Did I also miss the part where we got Roe v Wade, etc back? Has this translated into changes to defend our rights? If not, why isn't more being done? Procedure? Rules? Why should any of that supersede protecting real people? And what about the more direct attacks on our rights coming directly from the administration such as once again expanding the surveillance state?

As far as my own participation: I'm not doing anything, and that's distressing, but were this merely a matter of laziness I'd just be voting. It's not that hard to vote, at least not in my area. I haven't formed my entire politics around not wanting to drive like <5 minutes to a local poling station once every few years. In 2020 I actually volunteered for 2 different campaigns during the primaries because I still had some fleeting belief that we could change things that way. I don't know why, I had already learned a lot of the history which informs my lack of faith in the system. But maybe it's just easier thinking you can change things without the risk of getting shot.

The liberal's political responsibilities demand almost nothing of them. Vote from a list of 2 things once in a while, perhaps even less than that if the position isn't contested or one of the choices is a non-choice. After that, shut up and let others do the thinking and politics for you.

Anything more than that, which risks running into the apparatus of state violence, is "the wrong way to do things." We should just be patient, trust our institutions, and continue to believe in the myth of steady progress over time.

As scary as that is, there are people out there who are brave or desperate enough to be risking their lives to fight the system. I can't really blame people for being too scared to join in, but I can blame them for insisting that their minimal political participation to support the government that fights against those people is actually a good thing.