I’ve been thinking a lot lately: how can we propel our community into optimism and change? An alarming collective fear and cynicism is in the air. It’s taking a toll on our mental health as we drift through the day.

But I’m not here to promote toxic positivity either. The uncertainty of our economy has loomed over us for some time. Tariffs are eroding beloved small businesses. Funding cuts are hitting charities and nonprofits left and right. It feels like we’re living in the United States of Fear, which is exactly what they want: an oligarchy.

Buckle up. This here’s a long-winded one.

How Oligarchies Are Formed

Oligarchies have appeared and collapsed throughout history. I didn’t expect “modern-day oligarchy” to make it onto my 2025 bingo card, but watching how our administration operates, I have pause.

Historic examples include Ancient Athens, Post-Soviet Russia, and the late 19th-century United States, and potentially, our present government.

At its core, an oligarchy is a system where power concentrates in the hands of a small, elite group. Unlike democracy, where power is distributed among citizens and institutions, oligarchies consolidate control through wealth, family ties, military strength, or social status.

How They Thrive

A nation divided is a nation vulnerable. Division is the number one risk we face. When we’re distracted and polarized, we’re easier to control.

Lincoln said it best:

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

This omniscient mentality stems from the category of crisis and disruption. War, economic uncertainty, and other threats weaken our ability to stabilize. Institutional captures happen when elites gain control over avenues of free speech, finance, judiciary, and other key regulatory agencies. This allows them to set the rules forever in their favor.

Meanwhile, the façade of democracy remains: media and government still wear the costume of transparency and fairness. Please, an Invisibility Cloak for the truth: real power is held by a few.

When media ownership becomes concentrated, those few can shape narratives, control dissent, and frame self-serving policies as “public good.”

We see it today in the digital sphere. Social media isn’t really “social” anymore, it’s media tailored to our interests, feeding us what algorithms think we want. It’s part of an entrenched feedback loop that reinforces elite narratives. Or it’s a distraction.

Meta, Amazon, and Apple all have deep ties to the current administration. And I have thoughts about that… but that’s for another time.

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How We Counter Oligarchic Rule

Once again: a nation divided is a nation at risk. But unity… even slow, grassroots unity can shift power. Here’s how we start:

Educate Yourself on Civic Literacy

Learn how power actually works. Not just in government, but in corporations, lobbying, and campaign finance.

• Read nonpartisan sources like Associated Press, OpenSecrets, or ProPublica.
• Apps like Ground News and AllSides help you compare perspectives across the political spectrum and see bias clearly.
• Understand how money drives policy; not to shock yourself, but to motivate yourself.
• Share what you learn locally: start conversations, host a small reading group or “civic literacy night.” Make awareness contagious.

Vote Strategically and Consistently

I’ll admit it – I missed a few elections in my early twenties. But once I educated myself, I recognized both the privilege and responsibility of voting.

Vote in every election, especially local and primary races. This is where oligarchic influence is weakest and grassroots candidates can still win. Research who funds each candidate and prioritize those who support campaign finance reform.

• Helpful resources: FollowTheMoney.org

Redirect Your Money: Support Local

Your spending habits are a “ka-ching!” form of protest.

• Support worker-owned businesses, cooperatives, local nonprofits, and credit unions instead of conglomerates and megabanks.
• Be intentional with consumption: every dollar is a vote for the world you want to live in. I spent nearly five years working in fast fashion during college, back when H&M was booming. When I left, my shopping habits lagged behind. Eventually, I educated myself and began to thrift, swap, and buy with deliberation.
• Divest from corporations that exploit workers or buy legislation. Yes, even the big ones like Walmart, Target, and Home Depot.

Reduce Dependence on Concentrated Systems

Build resilience. Grow or trade food locally. Use mutual aid networks. Cultivate skills that make you less dependent on monopolized supply chains.

When the grocery supply chain faltered, our Whidbey Island community stepped up. We’re lucky here: surrounded by local farms, nonprofits, and advocacy groups that strengthen independence.

Support open-source tech and independent media to resist surveillance capitalism and build a freer digital ecosystem.

Speak Up and Organize

Contact your representatives often. They track citizen feedback, even when they pretend not to.

Write letters to editors. Join public comment sessions. Show up to city council meetings. Visibility matters!

Encourage others to do the same. Collective persistence shifts power back toward the people.

• Join local civic groups.
• Examine local budgets.
• Advocate for transparency in how public money is spent.

Build alternative institutions: local currencies, independent media, cooperatives, and community enterprises that don’t rely on oligarchic systems. Even small-scale models prove that distributed power works.

Support free press by subscribing to local newspapers and nonprofit investigative outlets. Journalism is democracy’s immune system.

The Cultural Shift: It Starts With Us

Oligarchies only thrive when people shrug and say, “That’s just how it is.”
Unlearn that immediately.

• Reject cynicism: Apathy is oxygen to oligarchy.
• Value cooperation over competition: Start in your community.
• Model integrity and fairness: Small acts normalize these values in the social fabric.

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Final Thought

We can’t fix a system overnight, but we can live differently inside it. If we choose to use Meta Platforms, then we use it to distribute the message, the art, the products… that support us! Every act of awareness, participation, and local empowerment chips away at concentrated power.

That’s how we keep the flame of democracy alive… not by blind optimism, but by collective, conscious action.