves. He couched his gospel of human rights and equality in a popular style that any working writer can envy. “As it is my design,” he said, “to make those that can scarcely read understand, I shall therefore avoid every literary ornament and put it in language as plain as the alphabet.”
In no way is this a call for idiocy or ignorance, but a desperate cry for clarification, understanding and “common sense.” American and global citizens need to rise up and save themselves, because politicians are no longer concerned for anyone but themselves.
One reply on “Why Politics Can’t Save America”
wow! great post my friend. i, however, would be fine with a little more inaction. first, because most of the ruling class is either incompetent or competent. the incompetent make a mess of things simply by nature of their lack of understanding in the day-to-day dealings of economy. those that are competent are dangerous because they do indeed understand the nature of society, and do their dirt in spite of it.
it seems much of what these folks are called to “do” is, in reality, clean up the mess made by past “doings”. i don’t feel that we ever really gave the experiment a shot. we got some things wrong, and we have the stain of inequality on our record. fixing those things took entirely too long. however, the idea of free enterprise never really had a full go, because we could not let it be. there has always been a perceived need to “fix” things, before those things had a chance to manifest themselves.
democracy will always favor celebrity because it is built on populism. if we were to return to a constitutional democratic republic (i.e. the shifting political winds could not upset the apple cart), we may yet see what greatness we can accomplish.
i do not hold out much hope for that happening.
well said Chris.