THERE ARE TWO OLD SAYINGSabout politics:
“Everybody wants to change the world.”
“You can’t fight city hall.”
Which is true? In some ways, we have more political power than ever before. The Inter-
net gives us constant access to political discussion and protest. Local groups constantly
organize to change things. Yet we also have less power than ever. Every week, it seems, a
new scandal reveals how the big money behind big corporations seem to dictate public pol-
icy. Labor strikes no longer work. Worldwide protests against wars and invasions have little
impact on policymakers.
We’re more politically aware than
ever. Round-the-clock news stations
broadcast every detail of major and
minor political disputes. C-Span lets
us glimpse every moment of every
session of Congress. Telephone and
Internet polls chart changes in public opinion minute by minute. Yet we’re also less politi-
cally engaged than ever. Party membership is down. Voting is down—even in elections full
of hot-button issues.
We’re more politically polarized than ever before. The divisions between Democrat and
Republican have never been greater. No journalist half a century ago would have thought to
divide the country into red and
blue states. Yet we’re also less
politically coherent than ever
before. Legislation that passes
one year is rescinded the next.
Few voters pull the lever for a
straight party line any longer.
Liberals vote for conservative
candidates, conservatives vote
for liberal candidates, and
Politics and
Government
455
We are both more politically aware
and more apathetic, more empowered
and more disenfranchised, and the
world is both more and less democratic
than ever. Understanding this dynamic
is sociology’s unique contribution to the
study of politics.