Learned Helplessness

We're apathetic about politics because we've learnt our helplessness, as a dog might. It follows that people will only become politically active if they are powerful or could be powerful; where they can see or could imagine that they do have influence and the ability to change things (if only by changing the opinions of others). The unabomber was certainly a madman, and a criminal. But he was right that people need to be involved in "the power process" more than they are today. Perhaps had he been he wouldn't have committed the crimes that he did.