Why You Feel Powerless

And Why That's By Design

Jun 23, 2025

Let’s start with the truth: most people feel powerless in politics.

Not because they don’t care. Not because they’re uninformed.
But because they’ve been strategically disconnected from the levers of power that shape their daily lives.

And that disconnection?
It’s not an accident.
It’s the system working exactly as intended.

The Blueprint of Disconnection

You’re supposed to know more about the president than your city councilor.
You’re supposed to believe real change only happens every four years and only in D.C.
You’re supposed to think local government is boring, inaccessible, or not worth your time.

That’s not dysfunction.
That’s design.

When people are disengaged at the local level, power gets hoarded. Decisions happen in empty rooms. School boards ban books without a fight. Zoning commissions shape entire neighborhoods without residents ever hearing about it.

And when it does feel like it’s time to speak up?
You're handed a mic at a city meeting with 90 seconds to “make your voice heard.”

It’s performative democracy.
And people are tired of pretending it works.

But Here’s What the System Doesn’t Expect: You Learning How It Works.

The system is not built to handle a group of everyday people who:

know how to read an agenda,
show up to the right rooms,
organize their neighbors,
and keep showing up.

Because real power doesn’t come from going viral or winning arguments.
It comes from relationships, consistency, and strategy.

It comes from what’s called social capital.

What Is Social Capital?

Social capital is the trust and relationships that bind a community together.
It’s who you know, how much they trust you, and whether they’ll show up if you ask them to.

It’s not money. It’s not fame.
It’s power that can’t be bought, but can be built.

In red states and overlooked cities, social capital is often the only thing that stands between oppressive policies and organized resistance.

Small Ripples, Big Shifts

Let me tell you about a woman in rural Oklahoma who used to just drop her kids off at school and go to work. She started noticing decisions being made about curriculum she didn’t agree with, but she didn’t know how to respond.

So she showed up to one school board meeting.
Then another.
Then she brought three friends.
Now she leads a local education advocacy group that gives public comment every month.

That’s what building local power looks like.

I'm Launching a Toolkit for This.

If you're a blue dot in a red state…
If you care, but feel overwhelmed…
If you want to get involved, but don’t know where to start…

I made something for you.

✨ A 5-part digital download workbook series built to help you:

Understand your local government
Organize your block
Map your local power
Grow your social capital
And actually know where to start

It’s smart, strategic, and made for everyday people, not policy pros.
I will be launching this workbook set this summer. So please be on the lookout and follow me here on Substack, and all my social media platforms. To be the first to know about the launch, head over to my website and signup for alerts: www.amandamccellon.com.

Until then, know this:
You’re not powerless.
You’re just under-resourced.
And that’s about to change.

✊
Amanda (your civic engagement coach)