John:
Thomas Jefferson believed that the Three Pillars of Democracy were a free press, the right to vote and public education for an informed and educated citizenry. I decided to let Metis ,my AI assistant, take a shot at these pillars by using a tool that I learned in school. It was called Lewin’s Force Field Analysis. It was a means of looking at a problem in terms of driving forces and restraining forces. Driving forces helped us to overcome the problem and restraining forces gave us opposition to solving the problem If we applied Kurt Lewin’s force field analysis to each of these three factors or pillars, and we limited analysis to the top five restraining forces and top five driving forces, what would the 3 Pillars of Democracy look like? I asked Metis to do a force field analysis for each of these three factors. Following is her analysis of the problems we face today and my interpretations in terms of keeping America a Democratic country.
Metis:
That’s a very “Deming-meets-civics” kind of question—and a good one. You’re essentially asking: what forces are strengthening vs. weakening the foundational conditions of democracy? That’s exactly what Kurt Lewin had in mind.
I’ll structure each pillar as a classic force field diagram:
Driving forces → (push toward strength) | [PILLAR] | Restraining forces ← (push toward erosion)
- FREE PRESS
Force Field Diagram
Driving Forces →
- Investigative journalism traditions (e.g., watchdog role)
- Legal protections (First Amendment jurisprudence)
- Digital access to information (global reach, independent media)
- Nonprofit and independent journalism models
- Public demand for transparency and accountability
[ FREE PRESS ]
← Restraining Forces
- Media consolidation (corporate ownership concentration)
- Economic collapse of local journalism
- Disinformation ecosystems & algorithmic amplification
- Political attacks on press credibility (“enemy of the people” framing)
- Audience fragmentation into ideological echo chambers
Interpretation – John
The system is shifting from distributed local truth-seeking to centralized and fragmented attention markets. Driving forces still exist, but restraining forces are increasingly structural, not just behavioral. What this means is that we are institutionalizing the very forces that we wan to remove or weaken. We can see evidence of this every day as Congress; the Supreme Court and the Executive Branch of government are increasingly dysfunctional and no longer seem to represent the wishes of the people. Government today seems to be of the Oligarchs, by the Oligarchs and for the Oligarchs. The “Free Press” is controlled by those with money to spread the messages that they believe will help them to make even more money. Aided by politicians who benefit with the funds to help them to get reelected that Mediums that spreads the messages now sow misinformation, disinformation and selective narratives to support biased and prejudiced points of view. The average American no longer knows where to go to find the truth or any truth.
- RIGHT TO VOTE
Force Field Diagram
Driving Forces →
- Constitutional amendments expanding suffrage (15th, 19th, 26th)
- Civil rights enforcement & voting rights advocacy
- Increased voter awareness and mobilization efforts
- Mail-in voting and early voting innovations
- Judicial protections for equal access (at times)
[ RIGHT TO VOTE ]
← Restraining Forces
- Voter suppression tactics (ID laws, purges, polling access limits)
- Gerrymandering reducing electoral competitiveness
- Declining trust in election integrity
- Administrative barriers (complex registration systems)
- Political polarization discouraging participation
Interpretation: John
This pillar is steadily eroding and threatens to collapse. It is under continuous attack today as Gerrymandering and now a bill calle Save America seek to make it more difficult for people to register and vote. The voting system is also under attack from politicians claiming that it is rigged or that one side has cheated the other. Trump despite all evidence to the contrary still claims he won the 2020 Presidential election.
- PUBLIC EDUCATION (for an informed citizenry)
Force Field Diagram
Driving Forces →
- Universal K–12 education infrastructure
- Expansion of higher education access
- Civic education initiatives
- Digital learning resources and open knowledge
- Dedicated educators and institutional mission
[ PUBLIC EDUCATION ]
← Restraining Forces
- Funding inequities (property-tax-based disparities)
- Politicization of curriculum (history, civics conflicts)
- Declining emphasis on critical thinking/civics
- Teacher shortages and burnout
- Misinformation competing with formal education
Interpretation: John
This is the most upstream pillar—and in Deming terms, the most critical system constraint. If this weakens, the other two pillars degrade automatically. I have written extensively about the collapse of the Public Education system in America. It has been in decline since the beginning of the information age. As Marshal McLuhan so wisely noted, the availability of information was becoming greater outside of the classroom (At least in America) than it was inside the classroom. The simple fact necessitated major changes in how public education would be deliivere. Nevertheless, the erosion process was ignored until it become a political football. One side claiming that more money would solve the problem while the other side claimed private contract schools would be the answer. Neither side paid attention to the fact that a model of delivering education that worked in the 1900’s was no longer effective in the Twenty-First Century.
Putting It All Together (Systems Insight)
If Thomas Jefferson was right—
The Three Pillars Are Not Independent Systems
They form a reinforcing loop:
- Weak education → weaker critical thinking → more susceptibility to misinformation
- Weak press → poorer information environment → distorted voting decisions
- Weak voting systems → less accountability → further degradation of press and education
A Simple Meta-Diagram
Driving Forces (Democratic Health)
→ Education quality
→ Information integrity
→ Electoral access
SYSTEM: DEMOCRACY
Restraining Forces (Democratic Erosion)
← Misinformation
← Structural inequality
← Political manipulation
Conclusions: John
If Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin or any of the other Founding Fathers of this nation were alive today, they would not recognize what has happened to this country. Their dream of a land where truth, freedom, justice and equality would be foundations for a Nation of Democracy and Virtue lies in ashes. Ashes wrought by the greed that has infected humanity since the first cavepeople walked the earth. Greed is mentioned over 35 times in the Bible and Jesus mentions it at least four times in his teachings. Greed has always been with us but today it has practically been enshrined as a virtue. One infamous billionaire in this country gave a speech immortalized in the movie Wall Street where he trumpeted “Greed is Good.” This shallow aphorism was applauded by his audience. We see evidence all around us that Sodom and Gomorrah are alive and well when people brag about “Shopping until they drop” or “He who has the most toys wins.” Black Friday is now practically a national holiday as greedy people run around shopping for bargains on things they don’t really need but can buy cheap. Is it any wonder, that politics has now embraced the greed that runs through ever fabric of American lives.
The saddest part my friends is that all of the things I am talking about cannot coexist with the vision of Democracy that founded this nation.
We have a choice. We can choose Democracy or we can choose Greed. It can only be one or the other. Either our nation will be bought and sold by those with the most money or it will be a nation of informed and educated citizens with equal rights to vote and participate. It cannot be both.
Aging Capriciously 
Apr 12, 2026 @ 14:41:06
A great article John, I’ll have to save it for a future read.
But sadly the “choice” has been made, for some it really was a “choice”, for many more, circumstances forced the “choice” on them. “Greed” has won, hands down.
Back to Democracy, which has been interpreted in many different ways, the most common, being anything that is not Communism is Democracy!!! All those Democratic wars Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan etc. were/are being fought against the scourge of Authoritarianistic/Communism.
I’d ask, Freedom, what’s that?
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Apr 12, 2026 @ 19:32:02
Jon, “Freedom what’s that?” is a damn good question. It would make a good blog. I doubt any two Americans would define it the same way. One of those words we all take for granted but none of us really knows what it means in terms of having anything we all agree on.
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Apr 13, 2026 @ 16:43:23
Nicely done, sir. There is a paradox here, because the more money you have – the freer you feel. The buyer has all the power, unless the seller has something the buyer can’t live without, nor get elsewhere.
The HBO show “THE INDUSTRY” is a really good look at those few at the top of the wealth pyramid and the people who serve them. In season 3 episode 7 (I think), one of the sellers, Eric, gives a speech about money. It’s so good! He makes the case that “money is civilization” and “money is peace”. “Money is the meaning of life.” Which got me thinking … There’s no character in the show who’d you call “a good person.” There is a lot of similarity to the Epstein case. The show is about, THOSE PEOPLE. However, it’s the situation that is evil, not the people. Perhaps. It’s a good illustration of the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE). A theory that says we (people) tend to blame individuals for their bad, or stupid, behavior, when it is the situation that causes it. Such as: it is poverty that drives crime. And then take credit for good things that happen to us – like wealth. Such as: I’m wealthy because I’m smart and deserve all this. I’ve earned it because I’m the best. The competition to be the wealthiest is fierce. So, there’s never enough (money) ever! However, it is that very spirit of competition that drove humans to dominate, or tame, a hostile, unforgiving wild, wild world. We were once, you know, prey. And now we’re the dominate predator, able to kill from remarkable distance. Even, capable of flying to the moon!
Anyway, I’ve gone on too long. I’m sorry – it’s your blog. Thanks.
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Apr 13, 2026 @ 17:31:15
No problem Mark. I appreciate your comment but you come a little too close here to two things I do not believe in. 1. Darwinian theory of survival of the fittest. 2. The idea that people can be absolved of their choices or behavior solely because of their nurture, upbringing, culture, environment or even genes. I may be reading both of these into something you actually do not believe; but for the record, I do not believe either of these conditions alone fit the human race. As part of a kaleidoscopic world in which many pieces form a mosaic for humanity I will accept some of it as plausible. But I will not accept that either premise has the power to solely define humanity and its behaviors.
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Apr 13, 2026 @ 17:35:23
Agreed. I do recommend the show. I don’t know the intention of the writers or showrunner; but it’s intriguing.
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Apr 13, 2026 @ 17:50:37
Mark, have you ever seen the Canadian documentary called “The Corporation.” I used to show parts of this in my MBA classes. Most of my students rejected the show and its premises. I think you would enjoy the movie. I think Americans are so brainwashed they believe too much of what they are fed by the Corporate media and wealthy running this country. Years ago, I read C.Wright Mills “The Power Elite.” He rejected the idea of any kind of a Cabal running America with secret meetings like the Mafia. He argued they run it by a powerful communality or mutuality of interests. I strongly subscribed to this thesis years ago, but in the past ten years or so, my support of the idea has been severely weakened. What do you think? Are we being brainwashed by a central governing elite or is it all just serendipitously driven by mutual interests?
Here is a brief synopsis:
The Corporation is a Canadian documentary that examines the modern corporation through the lens of a legal “person,” arguing it behaves like a psychopath—driven by profit with little regard for social consequences. Using expert interviews and case studies, it critiques corporate power, environmental impact, and ethical failures, while exploring how corporations shape politics, media, and everyday life in a globalized economy.
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Apr 14, 2026 @ 10:58:22
Hi John, I found and watched “The Corporation”. Even being 23 years old, I think it’s mostly as true now as then. Moreover, it does support the theory of the FAE. That it is the institutions that shape the behavior. The individuals who lead (CEOs), work for, and benefit from the corporations are subsumed by the ethos of the institution. Furthermore, one contributor says explicitly, “We’re [human beings] predators.” [and] “People want money. That’s the bottom line.” My question for you is: Do you think the situation has got better or worse? At the end is Michael Moore’s thought that yes, we the people can make a difference by resisting the urge to consume what the corporations are selling. I think that’s been shown, for the most part, not to be the case.
That “keeping up with the Jones” is the most potent force driving collective behavior. And that the Internet and social media has just made THAT factor worse. Globalization is a net negative. It fosters the psychology of Tribalism; and rather than connect us it isolates us in false “communities”.
To answer your question, No, I don’t think it’s an organized cabal, and yes, it’s more akin to just a series of “happy accidents” for the rich and powerful working together towards keeping themselves rich and powerful. Furthermore, strong ego defense mechanisms that rationalize that behavior.
Circling back to another post of yours about “Trickle Down”, which connects to this one. In the aggregate I think one can make the case that the System, or Machine, has worked. There are more people now (8 billion), living better and longer than ever before in human history. And the world/planet hasn’t collapsed, as predicted back in the 70’s.
Do I like it? No, I don’t. I wish things were different. I tried to make a difference – and failed. Anyway, thanks again. Take care.
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Apr 14, 2026 @ 14:02:35
Mark, you never fail until you quit. I have also learned that what you think was a failure might have been a success for many others. 50 + years of teaching and consulting has taught me we often and frequently do not realize the impact that we have had on the world. I am sure your books and blogs are making a difference. As for whether things are getting better or worse, that depends on where you look. I think if we measure lifespans and per capita income on a global basis we would have to say that at least for a large section of humankind people are better off. However, there are certain countries and I think the USA is one of them where I believe that the majority of people are less happy with their lives than they were fifty years ago. Although we have made great strides in terms of minority rights, we seem to have been taking many steps backwards in the last twenty years or even more. As for blaming brainwashing or corporate influence or outside societal forces for the problems we have, I still maintain that people have a choice. It is like saying that all criminals are that way because of their family. This would be quickly proven false, because the majority of families with some criminal element will often have other kids who are standup model citizens. Look at the Clinton brothers or the Carter brothers. Differences are night and day. However, it would be foolish not to think that many people have succumbed to the incessant brainwashing that the rich and powerful flood TV and most media with as well as schools, government and almost any other institution you can think of. It stands to reason that the Republicans would hate history and DEI programs since it is a little like teaching the slaves to read and write. Keep the people dumb and dumber and you have willing if mindless consumers. IMHO.
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Apr 14, 2026 @ 10:55:02
Thanks, John, while we are at it, let’s take a big chunk of our tax dollars destined for the military and use it to make graduate and post-graduate studies insanely affordable.
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Apr 14, 2026 @ 14:08:50
HI Dennis, did you read my petition? I am not in favor of “Free” education past high school My petition explains my option and preference. Let me know what you think. As for the tax dollars headed for the military, IMHO the appropriations are already criminal and a 37 percent increase will gut all the social service programs in this country in favor an even more militarized society than we now have. We need new options and I want my petition to be a start. I am spreading it among Veteran groups as a place to start. I find I am getting a great deal of support from both the right and left members of Veterans groups.
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