Our last Zoom discussion about our government's role (or the lack thereof, currently) in fighting climate change was interesting, but at times a little depressing. I agree, there are a lot of reasons to be frustrated with the political system we have, since it seems to fail us so frequently. But, I want to argue that a revolution/civil war is not where our focus should be at all.
As all of you know, one of the biggest barriers to passing environment-friendly legislation is the fact that our politicians are heavily influenced by their donors. However, I don't think a revolution is necessary to solve this problem, especially when we consider how popular grassroots campaigns are becoming. I'm also hopeful that our two party system will shift into a balanced three or four party system soon, since I think Americans are getting tired of voting "against" rather than "for" political candidates.
Making these changes will take time, and quite a lot of work. However, I do think that Americans are capable of making it happen. If you're not feeling optimistic yet, I would encourage you to check out these 2020 polls from the Pew Research Center, indicating that the majority of Americans (67%) think that the government is not doing enough to reduce the effects of climate change. Now, if we can just get our politicians to make decisions that represent the majority of Americans, we are in the clear!
My point is that we are making progress, however slow. It is important that in this pivotal moment, which I believe we are in, we don't set ourselves back with extreme, pessimistic language. That is not how I think we will bring more people together on this issue. I don't think the conversation is over yet, and I certainly don't think America is either. Let's make the system we already have work for us! I'll get off my soapbox now... what do you think?
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While I agree with your comments about not wanting another civil-war/revolution I do not think us transitioning into a third or four party system is not going to take place anytime soon. I say this because our voting system has evolved so much with the two-party system that it is extremely difficult for even a third party to get a seat at the table let alone anybody else. So I don't think this will happen anytime soon, but its always good to dream
ReplyDeleteIt's better to work for your dreams, and recall all the instances in history when the unimaginable became the inevitable. It happened in 2008, for instance. We're living through unprecedented times, always a challenge to prognostication.
DeleteAnd, if we can just get Americans to do more than answer pollsters' questions about the change we need!
ReplyDelete