I agree with both of you but feel compelled to weigh in:
1. Although you recognize political problems, you're not about to become a politician to fix them: The best way to solve a lot of these problems might be from the inside. But, politics has got to be the worst field to go into. An offhand comment can end your career. Best case scenario, a lot of people will hate you for making decisions. A right decision for some will be an absolute wrong decision for others, and vice versa. And let's say you try to go your career supporting the underdog... the underdog often doesn't have any money and you need money to campaign... and you might say, "you shouldn't need a lot of money to campaign", but let me ask you this: if it's not money you need to campaign, then what should it be?
2. Has there ever been a time when those in power don't get extra privileges for supporting causes that benefit their [monetary] benefactors? I think it's important to at least acknowledge that never before in history has there existed a time when political favors of some sort are not divvied out in exchange for monetary favors. It just seems to me that for every law that people create to stop this, the money finds a way around it. But, if you're going to design a better system, what would that even look like? I'd say, you're better off designing around this concept than working against it.
3. Most people don't care, they never have, and they never will: Seriously, not to be too extreme, but I really think there's truth in this and it's baked into the human race and the practice of democracy. For an extreme example (and to include the nazis) I remember thinking about Germany in the 30s: Why didn't people get out when they had a chance? Pick up and leave when they saw doom sweeping the nation. And the answer, I think, is because that was where home was and it happened gradually enough. For people to leave everything, to admit to themselves that "They're mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore!" it takes a certain personality that most people simply don't possess. It takes, I think, the same personality that says things are bad when things are actually good. Put it this way: if we lived in a total utopia, you'd still be pointing out problems (as would I). Most people wouldn't, nor would they really know they're living in a utopia. They'd just be getting on with their day and hoping nothing truly catastrophic happens to them or theirs.
So, for these reasons, I think things will continue about as they have, with the caveat that the internet has made things a bit more transparent and I think more people in general are becoming aware enough of the issues around to write about it and affect change in some small way. Still, that won't change things all that much.
1. Although you recognize political problems, you're not about to become a politician to fix them: The best way to solve a lot of these problems might be from the inside. But, politics has got to be the worst field to go into. An offhand comment can end your career. Best case scenario, a lot of people will hate you for making decisions. A right decision for some will be an absolute wrong decision for others, and vice versa. And let's say you try to go your career supporting the underdog... the underdog often doesn't have any money and you need money to campaign... and you might say, "you shouldn't need a lot of money to campaign", but let me ask you this: if it's not money you need to campaign, then what should it be?
2. Has there ever been a time when those in power don't get extra privileges for supporting causes that benefit their [monetary] benefactors? I think it's important to at least acknowledge that never before in history has there existed a time when political favors of some sort are not divvied out in exchange for monetary favors. It just seems to me that for every law that people create to stop this, the money finds a way around it. But, if you're going to design a better system, what would that even look like? I'd say, you're better off designing around this concept than working against it.
3. Most people don't care, they never have, and they never will: Seriously, not to be too extreme, but I really think there's truth in this and it's baked into the human race and the practice of democracy. For an extreme example (and to include the nazis) I remember thinking about Germany in the 30s: Why didn't people get out when they had a chance? Pick up and leave when they saw doom sweeping the nation. And the answer, I think, is because that was where home was and it happened gradually enough. For people to leave everything, to admit to themselves that "They're mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore!" it takes a certain personality that most people simply don't possess. It takes, I think, the same personality that says things are bad when things are actually good. Put it this way: if we lived in a total utopia, you'd still be pointing out problems (as would I). Most people wouldn't, nor would they really know they're living in a utopia. They'd just be getting on with their day and hoping nothing truly catastrophic happens to them or theirs.
So, for these reasons, I think things will continue about as they have, with the caveat that the internet has made things a bit more transparent and I think more people in general are becoming aware enough of the issues around to write about it and affect change in some small way. Still, that won't change things all that much.