Fighting the System Inch By Inch and Moment By Moment

Let me get the less interesting business out of the way. I'm going to be out of town this weekend so I may only be able to blurb, rather then blog. Secondly, i think that this discussion deserves more then giving up on it this weekend after we've each responded once, so I propose we push my conversation starter to the following week and try to get this conversation going, because when it is my turn I'm going to take this in a radically different direction.

On to your points which are (as usual) very well taken. I'm not going to respond to the bulk of the post because I think you're pretty on the money and I can't really quibble with any of it. If I have a small objection it's just in my generally more positive outlook on life. Which means I do think we can come up with ways to ask these questions.

Or, rather I think I mean question. I often find that the best way to get someone to wrap their head around a specific problem that they are having, is to just make them answer the question "Why?".

So I think it's possible to rope someone into a discussion of education, or the media or politics generally, and then force them to look at their ingrained biases. I think one of the problems we have (especially our generation) is that we've grown used to the idea that things happen instantly. We wonder why the institutions we have seem so impenetrable, but yet do nothing to penetrate them. We've given up getting to the heart of matters.

It is interesting that you chose those speeches because that represents the era our parents grew up in. I feel like these institutions became ingrained because the boomers had all this hope and just ASSUMED they would be the ones to change the world. But instead became integrated in to the system just the same and had already accepted their generations reputation. The fact that you pointed to those two speeches from both a Democrat and a Republican that happened only half a century ago means that these ideas are did exist in the establishment you so despise. We just need to bring that back to foreground.

What I would preach is patience. Patience with the generational shift in this country. The issues of the day are not going to be our issues in 15 or 20 years. While we live in the age of instant gratification, we also are saavier then our parents. So I would focus on asking the question "why" about ingrained ideas, and imparting the ability to question in those younger then us.

I guess what I'm saying is don't worry to much about convincing those older than you. Worry about using the system that exists and then work it once you get in. Conventional wisdom IS changing its just happening slowly. But i'm willing to guarantee you that 30 years from now we're not having an argument about gay marriage, for example.

To use on final example: this presidential cycle really changed common thinking about who is capable of being elected president. Even compared to three years ago there are many fewer barriers to being elected. YES, the biggest barrier is still money. But rich people are not inherently bad. There are good rich people. I think its more important for us to reward SMART people and, in our system smart people often get rich.

Anyway we've been over and over and over this, but the point is here is a very recent example of common perceptions changing. I feel like we may actually be inching towards a "more perfect union". So don't give up hope just yet.

(P.S 0 for 9)