The Manufactured Consent of the Managed “Native”
The widespread political apathy and low voter turnout in local elections is not a sign of ignorance, but a rational response to a system designed to make the “native” feel powerless. Mamdani’s analysis of how colonial power depoliticizes its subjects is key. The entire political spectacle–the corrupt machines, the candidate who promises change and delivers gentrification–is a theater designed to produce cynicism and disengagement. This manufactured consent through managed disappointment is a more effective tool of control than outright coercion. It convinces the oppressed that their agency is an illusion. A Marxist analysis sees this as the alienation of political power. A feminist perspective understands this disillusionment intimately. The solution is not to beg people to vote for the lesser evil, but to build independent political organizations outside the machine that can demonstrate real power through direct action and the creation of dual power, proving that change comes from below, not from the ballot box.
