I don't have answers about any of this; really, I just having growing questions.
I don't disagree with you. Particularly with 2-income professional families (or ambitious younger people in challenging jobs like startups), there clearly is very little emotional and mental energy to spare for this level on non-voting, day-in/day-out political engagement.
But with that said, I have in my own extended family seen the extent to which conservative churches often play aggressively political roles in organizing and putting lots of political pressure on politicians. As busy as we all feel, somehow they still often manage to find the boots on the ground for this kind of stuff.
I hate to get all Oprah / the Secret on this topic, but I'm inching towards thinking that this entire topic is about confidence, primarily. Most us of in internet land seem to have a certain exasperated resignation that things can't get better, only worse. It seems like a deep seated belief. It's hard to find the energy to fight when you assume you're fighting a lost cause, regardless of how worthwhile. I'm not sure how much of that is self-fulfilling - maybe no one can.
I don't disagree with you. Particularly with 2-income professional families (or ambitious younger people in challenging jobs like startups), there clearly is very little emotional and mental energy to spare for this level on non-voting, day-in/day-out political engagement.
But with that said, I have in my own extended family seen the extent to which conservative churches often play aggressively political roles in organizing and putting lots of political pressure on politicians. As busy as we all feel, somehow they still often manage to find the boots on the ground for this kind of stuff.
I hate to get all Oprah / the Secret on this topic, but I'm inching towards thinking that this entire topic is about confidence, primarily. Most us of in internet land seem to have a certain exasperated resignation that things can't get better, only worse. It seems like a deep seated belief. It's hard to find the energy to fight when you assume you're fighting a lost cause, regardless of how worthwhile. I'm not sure how much of that is self-fulfilling - maybe no one can.