It is a long planned and well implemented systematic marginalization of the average citizen from the political system and its effect on their lives.
Back in the day of party machine politics is probably where it started when you had to know someone and ingratiate yourself to local political leaders to have any influence. Enough people exerting enough influence at the local level would push those policies up the food chain toward state and national policy. That worked pretty well up to a point but it started to change with the atomization of the citizen from the community. Part of it was implemented by the suburban sprawl and relocation for employment rather than feeling some rooting in a home place. That was a result of a wonderful sales pitch of expectations and chasing better or existing employment. The financial strangulation of the working class aided that by not allowing the time or energy to be involved. Another factor was the influence of television and then cable to allow us to further separate from the community.
I'd put the beginning mostly on the shoulders of Lewis Powell and his memorandum to the US Chamber of Commerce. That paranoid reaction to the social movements and desire for personal growth of the 50's and 60's laid the blueprint for what we have seen since. The capital class were scared shitless and responded with brutal force to extremely effective results.
Then you have the rise of the professional political consultants who prompted the further divorcement of politics from policy aided by a media system being more and more focused on profit over quality of content.
In effect we've been manipulated into positions of complacency, despair, fear, futility, and cynicism and unfortunately most of us don't see through it until that one thing that affects us personally hits that breaking point.
I feel it's very near.
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