Another reason people often write off politics—and with it, getting involved in civil discussion— is that they believe that politics is rigged from the start. This Frequently Voiced Objection often goes something like this:
I don’t know why anyone even thinks of getting involved in politics in any way. I don’t buy into conspiracy theories, but how can average people like me compete against big corporations, business groups, and unions—not to mention Wall Street? Hardly a day goes by that someone’s not reporting another story about the influence of money on elections or the power of lobbyists. Did Scott Walker defeat his historic recall in Wisconsin in 2012 because he outspent his rival eight to one? Does my local teachers’ union have a stranglehold over the school board? I don’t know, but I’m more than a bit suspicious and not at all sure that they don’t. It all just turns me off. In civics class, we learned that the founding fathers believed that “all men are created equal.” I agreed then and I agree now, but I wonder how relevant that has ever been. I don’t have millions to throw around to make my voice heard. It seems like it would take major changes to level the playing field. Until that happens, I’d rather sit on the sidelines.
Unfortunately, there’s more truth to this lament than we’d care to admit. When it comes to politics in America, money talks—and more so than in other countries. But it’s not the ideal of equality that’s to blame. In fact, without the ideal of a level playing field, we wouldn’t be able to measure how close or distant we are from where we want to be. And we’ve undoubtedly made progress. Voting and other civil rights have expanded over the last several decades. Educational opportunities have broadened, and, more recently, the Internet has greatly expanded citizens’ effective “right to be heard.”
But continued progress toward full political equality is not likely to occur without real effort. Consequently, those of us who suspect that American politics isn’t as fair as it should be are faced with a real dilemma. The situation makes us want to sit on the sidelines, but it won’t improve if we do. One of the key contributions civil discussion can make to public life is to break through this hopelessness and passivity, not by riling people up, but rather by getting them involved in an environment that builds trust.
Such an environment depends on discussion guidelines that are the same for all and having a capable facilitator to make sure they’re followed. With those elements in place, it becomes much easier to resist manipulation—even by garden-variety loudmouths.
*Adapted from Adolf G. Gundersen and Suzanne Goodney Lea, Let’s Talk Politics: Restoring Civility Through Exploratory Discussion, Chapter 3.
