There was a professor of political science at Columbia College, Charles Hamilton, who wrote how citizens are manipulated.
Those in power allow for the expulsion of political energy by the masses who oppose change.
The political class proposes a path of exhausting process, seemingly giving the public a voice to object, knowing full well that the process is outcome determinative, and will end as it was contemplated to end when it began.
Under a veil of legitimacy, the process begins, wheels spin, springs compress, political levers are applied, and the public immerses itself in meetings, soft-voice facilitators, hearings, digitally memorialized opinions, statements, and papers galore.
The public enjoys high hopes that what they honestly want will be enacted by their “elected” representatives.
Many well-meaning citizens are thus engaged, and mollified with the hope of prevailing, as they participate like the dickens in the process until the last suspenseful moment, when they find that their “vision,” and all that they said and did, was never meant to be taken seriously. Continue reading