Ringing in the end of one year and celebrating the beginning of the next is a good opportunity for one to reflect on the past year and give our hopes and resolutions for the one to come. 2021 was a year of discontinuity: discontinuity between politicians words and actions; discontinuity between the perceived realities of our fellow Americans; discontinuity between our hopes for change and accountability at year's beginning, and the disappoint of missed opportunities at year’s end.
This schism between the present we have and the future we want is at the heart of DSOT’s focus on our unrepresentative government. Governments, at least democratic ones, are supposed to be extensions of the public, helping to create a society which reflects the needs and wants of the people. Much of the dysfunction and disconnect we observe between our government and its people is not just a matter of incompetence (although it certainly plays a large role), but rather the intentional service of the donor class, often at the expense of the American people. As we have so often pointed out, week after week, the American people are often surprisingly united in a progressive vision of the future, yet our public governments fail to take any meaningful action, even during times of crisis.
A recent publication in the journal Nature, reinforces this shared progressive vision of the future, while simultaneously pointing to some potential roadblocks in achieving the political change we desire. The researchers found that a strong majority of Americans personally desired a progressive future, with grassroots led political action, addressing climate change head on, and more equitable social hierarchies. This is extremely promising, and in keeping with individual issue polling we’ve seen each week. However, the authors also found, that those surveyed neither believed that such a future was likely to happen, nor that most of their fellow citizens desired such a future.
These latter findings may help explain why we see neither political action, nor a united response to that failure. It’s easy to see why viewing the back-to-back failures of both Republican and Democratic administrations to handle any of the major crises facing our country, would cause many to despair of any real change occurring no matter how bad things get.
The belief, though, that you are in the minority, and most others don’t want what you do is perhaps even more important in shaping people’s reactions. If you believe you are in the minority, you are less likely to protest when elected officials fail. You’re less likely to believe things could/ should change, and in fact, over time many people start to change their own beliefs to be in sync with what they believe others want, even if it isn’t true! Too often many in power pit people and groups against each other when they (we) are in fact aligned on so many issues.
This is why #DSOT and the United Protest Movement is more important than ever in 2022. This year we must realize just how united we all are in wanting to build a brighter and fairer and more equitable future for all. People must realize that they (we) are in this together with the majority of Americans, or they (we) will never demand the change we all so desperately need and deserve. So in 2022 keep fighting for the myriad of pro-people causes highlighted each week, grow the economic cudgel by aligning your discretionary spending to 6 days a weeks and not shopping on Tuesday. And finally, let everyone know that the issues they hold want are not fringe issues, but shared by millions of Americans. When more and more unite in a movement, we can make our progressive future together!
Let’s get started in 2022!
Comments