In the previous article I shared the first part of a conversation I had with someone about why we don’t fix our political system. In this article, we look to see if we should blame ourselves. He said:
I think your premise is flawed because I think the real issue is our own laziness about being involved in politics.
The status quo resists changes. One of the most powerful ways it does this is by rationalizing itself. It makes up the myth of “Lazy Americans” as an explanation. But this is a simplification. There’s really no such thing as laziness. We feel lazy when we aren’t motivated to take action. The real problem is that our political system makes most of us feel disempowered.
I agree that our culture says most Americans are politically irresponsible and lazy. But this is a myth. It’s just something we say. Just like it’s a myth that “American government is of, by and for the people.” Perhaps it began that way, but today most Americans feel our government is a behemoth that’s separate from us, accountable to the wealthy.
About politics, why not be lazy? I tried working harder in politics, being informed on issues, communicating with my representatives, always voting. I didn’t see that it made any difference. I voted for change, nothing changed. Many of the ways I’d like to see America change aren’t even considered by Congress or the media. Surveys even say that some of these are things most Americans want. (Many aren’t even asked by surveys.)
In my experience, working in politics is frustrating. There’s a huge system of people and practices keeping it like it is. It seems like it’d take endless effort or a ton of money to make a difference. It’s futile. Who wants to work on something frustrating and futile?
It’s more accurate to say we’re cynical and resigned. This feeds our culture of disliking politics and thinking it’s dirty and dishonest, thinking politicians are corrupt and worse. So people don’t even try to make changes, much less brainstorm solutions. So we appear lazy. But lazy is the effect, not the cause.
The answer isn’t to blame people and call them names. The answer is to change the system to reward participation, to have it make a difference. People should be able to participate quickly and effectively. This is what we’re proposing at PeopleCount.
There are no “lazy Americans” causing our political system’s problems. It’s the other way around. The system’s problems are causing people to seem lazy. This is why PeopleCount proposes adding a new system of accountability that’s rewarding for both people and politicians.