As I kid, I remember never wanting to feel controlled. At 10, when my parents would tell me to do something, I would purposely not do what they asked so I could feel like I had more power–over them and myself.
If they told me just to pick up a bit of my room now and save the rest for later so my mom could deep clean it, I would go and pick up the entire room and make it look as neat as possible, because yeah, I was that much of a rebel. What I failed to understand then was used against me by my parents to get me to do something they wanted while giving me the illusion of control.
The same feeling of defiance is used in modern day capitalism. Our political system preaches freedom, democracy and equality. In America, we enjoy all the benefits of our “free” market and private ownership. What if I told you that our sense of control is mostly an illusion? The system is inherently flawed and manipulated.
Our system is not designed to handle crises such as corruption, climate change, overconsumption and poverty. The ideal of the democratic republic our nation is supposed to be is hidden beneath the veil of vanity and power-hungry individuals hell-bent on keeping things exactly the way they are. Their sole purpose is to prove why their policy is right and everyone else’s is wrong.
It is time for a change.
Politics have been around since the start of humanity, ingrained in our nature. We enjoy having our roles laid out to us by people we trust to protect and govern us. Humans have always liked the idea of having a body of fellow trustworthy humans making the tougher choices for the rest of us.
Having self-autonomy, however, is a completely different question. Researchers from Rutgers and Columbia Universities raise the question of whether our “societal emphasis on ‘personal freedom,’ and ‘self-determination’ is the cause or consequence of the need to exercise personal autonomy.” For context, they define personal autonomy as “a biological basis for the need for control and for choice — that is, the means by which we exercise control over the environment.”
With American politics in mind, this question poses a problem. Humans have a biological need to exert their control on the environment. The amount of political power given to the House of Representatives touches on that biological need for control.
Corruption has existed ever since politics began. If we are given power, it is highly likely that we will want more of it.
An example of corruption is gerrymandering. Our flawed system allows for any party that controls its state’s House to keep the power for as long as they have the majority. This is not what a democracy calls for. If most people in a state want to elect someone, that person should win. This system needs to be abolished, as it threatens the values that make a democracy what it is. For the people. It should always be up to the people, and not the congressional districts drawn by corrupt politicians.
Politics shouldn’t be designed this way. The people should have control over who they want to have representing them in office. What should happen is a power shift. The people should have more power over their representation. What I mean by that is that political positions should be more easily accessible to the public, and those who don’t want that position should always have a voice.
In the case of 10-year-old me and my bedroom, I should not have just defied my parents, but I also should not have tried to deep clean myself because my little 10-year-old brain could end up spilling the spray bottle all over the place and unintentionally creating mustard gas in my room. The governing body (my parents) should have been honest and upfront about what they wanted so there was no silent manipulation and the public (me) knew exactly what was expected.
Power needs to shift from the people who represent us to those our representatives represent.
Politics shouldn’t be designed this way. The people should have control over who they want to have representing them in office.
A United States senator from North Carolina named Jeff Jackson runs a TikTok page where he shares information on his meetings and hearings in Congress and occasionally gives his input on debates and bills. He says his main objective is to give us the truth about what he sees happening in Congress and keep the public informed about everything he can.
Even though he is a part of the political system that is full of corruption and needs serious change, Jackson uses a calm voice to explain to people what’s happening and uses reason. In a video titled “Fake Anger,” Jackson says, “It’s really clear from working there for just a few months that most of the really angry voices in Congress are totally faking it…These people that have built their brands around being perpetually outraged–it’s an act.”
Fake anger on both sides of the political spectrum is showcased in the media 24/7 so these politicians can keep us emotional and keep our attention.
“I’ve been in committee meetings that are open to the press and committee meetings that are closed,” Jackson says. “The same people who act like maniacs during the open meetings are suddenly calm and rational during the closed ones.”
The truth is, it is easy for us to fall victim to this tactic even though we know what’s going on, because we are emotional creatures.
Historically, revolutions have fought tyranny and built something better from it, just like how the United States was born. But we are in a post-modern era where we have gone through enough violent revolutions to know what our government should and should not be doing.
Although the media can be used to manipulate the masses, it can also be used for good. Information can spread in an instant. And there are more people like Jeff Jackson with a truth-driven agenda joining social media everyday. We’re making progress, and a new era is coming. We just have to make sure that we get there. And when we do, we must put our emotions aside and imagine what is best for humanity.
If my parents had simply told me to get off the game and clean up my room, I would have done it. I wouldn’t have felt good being told what to do, but I would have sucked it up and done it because I could see the clear outcomes that cleaning my room would bring and how it would have benefited future me.
In the current structure of politics, however, it is hard to find that same light at the end of the tunnel. We can never know whether our vote will hold any weight due to the issue of gerrymandering, and even whether our elected politicians will hold true on their policies once they get into office. We are always unsure about whether politicians really care for our needs or more about their biological desire for control.
Climate change is one of the divisive topics that keep us fighting so that we can never reach an agreement. While meaningful changes have been made and progress is apparent, we are still long way from keeping our planet habitable long-term.
Certified zoologist and arborist David Shepard has dedicated his life to studying wildlife and the environment. For nearly 20 years, he has taught an introductory environmental science course at Moraine Valley.
“People don’t want to deal with a bunch of regulations. Especially corporations,” Shepard says. “Some political ideologies are more interested in protecting the interests of corporations, rather than considering their effect on the environment.”
Regulations such as lower carbon emissions could risk profits, leading corporations to lay off some people, he points out.
“There might have to be a disaster,” he said. “Or catastrophic disaster. For example, the Cuyahoga River incident. People were brought together to force corporations to change their ways, because everyone had suffered the consequences.”
He refers to a polarizing event and movement that took place just a few miles north of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1969. The Cuyahoga River literally caught on fire. It took the collective effort from both ends of the political spectrum to come together and force the companies on the river banks to change their ways.
There is hope we can make our planet habitable, but it is up to us to change from arguing and debating to educating.
“Kids should be taught about plant life and diet right in first grade,” Shepard says. “I don’t mean that climate change should be taught to an 8-year-old. But kids should be encouraged to go outside and experience the beauty of nature, instead of locked away on their devices.”
Shepard is inspired by what is happening these days: “The ideas are out there now more than they ever have been. There is increased awareness and agreement across the newer generations.”
Even with all of our strides for reaching agreement, it’s still up to us to keep the pressure on politicians to change their ways. We need to stop them from preying on our emotions, as it does more harm than good.
Even with all of our strides for reaching agreement, it’s still up to us to keep the pressure on politicians to change their ways. We need to stop them from preying on our emotions, as it does more harm than good.
What needs to happen is for our leaders to spark that same clarity that 10-year-old me had when I sucked it up and cleaned my messy room anyway.
We need to acknowledge our biological need for power and be open about it. Younger me shouldn’t have let my room get so messy in the first place, but I was just a kid.
As we are all just human. Prone to mistakes and letting our emotions control us. If we acknowledge the issues and respond appropriately, we can address the divisive topics and come together and find common ground. The people of the United States do not have to be emotional sheep following whichever politician can make them the angriest.
We can all be a collective group working on problems as they come. I’m not suggesting an uprising and tearing down what we have. What we have is good, and it breeds social, economic and environmental improvements. But not at the rate which we need. Fighting is just slowing us down. Collectively, we all can do better, and make real, lasting change.
Velocity 
Leave a comment