Biden is in and Trump is out, but it's nowhere near the end of our problems as a democracy in dire need of systemic reforms and more widely shared prosperity
I think the main lession we need to draw from the current situation is that we need to be very careful about any claim that is made in the media, whether mainstream or social or even in private conversations. Take everything with a grain of salt. Propaganda and disinformation have reached levels that are typical for dictatorships.
What we need to learn is living with uncertainty. Uncertainty about whether the side we stand on is right or not. People are played by people in power behind the scenes who determine what is presented in the media. The situation has become a huge clusterfuck and is probably going to get worse before it gets better.
At least Trump has revealed how corrupt the system really is. Fixing that will be a difficult task, no matter what side will be in power.
Humility is the solution, epistemic humility to be precise: We should not be sure about what we think we know. After all, everyone of us could be in a cult and fail to realize that.
"If we just give up on each other as a result of diametrically-opposed belief systems as a result of self-inflicted bifurcated reality, that way lies civil war. We need to find things we actually do agree on, and build off that. $2,000 is something four out of five of us agree on. Let’s start there. Let’s also focus on democracy reforms that improve representative democracy itself, like political donation vouchers that reduce the political influence of wealthy funders, ranked-choice voting which encourages aisle crossing, and multi-winner congressional districts that end gerrymandering."
This is the most important part of this, Scott. Our politics have gone the way of everyone making it clear what they stand against, and rarely what they're for. It reminds me much of how often the Christian church broke apart over the centuries. It was, and still is, difficult for people to take a stand for things.
It ultimately comes down to an offensive vs. defensive mindset. It's far easier to play defense and move the goalposts to avoid failure. Some is going to need to step up and risk their neck to move us forward.
I think the main lession we need to draw from the current situation is that we need to be very careful about any claim that is made in the media, whether mainstream or social or even in private conversations. Take everything with a grain of salt. Propaganda and disinformation have reached levels that are typical for dictatorships.
What we need to learn is living with uncertainty. Uncertainty about whether the side we stand on is right or not. People are played by people in power behind the scenes who determine what is presented in the media. The situation has become a huge clusterfuck and is probably going to get worse before it gets better.
At least Trump has revealed how corrupt the system really is. Fixing that will be a difficult task, no matter what side will be in power.
Humility is the solution, epistemic humility to be precise: We should not be sure about what we think we know. After all, everyone of us could be in a cult and fail to realize that.
"If we just give up on each other as a result of diametrically-opposed belief systems as a result of self-inflicted bifurcated reality, that way lies civil war. We need to find things we actually do agree on, and build off that. $2,000 is something four out of five of us agree on. Let’s start there. Let’s also focus on democracy reforms that improve representative democracy itself, like political donation vouchers that reduce the political influence of wealthy funders, ranked-choice voting which encourages aisle crossing, and multi-winner congressional districts that end gerrymandering."
This is the most important part of this, Scott. Our politics have gone the way of everyone making it clear what they stand against, and rarely what they're for. It reminds me much of how often the Christian church broke apart over the centuries. It was, and still is, difficult for people to take a stand for things.
It ultimately comes down to an offensive vs. defensive mindset. It's far easier to play defense and move the goalposts to avoid failure. Some is going to need to step up and risk their neck to move us forward.