Whatever. Later.

Madame:

Well said.  Disconnection seems to be indeed a, or the, root problem.

And distraction is why, seemingly, only the most momentous—and apparently urgent—things can get us to focus for very long.  Unfortunately, it often is sham-urgency for media-inflated things that only divert us from real problems.

This culture is a constant bombardment of seductive, tranquilizing, numbing perpetuations of the status quo.  The very opposite of urgency to change is the norm.  Escapism—sports, movies, games, television, the internet—gives the constant impression that there is no urgency, that the problem can’t be that bad, that “things will work out without me having to get involved” and that “almost no one else—certainly no one I know—is getting worked up about it or doing anything about it; must mean I don’t need to either.”

Climate change ends up getting treated as topic of the hour (not even day or week).

I bet we would find its counterparts in the thinking of the first few centuries of the Roman Empire—which came from a Roman Republic. 

The pundits are predicting that apathy, emotion, and diversion will keep voters from turning out for this election.  Who are these people?

Those who presently, newly, benefit from the Affordable Care Act (ACA).   Ironic.

Those who are upset about their economic situation yet will also ignore or turn on what benefits and might benefit them (ACA, other government programs, and, especially, better policies).

Those who think we should do more about climate change.

The analysts say these people will mis-target their economic dissatisfaction.   Or that they will listen to negative ads put out by well funded, plutocratic-connected provocateurs.  That they will listen to defeatist talk, hopelessness talk, futility talk.  That they will not get get truly informed and they will not think critically.  That they will not make the effort to get to the polls.  They will give up the one thing of power—voting—they have left. 

And America will get an even worse government, that does even less, and what little it does do will often be detrimental.  And our problems will get worse.

Prove this wrong America.  I will be among the first to rejoice if it’s wrong!