[alansammarone]

That's right, one person caring and not acting doesn't change reality, neither does one person caring and acting (most of the time). A relatively small number of people caring and acting, however, can change the course of history.

While it is in nobody's interest to care, individually, we're all better off if we care and act just a little bit.

[contrarian1234]

i assume caring and acting here you mean in the context of larger issues. bc effort spent on your immediate world definitely does change reality

there is no mechanism past voting to change the big picture. Nor should there be. The person going around with the megaphone convincing other people their right inherantly feels their feelings are more right than others'

And you dont need to care an aweful lot when it comes to voting. Any caring past that is basically like getting worked up about the weather

[Esophagus4]

> there is no mechanism past voting to change the big picture.

I hope I’m not reading this too narrowly, but this seems too reductionist. Everything probably rolls up to a vote at some point, sure, but there are lots of things citizens can do to change the big picture between filling out their ballots every few years.

During the Great Depression, protests were a driver of policy change (New Deal, labor rights…) that still endure, and protests laid the ground work for the American Civil Rights Movement in the 60s.

Ultimately, these work because politicians do need to win elections, sure. But there are plenty of ways to organize or be a part of a movement to change society that aren’t simply filling in a bubble in a ballot box.

[mrbombastic]

This is straight nonsense, why do you think Jimmy Kimmel had his show reinstated yesterday? The pendulum is constantly pushed and pulled in different directions outside of elections, if you decide you don’t need to care all you do is give way to those that do.