Brilliantly illustrated. I'm new to civics and your metaphor helps me better understand how congress works. I've been contacting my reps every week but I hadn't yet given much thought to the "wiring" behind the switches. This actually motivates me to look further into it, which is what good writing is all about.
You're right—the people inside the system benefit from the wiring. They're not going to change it themselves.
So here's the plan:
Step 1: Get enough people to see the hole. That's what this essay is. Most people are stuck in the hero/villain trap. They do their civic duty every couple years, vote, nothing changes, and they disengage. They don't see the wiring—so they keep blaming the switches.
Step 2: Build outside pressure. Not outrage. Not ranting about villains. A simple, repeated message: "This is a structural failure. We want a functional government."
Every government shutdown. Every healthcare denial. Every policy whiplash. Instead of perpetuating the outrage cycle, redirect it: "This is a structural failure. The wiring needs to change."
Step 3: Once enough voices are saying it, changes become possible. Not before.
Here's the hard part: this is an active solution, not a passive one. We want to just elect someone to fix it for us. That's passive. But the people who benefit from the system aren't going to change it. So it's on us to tell our elected officials—over and over—that the wiring needs to change.
I've been doing it for months. There's only so much one person can do. I can do the design work. But I alone can't make them listen, I'm just one voice.
That's where you come in. Everyone reading this. One message, repeated: "We want a functional government."
Brilliantly illustrated. I'm new to civics and your metaphor helps me better understand how congress works. I've been contacting my reps every week but I hadn't yet given much thought to the "wiring" behind the switches. This actually motivates me to look further into it, which is what good writing is all about.
It's a total Catch 22. The people responsible don't want change.
You're right—the people inside the system benefit from the wiring. They're not going to change it themselves.
So here's the plan:
Step 1: Get enough people to see the hole. That's what this essay is. Most people are stuck in the hero/villain trap. They do their civic duty every couple years, vote, nothing changes, and they disengage. They don't see the wiring—so they keep blaming the switches.
Step 2: Build outside pressure. Not outrage. Not ranting about villains. A simple, repeated message: "This is a structural failure. We want a functional government."
Every government shutdown. Every healthcare denial. Every policy whiplash. Instead of perpetuating the outrage cycle, redirect it: "This is a structural failure. The wiring needs to change."
Step 3: Once enough voices are saying it, changes become possible. Not before.
Here's the hard part: this is an active solution, not a passive one. We want to just elect someone to fix it for us. That's passive. But the people who benefit from the system aren't going to change it. So it's on us to tell our elected officials—over and over—that the wiring needs to change.
I've been doing it for months. There's only so much one person can do. I can do the design work. But I alone can't make them listen, I'm just one voice.
That's where you come in. Everyone reading this. One message, repeated: "We want a functional government."