Democracy Starts With You
Tag: Government
Wait, please hear me out! Trust feels precious enough that none of us really wants to spare any for politics, let alone anyone who can’t go three words without pandering. But the bad news is that our political system runs on trust, so we’ll all have to find some way to build it for the people we hire to write and manage the rules of society.
Continue reading “How To: Trust A Politician”
It’s true: the nitty gritty of the policies and programs that impact our lives are complicated as all get out. It’s a lot like trying to explain the mechanics of an entire house – plumbing, HVAC, heating, electricity, construction, foundation. Each one of those systems is its own area of expertise that a person can spend years learning and memorizing. Just like politics, the technical aspects of those are constantly changing with new information and developments, which means that to truly know what’s going on, you have to be constantly learning.
Who doesn’t love a political scandal? In our Age of Outrage, there’s almost nothing that we want more. Scandal comes from feet on the Resolute Desk or the Oval Office couches, from vouching for friends or appointing them to your Cabinet, from firing Deputy Attorneys General because they wouldn’t affirm your political goals, and from sexual harassment with a cigar. In fact, it almost seems like we can turn anything into a scandal, which has the disconcerting effect of making almost anything normal.
On this day of Love, I want us to start fixing our relationship with the media. Yes, that’s right: the dreaded MSM. The “lamestream” or major media outlets, institutions with long track records that follow journalistic ethics (mostly), have lost America’s faith. Years of reporting without context or explanation mixed with a soul-crushing cynicism has left us apathetic and frustrated. We’re like an abandoned spouse, wondering where the love’s gone.
Continue reading “Week 6 – How Do We Get A Better Relationship With the Media?”
We have purpose: to be active and responsible citizens. We have knowledge: the search for truth both from our world and within ourselves. Now, we also have a core: worldviews that anchor us to our best selves in our best imagining.
It started with excuses.
“But they don’t know what they’re talking about.”
“I heard it somewhere!”
“Why would he/she/they lie?”
“You’re on the other side; of course you’re going to say that.”
Watch this week’s episode to get another opportunity to find answers:
