Democracy In Albany - New York Politics ||

IS THIS WHO WE ARE?

By firefoxfan, Section Diaries
Posted on Mon Mar 19, 2007 at 06:56:55 PM EST

"In this sense, to be merely interested in politics can be a kind of escape from politics. To be interested allows one to indulge in a great variety of emotional responses, from rage and hate to admiration and love; to derive a sense of superiority from the obvious inadequacies of men of action; to prescribe grandiose solutions to complex problems of public policy; to engage in fantasies about one's own achievements in a never-never land of politics; to become an inside-dopester; and to follow each day's new events with the passionate curiosity of a housewife anxiously awaiting the next installment of her favorite soap opera; yet never to participate in politics in any way except by discussing political affairs with others and occasionally casting a vote."
-Robert Dahl, from Who Governs?

Food for thought. Discuss.

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IS THIS WHO WE ARE? | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)

who we are (none / 0) (#1)
by DIA on Mon Mar 19, 2007 at 07:18:31 PM EST

where do you live?

Its a lot of fun to play politics and make a lot of money from it like Mayor Jennings. But the mayor lives on the outskirts of the city. When you read the news and see that a couple of teenagers were shot a block or two away, are we just exhibiting the "with the passionate curiosity of a housewife anxiously awaiting the next installment of her favorite soap opera".

I know the Mayor gets nice meals and drinks at Martels. There are no "gangs out there". A lot of us live in a different part of the city. Its called downtown.

Yeah. I want an escape from politics. The politics that i see every day on the street. We want better. You want to provide an escape? Great. Start with education and safe streets.

I hope you weren't trying to use a quote to take on intellectual airs.

Albany (none / 0) (#2)
by firefoxfan on Mon Mar 19, 2007 at 08:09:36 PM EST

Like the comeback. Unlike most people, I can laugh at myself. So yes, I probably was taking on a bit of an intellectual air.
That being said, the quote still provokes the question we should be asking ourselves: how involved are we really?
This isn't the forum for displaying any of our respective political war wounds; I merely posted the quote to make us think truly about what it is that we do (or as I suspect for many of us, perhaps myself included at times, don't do).
"We want better."
Is this the way to do it?
Realize I'm not being critical DIA, just asking if this is one way to affect political change.

[ Parent ]

: Firefox (none / 0) (#3)
by alfrednewman on Mon Mar 19, 2007 at 08:50:30 PM EST

I liked the quote. Very thought provoking.
I was once involved in campaigning. Like most that go into it I had great expectations of dealing with honorable men waging honorable battles on issues of importance.
Instead, most of the candidates that I had to deal with were thin skinned egotistical idiots who were more interested in what was in it for themselves then what was for the common good.
Even the "reform" politicans were perfectly willing to be bought off.
Blogs like this give neo-cynical people like me a chance to clean the soul. To realize that there are still citizens out there who are interested in the community at large. It gives us the opertunity to discuss issues without having to compete with the distration of political operatives monitoring our actions.
In Albany it is sometimes much safer to be the "housewife" then to have people out to get you.
If you want to look at this type of blog from a different perspective, this is the modern day equivelent of a Ben Franklin's "Juno" or Paul Revere's discussion group at the Green Dragon.
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]
: Frank and honest discussion never hurts (none / 0) (#6)
by ObnoxioTheClown on Sun Mar 25, 2007 at 08:32:36 PM EST

Sometimes change is a revolution, other times its an evolution. Change happens -- and the thoughts triggered by open discussion is an agent of change.
If you read, contribute to, or even troll a public forum, you are performing an act that is essential to a democratic society.
You could waste your time a million other ways... attending council or school board meetings, or submitting public comments that nobody gives a shit about. Getting involved doesn't mean that you're effective.
This site is a great one partially because DIA chose to use Scoop instead of Wordpress or some other blogging tool. This place encourages user participation and is creating a real, vibrant community -- which rocks.
Nothing is ever perfect. You're never done with projects in your house, even a great job is work and society never gets everything right. Such is life.
Winston Churchill, widely regarded as an imperfect -- yet great leader, said:
"Democracy is the worst form of government...except for every other form that's been tried."
That's an overused quote, but relevant still. You cannot achieve perfection when more than one person has a say in the matter.

[ Parent ]

is this the best use of our time (none / 0) (#4)
by DIA on Tue Mar 20, 2007 at 05:05:00 AM EST

I get a lot of e-mails telling me that this blog is a good use of my time. If you've been reading for a while you know that i've tried to quite several times. I've got things to do.

If all you do is read this blog, your streets won't get safer and your schools won't improve. It won't help Jennings balance the budget. It won't lower your taxes (unless you take the advice from some here and file to have your new assessment lowered). A lot of people who read this blog are doing the hard work out in their neighborhoods. And doing the hard work of getting real representatives elected.

Sure we all could do more. But I doubt this blog is dragging us down.

intellectual airs (none / 0) (#5)
by DIA on Tue Mar 20, 2007 at 06:04:51 AM EST

and one other thing. I wish more people would take on intellectual airs.

No one has ever accused the mayor of being an intellectual. Its actually a good thing.

IS THIS WHO WE ARE? | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)

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