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The "small group" I'm talking about is not a group of special people, either born into it or allowed to join. I'm thinking about a subset of humanity that actually gives a damn, and works towards a change.Yeah, I think we're talking about two different groups. The group I'm talking about is specifically those with capital/wealth--in part, the "investor class" if you will. This group does materially dictate the world's various agendas/priorities.
OTOH, I would say that you're already a member of "your group" (i.e. the group that gives a damn), just by virtue of the fact that you seem to give a damn. So, when you mentioned that you hoped to join the "small group" at some point, I took that as an acknowledgment of my position: that is, giving a damn and having your own priorities is not enough, without the capital/access to actually do something.
>There's a popular meme here that "the solution must be political in nature, not technological"
I'd say legal in nature, not technological. And, that's purely a practical matter. That is, it's not that I'm overjoyed about the state of our legal system. It's more that I don't think it's practical to play technological cat-and-mouse with our own government and expect to win. So, IMO, if we don't at least attempt to constrain the government legally, then we've lost hope.
But, I digress. To your bigger point, yes, seeking legal redress does have political implications. And there's no doubt that we need to fix our politics, but again, I think the problems are one and the same: the few moneyed interests I mentioned dictate our agenda, in part through our politics. So, while our politics appear to be broken due to sheer incompetence, they actually are not. They simply serve an agenda that is not "for the people", while attempting to maintain the facade that they are.
>...will burn this planet down to the ground. I would love them to have the freedom and the equal influence over the world's priorities, but I also don't want my future kids to die a painful death because of a combination of stupidity and democracy.
Well said and I agree to some extent. Beyond mere politics though, I'm lamenting the access to power to all but a few. That is to say, there are certainly also many thoughtful, caring people in the world whose ideas/actions could help to shape it and make it a better place for all. In other words, it's not simply a world of a few moneyed people who know what's best for everyone on one side vs. a slew of completely ignorant, incompetent, malicious dullards on the other. There are many in the middle whose priorities also deserve the light of day. I would imagine that you and I, as well as many others who post here fall somewhere on that spectrum.