this tweet and the tweet quoted are interesting to me because they seem to be using the word "politics" to mean two totally different thingshttps://twitter.com/staringispolite/status/962750566634897408 …
-
-
in this way the only possible public influence over policy is destructive (neutral connotation), outrage confounding attempts of governance wing to do things, not constructive
Show this thread -
the policy touchstones of the past three administrations (this one so far) have been by my estimation, trump tax cut, obamacare, iraq war
Show this thread -
nothing anyone actually wanted, just the things that managed to make it through the public outrage filter
Show this thread -
the governance mechanism's biggest problem isn't the public really, it's systemic dysfunction, which would require at the least major, sweeping form to correct
Show this thread -
but this is when you get into the recursive dependency graph these two spheres interacting with each other create
Show this thread -
it's highly likely the current crop of governance creatures lack either/both the will to carry out sweeping reform or the competence to execute well and create something healthier
Show this thread -
if they did, though, the public would likely confound efforts, stirred up be the media, which thrives on stirring people up with what a Big Deal everything is
Show this thread -
the media was long before facebook optimizing for engagement even if they didn't have the same sense of it, and in fairness a project like this actually would be a Big Deal
Show this thread -
but so many of governance types are status quo-biased status-obsessed incompetents _because_ their inverse see systemic failure and insane media kabuki and decide against
Show this thread -
most smart competent results-oriented future-focused people rightly don't want to be involved in that quagmire because of the problems their presence would be required to solve
Show this thread -
I'm always a bit sad reading code for america testimonials (members of which do seem to be generally smart competent etc)
Show this thread -
because they always amount to "we found this one incredibly fucked up thing and through an enormous amount of fighting bureaucrat intransigence made it measurably less so"
Show this thread -
anyway the only way around the circular dependency I see is:
Show this thread -
a) preference cascade of smart etc people who value reforming the system wholesale deciding there's enough of them to take it over entirely, who b) maintain the attitude the public can go fuck itself
Show this thread -
but I don't think this is likely to happen because the democracy meme is too strong, and what's more probable is at least partial societal collapse in the coming decades
Show this thread -
and a protracted chaos that ends when enough people begin to favor stability over all other terminal values and thus desire to produce a stabilizing force no matter what it is
Show this thread -
I do earnestly believe we are somewhere in the spring and autumn and one of my fondest wishes is, if this is true, to be able to live to see the hundred schools of thought
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.