Fixing Politics - Learn To Listen (Again)

It's always vexed me a little that, in Western politics, just under half the people vote one way, and just under half of the rest can always be "counted on" to vote the OTHER way, leaving the real election results in the hands of (maybe) five percent of the overall electorate that bothers to vote.
Failing to vote is the ultimate intellectual and political dishonesty; "If you don't vote, you can't complain," no longer applies, at least not in a world where the squeaky wheel always gets at least a little grease.

However, I'd rather tolerate apathy than the grand lie that party politics have devolved into; our system is no more democratic, these days, than China's. Hyperbole? Not in the slightest - when was the last time you sent someone to Parliament, Congress or even City Hall that TRULY represented your views?

We all know that Western society has long forgotten the responsibilities that go with having rights; you can't have one without the other, at least not if you want a functional society.
So many people feel that the total definition of democracy STOPS - or should stop - the moment they have their say.
It ain't all about the words you speak. It's also very much about the words you hear, and allowing them into your head, your heart and your soul, speaking to you, allowing other people's words the chance to change how you think - and yes, maybe how you vote.

Respect for someone else's political views doesn't mean just sitting quietly, mentally writing your return rhetoric. That's not "engagement", something that many feel is lacking.

You want people to vote? Want them to interact? Want to move ever more Utopia-ward? Find a way to get people off the bandwagons.
When fifty percent of us would still vote your party even if Hitler was running against Jesus (or would even have to think about it), then we're way past the tipping point, and it's going to take a lot of listening - not talking - to get back to where we should be - the world's best, a shining beacon for all.