I can already hear the admonishments for “attacking” Medium’s most popular clarion.
I can already hear the accolades for exposing a doomposter for not having a solution.
I ask both groups to have patience with me while I make some important points.
I joined Medium in April 2019. The top writers of those days showed up on my feed. I clicked on a few articles from Umair Haque. I had to agree with most of what he was saying. While I found his writing style a little too sensationalist for my liking, I acknowledge our current political condition requires good ideas to be sensationalized to get any attention.
But after my 10th Umair article, I realized that Umair is writing about the same few things repeatedly. Although I tired of his rants, I was often commenting on his works, trying to get some exposure for my alternative democracy. For about a year, this seemed to have brought me followers and directed visitors to my flagship article. When these tangible results were no longer happening, I stopped most of my Umair reading.
His articles continue to show up on my feed. And once in a while, I will read an Umair article and its comments to see if there is a different tone. My expectations are low. Sometimes I leave a little comment.
Personally, I don’t see the point of Umair’s writing. Methinks he is not reaching the demographics that really need to hear his message. And I believe that many of his loyal readers are using his rants to psychologically cast all blame for all our woes on “the other side.” This is not going to help.
Umair critics often mention his lack of solution. To be fair, Umair has several essays on Eudaimonics, a new way to restructure society. I encourage both fans and critics to read these essays on Medium.
This is the kind of thinking we really need to be doing. But it seems we plebes are more interested in doomposting than possible solutions. So should we fault Umair for going to where his bread is being buttered?
The improving democracy list
In one of his essays a few months ago, Umair asked his readers to “do something.” But he went no further to explain what “do something” actually means. So I have taken some liberty of what “do something” could mean in changing the world:
1. Become a better person.
2. Talk to your neighbors.
3. Be especially nice to children, seniors, and people with mental health issues.
4. Attend “connection” seminars, like Kabballah — and apply those principles to your daily life.
5. Serve on volunteer boards.
6. Help these boards with hands-on volunteer work.
7. Read more, especially things that are outside your echo chamber.
8. Thank the people with difficult yet so essential occupations: teachers, nurses, firefighters, police, grocery store workers, truck drivers, etc.
9. Vote — even if it means voting for the lesser of two evils.
10. Join and participate in a political party, trying to change it from within.
11. Protest for just causes.
12. Become an activist for just causes.
13. Engage with elected officials about our just causes.
14. Write articles about just causes and post them on the internet.
15. Be more conscious of the impact of our consumer choices.
16. Confront the other side to expose their foolish values.
17. Engage gently with the other side to bring them gently to our better values.
For some reason, Umair cannot give us these kinds of suggestions. Yet this list is not rocket science. These are well-known ways for people to participate in democracy.
Now I have some hard questions.
How much of your spare time are you putting into this list for political activities?
If you are not doing very much in this regard, then I will ask these two questions:
1) Why are you content to blame the other side for all our political problems?
2) Did Umair’s writings help you reach or reinforce your “blame” conclusion?
If you are putting in significant spare time and energy into these political activities, then I will ask these two questions:
1) How did Umair’s writings inspire you to put yourself on this list?
2) How’s all your work helping to make a better world?
One more question
If you are posting social/political articles on Medium as your contribution, how is that helping in moving the world forward?
To help you answer that last question, I will give you my Medium experience.
I have been on Medium for four years. My primary reason is to promote my alternative democracy. I have 330 articles and 8311 responses. I have read thousands of articles. With all this effort and time, I am still an echo chamber of one.
If I have not been able to move anyone to my cause, what are the chances that you have moved someone from the other political side to your political side?
A new item for the do-something-politically list
I have challenged you to think about how you are spending your political time.
I would like to add one more item to my list of political activities. I left it out because it is not yet regarded as an accepted activity to improve democracy.
This activity is to build a new democracy.
Despite whatever political activities we are doing today, our current democracies are not working that well. So why not put some of our political time into this different political project?
Did you notice I said: “SOME of our political time”?
This new democracy project will only require about 10 hours a month. If you are politically active, you can move some of your political time into this new democracy and yet still participate in your usual political ways. Consider splitting your time as “hedging your bets.”
As you are building this new democracy, you will become an example for other citizens to see how governance can work better.
You will become the example you want to see in our politicians.
I wonder what Umair would think about you spending time in this new democracy.
So do something.
But do something that makes change with long-lasting, positive effects.
Published on Medium 2023
American Progressives do not Understand American Democracy
