We the People: Are We in Charge?
by: Elizabeth Cunningham on August 3rd, 2010 | 27 Comments »
Last night my husband Douglas Smyth, who writes about politics and economics, mentioned Paul Krugman’s op-ed piece in the New York Times “Defining Prosperity Down.” Krugman expresses concern that “those in power will soon declare that high unemployment is “structural” — a permanent part of the economic landscape.” Where is the public outrage at this cavalier government acceptance of high unemployment, my husband wondered? People, he said, have become so passive.
At which point, I became outraged. Who is passive I wanted to know? Aren’t many of us signing petitions and making phone calls to representatives almost daily? And before the invasion of the Iraq, didn’t people take to the streets in large numbers in almost every small town and city in the country not to mention the rest of the world? Don’t people organize and join boycotts? (I had just that day written to CEOs at Target who are now exercising their rights as a “corporate person” to buy elections.) Don’t people volunteer in the political campaigns of those they believe will make a difference? I make no claim to being a model activist. But I am not passive or indifferent, and I don’t believe that most people are no matter what their political stripe or lack thereof.
It is a time-honored axiom that those in power cannot govern without the consent of the governed. But I wonder if that is true. Along with many people, I keep saying no: no to our policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, no to tax breaks for the wealthiest one percent, no to energy policies that insist on off-shore drilling with only a nod to alternative energy sources, no to the aforementioned Supreme Court decision, no to eliminating provisions that would provide jobs and extend unemployment benefits, no to cutting services to the working poor. No, no, no! I am not consenting. No!
In this country we pride ourselves on our freedom of speech; we exercise it relentlessly (on the internet, anyway). But who is listening? Our speech may be free, but it seems to have little power to move anyone in power. The problem, I believe, lies not with The People (who are not monolithic and probably never will be) but with the accountability and transparency of those in power. And who is in power, anyway: the elected officials or those who finance their campaigns? How do We the People hold our economic and political elite accountable? Voting? Petitioning? Lobbying? Demonstrating? Do these time-honored/worn methods still work?
At the end of his article, Krugman describes the public as angry not passive, but he calls the anger unfocused. That is an accurate observation. We don’t know where to direct effectively our anger, and anger can easily turn to blame and scapegoating. Honest anger can be manipulated by politicians for their own self-serving ends. Anger can be used by those in power to divide and conquer, and it has been over and over again. Anger can also be turned against the self and lead to shame and despair.
My own anger (directed against a husband who is a tireless activist and does not deserve my ire) stems partly from hearing people’s stories day after day. In my counseling practice, I accept whatever anyone can give, which is sometimes very little, and so I often hear stories of heroic struggle. Almost everyone these days is confronting not only personal problems but economic ones which in turn intensify the personal pain. Political or not, everyone is aware, however peripherally, that we as a nation, world and planet are in dire straits. I cannot fault The People, as I see him or her in their individual strength and weakness, beauty and pathos. But I can hope that that out of this collective crucible, in which our conventional structures and systems appear to be failing, compassion for each other and our common plight and cause may rise.
i struggle with this here in New Zealand, Elizabeth. We have a government who proposed mining in our beloved national parks – there was a huge outcry, demonstrations, petitions and the government recinded the move – albeit saying they were surprised at how small the outcry was… but at the same time (and of course at the same time as your precious Gulf was being poisoned) the government signed a deal with Petrobras to begin exploratory drilling off our beautiful BEAUTIFUL coastline…
it is like the learned helplessness i used to see in the psych hospital i worked in with people with intellectual disabilities… so much hideous treatment was inflicted on them they just became passive – even in the face of terrible insults… they just took it…
i think some of the decisions that our governments are making (mostly at the behest of big corporations) beggar our belief – we can’t quite beleive that they can think that way… and we become passive in the face of that overwhelming horror…
my other observation is that people who like to be in power seldom like to listen to but like to be listened to and don’t want to be told by their “inferiors” how things should go …
we need a more matriarchal less patriachal way of doing things…
phew rant over
Thanks for the comment, Jane. I am sorry to hear that your government is also not as responsive as it should be. Appreciate your insights on learned passivity. Let’s keep speaking up–and to each other!
Your analysis is correct, Elizabeth! I too sign a zillion internet petitions and make numerous phone calls to office holders but I am beginning to think it doesn’t matter. I find myself wondering if my stabs at social action actually belie another falsehood; that the powers that be are probably pleased by the new internet campaigns that elicit petition signatures because they provide the illusion to us that we can do something. People like me may be in a tacit alliance with the very forces that we seek to combat. We want to believe that we can have an impact from the ease of our desk chair. Our lives are now so fraught by the effects that our nation’s economic/power imbalance has on our day to day lives (overwork, under-compensation, poorly resourced public services, lack of affordable child care….) that we have little time or energy left to take to the streets.
Thanks for your comment, Wendy. There are people who still keep vigil, if not riot, in the streets, and passing cars hiss or honk in response. Actually, there have even been some riots in recent years, but can we trust what is reported? There is so much more to say on the subject than I managed in the blog. The biggest thing I left out is the role of mainstream media. We have both freedom of speech and marketplace censorship–and it is very hard to name and call that censoring force to account. The phrase “talk among yourselves” comes to account, because we don’t get to define the conversation. It is good to remember that many of us are carrying on and sometimes without even knowing it, we are creating new ways of responding to each other and the world.
I used to be much more active politically than I have been lately. The reason for my recent inactivity has to do with my perception that “they” are not listening. “They” do not seem to care about what anyone’s attitudes are.
Moreover, there have been many times in the last decade when I attended a large demonstration only to realize subsequently that it was not covered at all in the press. I feel that our sentiments have thus been rendered invisible.
So I have come to conclude that unless some out-of-the-ordinary action (general strike, violence) is taken, people’s sentiments can be safely ignored. But these actions do not take place.
As to the reasons why, I would offer the following: 1) most people are too involved in scrabbling for a meager living to have the time or energy; 2) there is no organizing group or party to mobilize people on a large scale; 3) people have lost interest in what has come to be seen as “fools’ errands”; 4) most people have a well-founded distaste for violence, and for those who indulge in it.
Unfortunately, this is the current state of “democracy” in the U.S.A.
Thanks for adding your experience and perspective!
Thank you for a good article! We are not in charge. How can slaves be in charge of our police state?
Good question!
Very stimulating article, Elizabeth. And the comment from Klugman that our anger is unfocused is also on target. But we do not have free speech, not totally. When it comes to protests, we have “free speech zones” that are far from the target of our protests. And the police have introduced many new tactics, including inducing violence themselves (re: Toronto last year and again this year in Ontario), as well as the technique of coming at peaceful protesters from more than one side, hemming them in where they cannot leave, and then ordering them to disperse. When they don’t disperse, because they are surrounded by police lines, then they are pepper sprayed. This occurred in Portland, Oregon a few years ago, and I have seen reports of similar behavior by police in at least two other cases. Re the Portland case, I spoke with people who were at that demonstration, which had occurred shortly after the city had hired a new police chief from LA. Previously, the Portland police were known to be rather tolerant and easygoing.
One also only needs to look at video from the 1960s to see the masses of humans in DC and other areas protesting the war. Our protests don’t reach those numbers, we don’t take over government buildings. They learned well from those demonstrations, and now they have removed many of our rights to protest. And, as we have all pointed out, “they” no longer listen to us. They don’t feel they have to listen any more. However, we are angry, and when we figure out where to focus that anger, we still have the potential to change things. But internet and even paper petitions don’t have the force they perhaps once did. We must do this in person, somehow. If we could get enough people to agree, for example, to stop paying taxes until they listen. . .
Thanks very much for your thoughtful reply. As soon as I finished posting I realized how incomplete my reflections on free speech were, exactly for the reasons you state. The “speech” that controls what we know–and don’t know–and influences how respond is not free at all but very expensive and most of us don’t have access to it. Our free speech is more like a free box at a flea market!
I agree direct action is more powerful than paper protest. I welcome thoughts about how to reach consensus on collective action.
No.
No, most people don’t constantly write letters or go to rallies. Even during the Bush years the rallies in US cities were relatively small. They might have seemed big given the levels of activity in our country in these times, but they were not.
No, most people don’t focus their frustration. There dozens of ribbons and hundred of groups and thousands of little causes mingling with the bigger ones. Like something on Facebook, retweet something on Twitter and you have been “active”.
I wrote one email to an elected official this year. I clicked to “sign” a few online petitions. That’s it. And I am fairly well-informed. I know the stakes. I am deeply concerned.
So *if* serious numbers of people were active, that would outweigh big campaign donors. But we are not. So we don’t.
So, no, we are not in charge.
Thanks for your response. How to get serious numbers of people involved beyond an exciting campaign? It seems as though people did rally for Obama, and then somehow business seems more or less continuing as usual. How to change that? Thanks again.
I am sure whole books could be written about that, but not by me. I have only a few possible leads to a set of solutions.
1. Image
Think about protests and how they get covered. The anti-war movement of the 1960s was portrayed as naive acid-tripping hippies. The anti-war movement of the 2000s was painted as ungrateful misguided Bush-haters. G-8 protests become all about the destructive anarchists. The most reported parts of anti-abortion protests are the people with giant posters of mutilated fetuses. How many times has the coverage of GLBTT parades focused on the most outrageous and provocative displays? What do we see of Tea Party coverage except the racist, homophobic hypocrites and their offensive signs? A subtle but consistent message communicated by such coverage is clear: Only the most irrational, naive, hateful, eccentric, or self-absorbed attention-seekers get involved with such public displays.
2. Effectiveness
There is little mention or coverage of the success of petition drives or marches in major media outlets and what is accomplished is often exaggerated or overblown by partisan operatives, so the rationale for some to get involved with organizing becomes a kind of personal project or catharsis that doesn’t depend strictly on outcomes. For such folks just being involved makes a statement to themselves about who they choose to be and offers a network of people to reinforce such self-image. These are not bad things, but they can effect how those not closely involved with the movements perceive and interact with them. Those not looking for a role or image or lifestyle may be made to feel like they can’t make a sufficient commitment to join in. Also, not having indications that such methods get results can inhibit people from making an effort.
3. Risk
People may be worried about reactions from friends, family, employers, coworkers etc and the awkwardness or serious difficulties resulting from active participation in various movements. Maybe they don’t want to “bother” or “annoy” such people or even worry about how they might react just knowing they are involved with protests, etc. Others are not as concerned about such repercussions but may be shy or introvertive. They may not be comfortable working in groups, calling strangers on the phone, or knocking on doors. These concerns may be amplified by issues #1 and #2.
4. Lack of Focus
It is easy to get overwhelmed by so many issues about so many things that all are presented as pressing and vital issues that need YOU. Therefore there may be guilt or frustration or both because YOU don’t know if YOU can keep up with all of them. Friends, relatives, emails, mass mailings, etc may flood you with requests for support — sign here, send money there. Getting involved at a more substantial level may then appear to run the risk of giving the same kind of guilt and frustration one is receiving (see issue #3).
Again, these are just some thoughts, not definitive answers.
Yes! Your thoughts amplify mine. It strikes me that how the stories are told is key, who tells them, and for what purpose. We must find ways to tell stories stories that encourage and inspire!
Again, the only solution is to create an agenda that we all can support, use people who support the agenda form sports,music,the arts,actors, (People that the majority of Americans recognize, and would
trust) to form a clear majority. Eliminating money and special interest from the equation. Representatives that did not do the will of the people would be recalled or impeached.
This is simplification, the Specific Details exit.
Citizen Central is a vehicle to manifest a societal paradigm shift.
It can be done in three months.
Frank,
Can you expand on what you mean by “Citizen Central?”
Thanks, Kathleen. Yes, Frank, I’d like to hear more about Citizen Central, too. Thank you, everyone for thoughtful and thought-provoking comments.
Hi, Kathleen, Elizabeth ,
Essentially, what Citizen Central can be, is a central site that brings together all the various oganizations that care about manifesting social and economic justice here in this county,as well as insuring that our foreign policies reflect these values in our interactions with other countries throughout the world.
Citizen Central would be the central storage area for our political capabilities, as well as our demographic information, from which we can direct resourses for political and/or program purposes.
For example, lets assume that Universal Health is on the ” to do list”, Citizen Central would tell us
the number of votes we have in each district and state, and where we needed to allocate resourses
to create a majority in a specific district or state. ( Its assumed that each representative or senator
will vote the wishes of their constituents, they have no choice. Money and special interest will be a moot
subject)
Then working with the team of Professionals that create the nuts and bolts of Universal Health Care
and using the demographic information we have, we create the infrastructure necessary to provide the
health services.
Again this is a simplification ,but at least it describes the process.
Whats required is, developing the “To Do List” which we all support. When I say WE, I am talking about all the Progressive Organization, Environmental Organizations, Religious Organizations,
Social Organizations, Women’s Organizations , every other organization, and individual citizens.
For example, lets say Tikkum, N.O.W., Democracy Now, Green Peace, Move On
all supported the ” To Do List” and their members supported it, all of these members would be listed
on Citizen Central.as well as their zip code indicating they support the candidate that supports National Health.
What we also need, is to get the citizens who are not involved in the political process, for whatever
reasons, motivated to register to vote and become part of Citizen Central.
If we go to Musicians, Actors, Athletes, Television Personalities, Religious Leaders, and any other
individual or group who is know, respected, and trusted by their fans or admirers, and ask them to
ask their supporters to register to vote and join Citizen Central, we could get the majority of votes needed to create the society we envision, and hopefully be an example for the rest of the world to follow.
This is the essence of Citizen Central, There are many more details to present, what is the “To Do List”
how is it implemented, who is involved in its implementation.
These questions will be answered and presented for peer review, meaning all of you.
Citizen Central will be completely transparent, evolving with our collective creative input.
Thanks for your kind interest
Thank you, Frank. Here is to the evolution of Citizen Central!
I wanted offer constructive comments. I don’t claim to have answers to what I see, but maybe someone else will?
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Essentially, what Citizen Central can be, is a central site that brings together all the various oganizations that care about manifesting social and economic justice here in this county,as well as insuring that our foreign policies reflect these values in our interactions with other countries throughout the world.
Citizen Central would be the central storage area for our political capabilities, as well as our demographic information, from which we can direct resourses for political and/or program purposes.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
This sounds a bit like what a political party is supposed to do. I am aware you aren’t suggesting the creation of a new party, but they have the staff and support in place to just what you describe.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
For example, lets assume that Universal Health is on the ” to do list”, Citizen Central would tell us
the number of votes we have in each district and state, and where we needed to allocate resourses
to create a majority in a specific district or state. ( Its assumed that each representative or senator
will vote the wishes of their constituents, they have no choice. Money and special interest will be a moot
subject)
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
This actually is what parties do. Where do you get the resources to create a majority? What kinds of resources would guarantee such a thing? If there were such resources and they were available for acquisition both sides would use them. The 2008 elections demonstrated how organizing can be more effective but no one has discovered a magic bullet.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Then working with the team of Professionals that create the nuts and bolts of Universal Health Care
and using the demographic information we have, we create the infrastructure necessary to provide the
health services.
Again this is a simplification ,but at least it describes the process.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Do you mean after passage of a bill? How would a registry of voters design or build a health care infrastructure. Supporters of such a bill with relevant experience may be involved professionally, but what role would there be for the everyday voter or organizer?
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Whats required is, developing the “To Do List” which we all support. When I say WE, I am talking about all the Progressive Organization, Environmental Organizations, Religious Organizations,
Social Organizations, Women’s Organizations , every other organization, and individual citizens.
For example, lets say Tikkum, N.O.W., Democracy Now, Green Peace, Move On
all supported the ” To Do List” and their members supported it, all of these members would be listed
on Citizen Central.as well as their zip code indicating they support the candidate that supports National Health.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
The larger the group of the lower the odds for consensus. There’s nothing wrong with better organizing networks, but not everyone agrees about the issues. Even among progressives there can be many distinctions that have their supporter and who won’t compromise. It’s the same problem political parties have. Getting to a clear idea of what the group as a whole will accept remains a challenge. A group that could help identify broad areas of consensus would be very helpful though.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
What we also need, is to get the citizens who are not involved in the political process, for whatever
reasons, motivated to register to vote and become part of Citizen Central.
If we go to Musicians, Actors, Athletes, Television Personalities, Religious Leaders, and any other
individual or group who is know, respected, and trusted by their fans or admirers, and ask them to
ask their supporters to register to vote and join Citizen Central, we could get the majority of votes needed to create the society we envision, and hopefully be an example for the rest of the world to follow.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
This is currently done by all sides and generally requires contacts with powerful people and a good deal of money. For every endorsement you get from celebrity A, someone in opposition to an idea can get an endorsement from celebrity B. Certain people’s endorsements can be more valuable but that also tends to make them harder to get.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Thanks for your kind interest
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Thank you for your time and effort.
Hi Dave,
Your comments reveal some interesting observations.
If we were using math as the language for communication, and used defined mathematical relationships
for our common dictionary, The statement 1+2 = 3 could be read by a thousand people from around the world,and we would all have the same understanding of the statements meaning.
If I write, ” It was extremely cold walking to school this morning,” would the thousand people have a common understanding of the sentence ? We would think so, its a strait forward statement, but on closer analysis, people from Boston, the Sahara Desert, and Antarctica, would have significant differences as to what temperature they considered to be cold..
Now throw in some words that trigger peoples latent fears and prejudices,or challenge a persons
concept of reality they had all their lives, and you now have a thousand people reading the same
sentences coming up with a thousand different interpretations..
Dave, if the political parties of this country were seeking social and economic justice for its citizens
we would not be having this conversation.
Creating a political majority can not be acquired, money and corruptibility are not the currency of Citizen Central.
The reason you can’t SEE how Citizen Central would create a majority, or get the support of Musicians
Actors Writers, Athletes and so on, without requiring vast sums of money, is because Citizen Central
represents the end of business as usual, and the begining of an era where the citizens of this country,
united by common values and a shared vision of the future, choose how to allocate our resources based on our common values and vision of the future, instead of money and special interests
corrupting our politics for their self interests.
I am not saying it is what political parties are doing, but observing that much of what you describe is what they ought to be doing. It’s what they were meant to be.
Good Morning Elizabeth,
Can you suggest any organization or idea that will remove money and special interest from our political process.
That can change our system so that citizens are solely responsible for all decisions and laws enacted
in their name.
That creates a way for our collective desires to be implemented quickly without trying to create a constitutional amendment, creating a third party, signing endless petitions and letters that are left blowing in the wind.
Can change the direction of the politics of this country in a matter of months.
Does all of this within the existing political system, without violence.
At least provides a vehicle to eventually change the system, gives us something to work on that will
ultimately be successful, rather that having all our energies dissipated by the powers that be.
Can you offer anything that will guarantee results, I will join immediately.
There is no other way to change the system , except getting the numbers to form a majority.
We are running out of time, before another war, climate change arrives at a tipping point, social unrest
occurs throughout the world because of food or energy or pandemic virus , causes chaos.
How much longer must three billion people suffer because of greed , indifference,and apathy.
We have a solution, maybe unbelievable because of its simplicity, but a black and white solution.
Is there an alternative being offered ?
Please give me your critical analysis pro or con
I agree that we are running out of time. I think Citizen Central is a great idea. I was hoping you might be in the process of implementing it. I would join. I am not skilled in computer technology or political organizing, but I am not indifferent to our plight. I am a novelist and counselor who is also working to preserve some land and live in community. That is the work life has called me to, for better or worse. I hope you will keep us all informed on your work.
Good Evening Elizabeth,
Thanks for the inspiration through your article.
It is because of Writers and Novelist such as yourself that I have the knowledge that I have.
Thank you for your contributions to all of us.
I also sing you praise for the counseling you do for others.It was a therapist that brought me to the light when I was in my darkest black hole of despair and hopelessness called depression.
May you and your kindred associates feel the Love and Gratitude from those of us who were brought
back to the joy and brilliance of life.
We are all co-creators of Citizen Central.
Namaste’
“We are all co-creators of Citizen Central.”
Well-said!
I want to say to everyone, I am grateful to be part of this conversation. I will be away from the blog world till 24th, so if I miss any further comments, thanks in advance.
Opening statement of Citizen Centrals to-do List Pg.1
Citizen Central
To Do List
AMERICA Was founded with a belief that all men were created equal. That Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness, Equal Justice for All, Freedom of Religion, are the values enshrined in the Founding Documents and Constitution of this County.
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of these values, and an invitation to the citizens of the world who seek these principles and values. People from every country, every Tribe, every Religion, saw that Beacon of Light and immigrated to America.
We left behind our ethnic, religious, class, and nationalistic rivalries and built a nation living, working, and playing side by side as neighbors and friends.
So it is because of YOU the peoples from Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, Africa, Native North and South American and Every Island, …….Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, Hindu, and every other religion , living together as ONE people that made America what it is, and what America is to become .
America is the Living Proof of what all your ancestors sacrificed and suffered for, to be an example by living proof that we are all brothers and sisters, that the fears, prejudices, and hatreds that linger in our world are part of an ancient curse, that we who live on the earth today will break this curse and fulfill the dreams of every generation that came before us, that we live in Peace with Justice, Compassion and Love for each other and Mother Earth.
We in America are proposing the following changes within our society and within our government, and since these proposals are from the American people, citizens from every country and every religion collectively participated in creating these proposals. So citizens from every country can create their own Citizen Central if they like what their Citizens in America created.