Das Booty Politick
So, I saw something on today’s hot posts on the front page, and hoped for it to be something it wasn’t. Then I thought that I haven’t written anything particularly political for a while (unless the Personal is political in which case I’m always going on about politics). That means I’m going to write a few thoughts about what I was hoping the post (actually about presidential candidates on mice base) would be about.
I guess I shouldn’t really expect someone else to have my thoughts for me…but then…maybe that’s what the future is all about.
Oh, and I refuse to apologise for the pun laden and possibly nonsensical headline….you should be used to this shit by now.
Where was I?
Oh yes. The phrase politics 2.0…while effectively gibberish…made me think about what I’d like to see happen.
There’s clearly problems with the closed nature of our political system. Corruption in the body politic is pretty much systemic. We vote for the people we feel most likely to represent us on the basis of the lies and/or advertising that they spew out of every orifice. It’s more of a PR war than it is a representation of the beliefs of those involved. People remain apathetic towards the general political process…not least because parties often fail to follow through on what they promise they’ll do.
Personally, I’d like to see more community involvement in politics. More smaller localised bodies which get a community involved and allow communication in a more direct way to those higher up the structural ladder. Personal involvement, transparency and open communication and debate about everything.
More like true democracy, the people take part in as many decisions as is feasible rather than nominating career politicians with their own agendas.
I first fell in love with this rather idealistic view when reading an essay (many years ago) on Participatory Economy. If you’re interested, then take a peek over at wikipedia, and at this great collection of essays and stuff that could probably bore you to death for days on end.
Or make you hopeful for a brighter future. Depends on how you feel about these things.
Anyway, that’s not what I’m talking about today…lets get back to reality a little bit.
You see, as I understand it, the whole Web 2.0 thing is about community driven content, direct involvement networked communication and a general equality of users. Open ended communication should mean that everyone can get involved.
Politics could be wonderful again.
The old Greek Democracy, a whole population taking part in its own government, not just pretending to be accountable whilst failing to engage.
Apathy would be destroyed and the problems of the world would be exposed and solved.
Or possibly everyone would just call everyone else teh pwned and hate, anger and abuse would be the watch words of the democratic process.
Still….I’d rather have everybody calling each other names than just a select bunch of people in a building in my capital calling each other names.
Maybe.
Bah…..Pessimism and Idealism team up to leave me confused and miserable again.
Bloody politics.
Thoughts?
On the one hand, I think politicians on MySpace is boldfaced pandering…Watching Dennis Kucinich’s attempt at video blogging is the definition of generation gap. On the other hand, it seems like this Politics 2.0 trend is exactly what you’re hoping for: politicians seeking a two-way dialogue with constituents.
Hard to tell as this trend is so new.
Jon
P.S. – The only Athenians with voting rights were male landowners, so I would take American democracy over Greek democracy, FWIW.
Jon
28 March 2007
“The old Greek Democracy, a whole population taking part in its own government, not just pretending to be accountable whilst failing to engage.”
Greeek democracy was only open to a small percentage of the whole population. Namely free, adult men. And according to Plato*, fairly corrupt.
The kind of democracy with the entire population taking part is only possible in small self-contained communities wherein everyone can literally hear everyone else. I’ve always thought that a lot of the problems within modern politics were inherent to the notion and general size of the nation state.
How many people are put off by being one of many? By their vote ‘not counting’?
If it could be broken down to the local level, each semi-autonomous unit deciding amongst itself how best to govern, I feel like it would work better. At least on a personal level. Like that Greek Democracy we always hear about.
But then I’m not a PoliSci major or anything, I’d like to hear what other people think.
*Not the most impartial source? His teacher was executed by them.**
**Thinking about it, that’s a valid complaint.
the Anti-Christina
28 March 2007
I think I meant the idealised view of Greek Politics…as always we choose to ignore the realities when we idolise history.
I’d like to see a Greek style democracy open to all…the people in control…..you are right though….I mean all people.
Ayaan, that’s exactly what I meant. Smaller semi autonomous communities working within a larger system. Everyone able to express their voices directly (though generally only after checking with local communities to see whether complaints are already being made etc etc etc….it’s very easy to get caught up on the minutiae of that kind of thing…I was just trying to be broad).
The point is that in fact we now have the technology (though not unfortunately available to all…..we can’t realistically talk about the empowerment of the computing/information age until all people are represented) that could network these communities and make everyone ‘connected’ to government.
To return to Jon,
I think that the two way dynamic is what the politicians are desperate to appear to have at the moment. In fact, of course, you can always visit your MP’s in their surgery, you can always write letters, and now you can send e-mails and post complaints.
The problem comes when these things remain simply PR exercises. The blogs are all going to be heavily moderated (with good reason in some ways) in a way that leaves the party line always intact and unopen to challenge (through the sanitised community operated by the politicians themselves.
If however the whole political process was as open and available to all, then people could educate themselves, whilst challenging and making accountable those in power.
Is that making more sense….thanks a lot for stopping by.
Alabaster Crippens
28 March 2007
The second saddest thing about modern politics is the absence of a check box on your ballot for “none of the above”.
The saddest thing is that people are too damn lazy to verify a candidates words by checking his actions and demanding, listening to, and analyzing his explanations. Takes all of ten minutes.
At the very least, we should all usually be able to find on a proper democratic ballot, someone we want to vote against.
However, it’s too late to return to Greek democracy. The US is already run by fat rich white males.
Thank god I live in a constitutional monarchy–best of both worlds. If America was still a colony, Her Majesty’d have had Bush’s head off by now.
Metro
28 March 2007