That image, in a nutshell, is what politicians offer. But the button is not connected to anything. It's a placebo, whose calming effect stems solely from us watching it get pushed. But meanwhile the real problem gets either ignored or exacerbated.
Unfortunately many of our public institutions have become this way as well. They have all devolved to the equivalent of a scientistic rain dance (no offense intended to native americans by this analogy.) We see them doing something, whether that something is politicians legislating, or central banks adjusting, or doctors prescribing, or attorneys suing, and think that all is well with the world. But meanwhile, the real source of problems fester and expand because their sources, their causes, are never addressed.
That image, in a nutshell, is what politicians offer. But the button is not connected to anything. It's a placebo, whose calming effect stems solely from us watching it get pushed. But meanwhile the real problem gets either ignored or exacerbated.
Unfortunately many of our public institutions have become this way as well. They have all devolved to the equivalent of a scientistic rain dance (no offense intended to native americans by this analogy.) We see them doing something, whether that something is politicians legislating, or central banks adjusting, or doctors prescribing, or attorneys suing, and think that all is well with the world. But meanwhile, the real source of problems fester and expand because their sources, their causes, are never addressed.