What upsets me about politics, more than anything else, is the assumption that people are stupid.
Republicans think they can tell their voters anything and they’ll buy it. Democrats think Republicans can steal the system and no one will object. Washington pundits are the worst of all, with their charts and graphs proving beyond any doubt that the system can be easily and permanently rigged.
If Americans are stupid, we have always been stupid. The tension was obvious in 1788, when only white property owners were allowed to vote. Then it was just white men. Then just men. Then just whites. In each case the assumption was that if “those people” chose our leaders, they would choose poorly.
Sometimes they did. The American Plan of John Quincy Adams was rejected in favor of the racist populism of Andrew Jackson. The 1876 election was stolen on behalf of southern racists, with the connivance of Republicans. America has always had urban political machines, who bought votes and engaged in all sorts of shenanigans. We’ve had suburban and rural machines, too.
Americans today are more educated than we have ever been. We have more access to information than we ever have. Yet the assumption that we’re all idiots is the one thing that seems to unite every political speaker – left, right and center.
It’s true that people can be manipulated by propaganda techniques. If we’re inclined in one direction, we can be pushed further in that direction. Any algorithm built on engagement will lead you down a rabbit hole. Even if the rabbit hole is filled with pictures of cute kitties.
But Americans are not stupid. We make mistakes, as in 2016, but we turn things around. It takes time, but it happens. Today gay people live in less fear than before, more black Americans are wealthy than before, and we all have the right to fight or party for a better life. Today’s economy is built on creativity, and anyone who is outstandingly creative can find a place in it even if (as in my case) it’s a tiny place.
If we’ve all taken a step back from political action lately, it’s because we’re not stupid. We refuse to be driven mad by our leaders, on any side. I suspect the politicians that do best next year will have a positive message or, at least, one that voters can define for themselves as positive.
Also, I don’t think the system will fail. If you do, if you do think people are stupid, then maybe democracy wasn’t the right system for you to begin with.
