6 ms·

I vote and I protest, but yet those with money continue to corrupt the system. I feel much more like a victim of the system than a participant. How would you s

by sezna 7y ago

I vote and I protest, but yet those with money continue to corrupt the system. I feel much more like a victim of the system than a participant. How would you suggest a typical American HN reader go about effecting change?

cgopalan 7y ago
This is definitely a hard question to answer and I have been struggling with it myself. It can feel like a monumental effort when it feels like you are one person doing it. It does feel like the tide is turning though as issues like single-payer become more prevalent. I would say seek out more sophisticated associations/efforts that promote the issues you are passionate about and make sure they don't have a problem staying afloat, by contributing time or (more importantly) money to them. That might be a more effective way to support your cause.
echelon 7y ago
Probably emigrate, to be honest. A brain drain or loss of labor might do the trick. It's the ultimate peaceful vote of no confidence. The system isn't changing right now because it works for those in power. Without bodies to do the work, they'll change their tone. I don't expect this to happen, though. A lot of engineers are comfy with the top-tier healthcare provided by their employers, so they're likely not willing to leave America. (There are a lot of other perks of our country too, I'm just highlighting this one dimension. I'm certainly not going to leave over this even though I also feel my efforts to affect change are futile.) I suspect that there are even people who believe healthcare isn't a right.
- jammygit 7y ago
  Come to Canada!
  - dbtx 7y ago
    Canada very likely disagrees on this being a good idea in many individual cases, such as mine...
    - jammygit 7y ago
      You’re right, but I have met a lot of successful immigrants who did have a good experience. I’m sure experiences vary dramatically
      - dbtx 7y ago
        I'm sure many others' experiences are great. The point was that from what I've heard, such an opportunity exists mainly for people who are not me.
sh1mmer 7y ago
Have you considered contributing your technical expertise to something like Code for America? Their two flagship projects (GetCalFresh and Criminal Justice) reform both started off as simple web forms to make it easier to file for SNAP (food stamps) and sealing eligible marijuana convictions respectively. However as they gained traction they were able to engage state and local governments as collaborators and significantly improve the outcomes. For the criminal justice work that meant fully automating sealing convictions in San Francisco, that then provided the “proof” for a state bill that passed to require all California counties to do the same over then next few years. So while it seems like getting money out of politics is impossible I’d suggest working on stuff you care about at your state level, and providing working proofs will help people trying to support sensible legislation for reform.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago
  > Have you considered contributing your technical expertise to something like Code for America? You can't fix everything with a website.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    While true, it’s great to find someone else has done all the legwork on how to cancel a shit ISP and switch to a better and cheaper one. Or pre-wrote everything one needs to complain to the regulator about a bull-shit charge and get their $ back. It certainly takes a certain mindset to take advantage of the above, but making it easier encourages it. The above are two things I’ll be publishing tonight. There’s a few hundred thousand people in my mom’s town that suddenly have a decent internet option.
  - sh1mmer 7y ago
    You definitely can't fix anything by not trying... (to make a website?)
ativzzz 7y ago
Voting and protesting are ultimately pointless if the options to vote for aren't enacting the changes needed, and if the protests aren't causing enough disruption to people in power for them to change anything. If you really want change, then you need to somehow climb the ladder of power and enact the changes yourself. Unfortunately, if you take the political or corporate path, you will most likely be so disillusioned by the time you get anywhere that you will join the other side. You can also become a revolutionary of sorts, by leading others through your charisma or prose. Of course none of these are anything a "typical" person can do, but in fact, a "typical" person really has no power whatsoever unless someone atypical manages to organize them together.
bad-joke 7y ago
You may find community organizing rewarding. Depending on your comfort level, you can try things like: - Volunteer work - Participating in city/town board/council meetings - Direct action (eg the TN chapter of the DSA replaced tail lights for free, since broken tail lights are the most common reason for minorities getting pulled over) - Canvassing for candidates, referendums, etc. - Solidarity actions (eg joining strike members on the picket line) If you're not sure where to start, try researching local candidates that share your views and find out which organizations endorsed them.

by sezna 7y ago

cgopalan 7y ago

This is definitely a hard question to answer and I have been struggling with it myself. It can feel like a monumental effort when it feels like you are one person doing it. It does feel like the tide is turning though as issues like single-payer become more prevalent. I would say seek out more sophisticated associations/efforts that promote the issues you are passionate about and make sure they don't have a problem staying afloat, by contributing time or (more importantly) money to them. That might be a more effective way to support your cause.

echelon 7y ago

Probably emigrate, to be honest. A brain drain or loss of labor might do the trick. It's the ultimate peaceful vote of no confidence. The system isn't changing right now because it works for those in power. Without bodies to do the work, they'll change their tone. I don't expect this to happen, though. A lot of engineers are comfy with the top-tier healthcare provided by their employers, so they're likely not willing to leave America. (There are a lot of other perks of our country too, I'm just highlighting this one dimension. I'm certainly not going to leave over this even though I also feel my efforts to affect change are futile.) I suspect that there are even people who believe healthcare isn't a right.

jammygit 7y ago
Come to Canada!
- dbtx 7y ago
  Canada very likely disagrees on this being a good idea in many individual cases, such as mine...
  - jammygit 7y ago
    You’re right, but I have met a lot of successful immigrants who did have a good experience. I’m sure experiences vary dramatically
    - dbtx 7y ago
      I'm sure many others' experiences are great. The point was that from what I've heard, such an opportunity exists mainly for people who are not me.

sh1mmer 7y ago

Have you considered contributing your technical expertise to something like Code for America? Their two flagship projects (GetCalFresh and Criminal Justice) reform both started off as simple web forms to make it easier to file for SNAP (food stamps) and sealing eligible marijuana convictions respectively. However as they gained traction they were able to engage state and local governments as collaborators and significantly improve the outcomes. For the criminal justice work that meant fully automating sealing convictions in San Francisco, that then provided the “proof” for a state bill that passed to require all California counties to do the same over then next few years. So while it seems like getting money out of politics is impossible I’d suggest working on stuff you care about at your state level, and providing working proofs will help people trying to support sensible legislation for reform.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago
> Have you considered contributing your technical expertise to something like Code for America? You can't fix everything with a website.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  While true, it’s great to find someone else has done all the legwork on how to cancel a shit ISP and switch to a better and cheaper one. Or pre-wrote everything one needs to complain to the regulator about a bull-shit charge and get their $ back. It certainly takes a certain mindset to take advantage of the above, but making it easier encourages it. The above are two things I’ll be publishing tonight. There’s a few hundred thousand people in my mom’s town that suddenly have a decent internet option.
- sh1mmer 7y ago
  You definitely can't fix anything by not trying... (to make a website?)

ativzzz 7y ago

Voting and protesting are ultimately pointless if the options to vote for aren't enacting the changes needed, and if the protests aren't causing enough disruption to people in power for them to change anything. If you really want change, then you need to somehow climb the ladder of power and enact the changes yourself. Unfortunately, if you take the political or corporate path, you will most likely be so disillusioned by the time you get anywhere that you will join the other side. You can also become a revolutionary of sorts, by leading others through your charisma or prose. Of course none of these are anything a "typical" person can do, but in fact, a "typical" person really has no power whatsoever unless someone atypical manages to organize them together.

bad-joke 7y ago

You may find community organizing rewarding. Depending on your comfort level, you can try things like: - Volunteer work - Participating in city/town board/council meetings - Direct action (eg the TN chapter of the DSA replaced tail lights for free, since broken tail lights are the most common reason for minorities getting pulled over) - Canvassing for candidates, referendums, etc. - Solidarity actions (eg joining strike members on the picket line) If you're not sure where to start, try researching local candidates that share your views and find out which organizations endorsed them.