I’ll be a bit honest this was a dense read for me. I could take just a few sentences and write and think paragraphs about them. So it’s a lot to unpack.
“Because feelings are much less specific than ideas.” I found this one in particular to be an interesting idea.
But to your question. I don’t think he would waver too much from his assumptions about the people of democracy and I don’t think he’s wrong.
It’s interesting though because I think the reason people feel ill informed and unable to create action is caused in 2025 from completely different causes. The mass of information can leave us flooded, confused and crippled in the truth. It can also lead us to feeling helpless. I also believe (speaking specifically of Americans) we don’t have the energy to participate or even educate ourselves (as Lippmann too acknowledges) but I cynically believe this is by design and also the by product of a capitalist society. As a political science and history major I’ve always had a difficult time thinking about American democracy and seeing it for what it is without the capitalism. You cannot separate them and to me the government system feels controlled by the economics of it. Americans work too much and are often times paid too little and so they can’t really even represent “the people” the systematic weaponization of the education system leaves a lot of people behind and again unable to “serve” their country and know what is “best” for them because of the lack of time, education, resources, energy. It’s a convoluted system on purpose and I think at the end of the day a lot of people just throw up their hands, crack open a beer and call it a night. (As they rightfully deserve) Until our democracy allows time and space for the participants in it we will never be a true democracy. And as long as we continue to operate in a capitalist society with every little oversight, those people will never get a chance because we’re all too tired of the grind.
With that I’m going to call it a night myself. Aaaaaand I didn’t even mention the impacts of social media and the propaganda machines at the helm of those but I don’t even know if it’s worth mentioning.
Anyways, always appreciate these questions hitting my inbox. Love to let the thoughts marinade in my head for a bit and move them around and allow them to change without judgement so looking forward to the next installment.
I'm with ya! The system is, as you say, "convoluted" and I often throw up my hands, "crack open a beer and call it a night". I'll add to your concern about the "flood" of mass communication (in which I can barely swim) by emphasizing that the stated goal of the current administration is to "flood the zone." Indeed, flooding the zone has been the key to their successes thus far. With Lippmann in mind, it could be that only the strongest, most well-trained swimmers should enter the flood zone. Alas, that is undemocratic. It's so hard. Thanks for reading and thinking. Together, we will stay afloat.
I’ll be a bit honest this was a dense read for me. I could take just a few sentences and write and think paragraphs about them. So it’s a lot to unpack.
“Because feelings are much less specific than ideas.” I found this one in particular to be an interesting idea.
But to your question. I don’t think he would waver too much from his assumptions about the people of democracy and I don’t think he’s wrong.
It’s interesting though because I think the reason people feel ill informed and unable to create action is caused in 2025 from completely different causes. The mass of information can leave us flooded, confused and crippled in the truth. It can also lead us to feeling helpless. I also believe (speaking specifically of Americans) we don’t have the energy to participate or even educate ourselves (as Lippmann too acknowledges) but I cynically believe this is by design and also the by product of a capitalist society. As a political science and history major I’ve always had a difficult time thinking about American democracy and seeing it for what it is without the capitalism. You cannot separate them and to me the government system feels controlled by the economics of it. Americans work too much and are often times paid too little and so they can’t really even represent “the people” the systematic weaponization of the education system leaves a lot of people behind and again unable to “serve” their country and know what is “best” for them because of the lack of time, education, resources, energy. It’s a convoluted system on purpose and I think at the end of the day a lot of people just throw up their hands, crack open a beer and call it a night. (As they rightfully deserve) Until our democracy allows time and space for the participants in it we will never be a true democracy. And as long as we continue to operate in a capitalist society with every little oversight, those people will never get a chance because we’re all too tired of the grind.
With that I’m going to call it a night myself. Aaaaaand I didn’t even mention the impacts of social media and the propaganda machines at the helm of those but I don’t even know if it’s worth mentioning.
Anyways, always appreciate these questions hitting my inbox. Love to let the thoughts marinade in my head for a bit and move them around and allow them to change without judgement so looking forward to the next installment.
I'm with ya! The system is, as you say, "convoluted" and I often throw up my hands, "crack open a beer and call it a night". I'll add to your concern about the "flood" of mass communication (in which I can barely swim) by emphasizing that the stated goal of the current administration is to "flood the zone." Indeed, flooding the zone has been the key to their successes thus far. With Lippmann in mind, it could be that only the strongest, most well-trained swimmers should enter the flood zone. Alas, that is undemocratic. It's so hard. Thanks for reading and thinking. Together, we will stay afloat.