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   Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 08:03:32 JST Evan Prodromou

   So, I am somewhat agree. I think after the civil rights movements of the 1960s, a tacit agreement was made that the US would reform itself to be more socially just and support universal human rights.

   Part of that agreement was the propaganda that the US constitutional system is so well-built, flexible and adaptable that it can become better and fairer without a discontinuous break. Many Americans grew up with an idea of the ingenious mechanisms of the US Constitution as part of our schooling.

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     Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 08:08:21 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     I don't know if it was ever possible to reform a society based on genocide, slavery and patriarchy into a just and equitable one. I do think there was sincere effort on the part of some US politicians to make this happen.

     I think the people who wanted to make that effort have too often taken no for an answer. And the ones who wanted to maintain an unjust society have used the creaky mechanisms of the Constitution against reform.

     So I'm somewhat agree. Was moving better for while, never good.

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     Bruce Elrick (virtuous_sloth@cosocial.ca)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 08:15:59 JST Bruce Elrick

     in reply to

     @evan
     The most valid and probably most accepted negative thing about the US government is that it takes a lot of work to improve it, and that's only after getting some level of agreement on what needs to be changed.

     That, coupled with diffuse benefits/detriments being pitted against concentrated detriments/benefits means the general interest languishes while government policy serves special interests. That's OK for people who need help, but is bad when it's people who are already thriving.

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     Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 10:02:39 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • Total Sonic Media

     @TotalSonic sorry, by creaky bits I meant things like the electoral college; the vastly disproportionate representation in the Senate; the crazily unrepresentative House; parliamentary gimmicks like the filibuster; and partisan collaboration across the different branches and level of government. There is a lot that isn't enforced or is based on norms. One reason of many that we're in the current mess is that the US Constitution is not actually a perfectly engineered well oiled machine.

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     Total Sonic Media (totalsonic@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 23-Mar-2025 10:02:40 JST Total Sonic Media

     in reply to

     @evan - If anything, those "creaky mechanisms" of the Constitution have been one of the few things that previously slowed a bit the US's dive into blatant authoritarian oligarchy. The words in the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment - IF they were actually enforced, are worthy ideals towards protecting some of our essential human rights. But sadly these are the exact things under attack by so many of those that often previously claimed they were concerned with the Constitution.