Presumably, it’s obvious to almost everyone now that “trickle down” was nonsense.    But is it possible that good, clear ideas can trickle up?

The 99% / 1% was is a good example.   Even though the Occupy movement petered out, the idea that a tiny minority controls vastly disproportionate power and resources percolated throughout the culture.  It clarified things to a lot of people, even some who equate Karl Marx with the devil.

People of good faith and bright ideas need to find new ways to spread those ideas.    We see the degree to which traditional politics has reached the pinnacle of wealth translating into political power, making a mockery of popular democracy — now neatly stamped and sealed by the Supreme Court.

To try to fight on the plane of money is simultaneously necessary and futile.   An internet campaign that nets a million three-dollar contributions is offset in a few clicks on a one-percenter’s banking app.   We cannot win the battle of money — and money does indeed translate into votes and power — so we fight despite knowing how uneven the playing field really is.

But in the world of ideas, the playing field is perhaps more open than it has ever been.   Those of us who see the damage being done to this planet by its domination by individual and corporate wealth and power have the potential to spread ideas that may take root and grow.    In my most hopeful moments, I believe a few good ideas might be worth more than billions of dollars the wealthy  pour into political advertising and lobbying.