Politics is all about finding commonly shared goals and forming partnerships around those goals. Political alliances are reinforced between people who believe they have inter-related objectives. Large power differentials tend to weaken the sense of shared goals. For one thing, it’s hard for those on the weaker end of the stick to believe that the more powerful partner really cares about their needs. Whereas when partners are more equal in power, they really do require each other to maintain an alliance that effectively supports the all the diverse goals of the coalition. This is why it is unwise to appear extremely powerful when you are trying to form a coalition with someone else. Excessive power does not encourage effective partnerships.
“..Politics is all about finding commonly shared goals and forming partnerships around those goals…”
….. and then using coercion and violence to force everyone else to go along with your goals and fund them each week – even if it against their will and contrary to their morality – if only to avoid the fate of being dragged off by hired thugs armed with clubs and guns and dressed in matching blue costumes and put inside a cage.
I agree that power is frequently abused, and as such is often not used in service of any sort of consenual partnership whatsoever. My hope is that with some critical thinking we can learn to speak truth to power and teach our colleagues that effective politics resides in effective partnerships, and not the coercion you accurately described. This may be a pie in the sky ideal, but it’s something I can at least call my own that those who abuse power can’t take from me. Thanks for your thoughts! 🙂
A great philosopher once said,
“Before you declare you have the ability to do what no one else has ever achieved in history: to reform a government and make them wield their power, weaponry and stolen wealth for the good of others, you should first practice on something a little less challenging……. pick a mafia gang and try to reform them either from the outside or from the inside. When you have successfully made them behave in a virtuous and altruistic manner you can then move on to a government”
Wise words 😉
lol! love it! 🙂