Getting to the Heart of Democracy’s Decline
The crisis in democracy is much discussed these days, but almost entirely in political terms that ignore its deeper causes.
democracy
Zero-Sum America: An Empire Headed Toward Collapse
Driven by zero-sum thinking, the rigid, inflexible, ideological thinking and obsessive need of our collective human ego to be absolutely and imperatively “right”, is rapidly driving our Nation and our American democracy toward collapse.
The Mighty, Mighty AGs: Remember Your Mother on November 6th
From Mother Earth’s perspective, the most important ballots cast on November 6th could be in the 30 contests for state attorney general (AG). The role played by AGs in the nation’s transition to a low-carbon economy is easily ignored in the heat of this year’s Congressional elections.
Entrepreneurs of Hate
Is it possible to transform politics around values such as empathy, solidarity and love? Many progressive commentators think so, and have laid out different plans to put these ideas into practice. But empathy and love seem in short supply in the actuality of politics today, crowded out by hate and intolerance.
When Truth Isn’t Truth
Rudy Giuliani, the former Republican mayor of New York City and now serving as President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, went on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday and declared with a straight(-ish) face that “truth isn’t truth.”
Down the Memory Hole: Trump’s Strategic Assault on Democracy, Word by Word
Perhaps instead of hurling insults at President Trump’s incompetence and the seeming disarray of his presidency, it might be worth taking a step back and asking ourselves whether there is indeed a larger goal in mind: namely, a slow, patient, incremental dismantling of democracy, beginning with its most precious words.
Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Imagination
I was intrigued as to what impact living in a state of ‘Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder’ might have on the human imagination, on its ability to flourish, and to imagine the future in positive ways. Are we all, to one degree or another, living in a state of ‘Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder’?
Facebook is Killing Democracy with its Personality Profiling Data
The problem isn’t that this psychographic data were exploited at a massive scale. It’s that platforms like Facebook enable people’s data to be used in ways that take power away from voters and give it to data-analyzing campaigners. In my view, this kills democracy.
Getting Past Trump Part 2: The Russia Connection
In Part 1 of this essay we surveyed the historical, economic, and cultural context for the upset victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. I did not mention Russian interference in that election. That’s because it is a subject that deserves to be treated on its own.
How the Anti-Democracy Movement Used Media to Command the Narrative
As far back as 1835, perhaps our nation’s earliest and most astute observer, Alexis de Tocqueville, understood the power of the media. He described the press as “the chief democratic instrument of freedom.” But today our “instrument of freedom” seems to mean the freedom to enrich oneself privately, whatever it takes. How did we get to this sad state?
How We’re Fighting to Save Democracy From Bribery and Gerrymandering, One State at a Time
In Pennsylvania, the democratic system isn’t broken. It’s dead. And regardless of political affiliation, Pennsylvanians are correct in having lost faith in our government.
We Have what it Takes to Meet the Crisis of our Democracy
In fending off despair and effectively taking on democracy’s degradation, one insight has helped us a lot: that it’s not the magnitude of a challenge that crushes the human spirit; rather, it’s a sense of futility that does us in. Homo sapiens evolved, after all, as doers and problem solvers.
