People complain far too much about politics, and do far too little. This is readily observed by anyone with senses, but why it happens merits some digging into. It’s multicausal, but one big cause is: the government is only set up to take complaints, so that’s mostly what it gets.
"No one likes systems that are overwhelmed by complaints. If you’re a member of the public, you don’t want to touch those systems, even if they are vital and need your talent. If you’re a member of the government, you go into triage mode—you don’t think creatively about how to do government, you think about how to manage complaint flow. And everyone is bored all around." - Great observation Daniel! Noted this myself when I went to a Sunshine Ordinance Task Force meeting in SF. It was civil and engaging; people were polite. However, I did not get a sense of agency emanating from the force in a way that conveyed we should shift things.
I can see how in a less engaged council/committee/task force/board/commission and on a more heated topic, things would be different.
"No one likes systems that are overwhelmed by complaints. If you’re a member of the public, you don’t want to touch those systems, even if they are vital and need your talent. If you’re a member of the government, you go into triage mode—you don’t think creatively about how to do government, you think about how to manage complaint flow. And everyone is bored all around." - Great observation Daniel! Noted this myself when I went to a Sunshine Ordinance Task Force meeting in SF. It was civil and engaging; people were polite. However, I did not get a sense of agency emanating from the force in a way that conveyed we should shift things.
I can see how in a less engaged council/committee/task force/board/commission and on a more heated topic, things would be different.