What The Humble Straw Tells Us About Current Politics

Donald Trump’s latest executive order mandating the return of plastic straws in place of cardboard has made international headlines and it shows a broader issue of disconnect between voters and politicians. The move is more than just a policy shift and is more a reflection of a growing disconnect between policymakers and the electorate.

The order is way to low level to be in the white house and what a business uses is up to them, there is nothing stopping people purchasing their own straws. It's almost trivial compared to larger political issues plaguing the world. But its fast implementation and immediate impact on daily life make it a significant case study in the modern political landscape.

More than anything it shows the growing expectation among voters for swift, decisive action mirroring the demands for productivity that workers face in their own lives.

Ban On Single Use Plastics

The debate over plastic straws has long been a point of argument between environmental activists and those who see bans as excessive government overreach. In 2018 cities and states across the U.S. began banning plastic straws in an effort to curb plastic waste which has also been occurring around the world.

However, a move that was swiftly met with backlash with not only Americans but people across the world complaining about the inefficacy of cardboard straws and their issue of becoming soggy and an inconvenience imposed by environmental regulations.

Trump’s executive order to reinstate plastic straws can be seen as a political response to the frustration and an appeal to voters who feel ignored by bureaucratic decision making. By targeting a minor but widely felt issue the order is more of a populist move cementing the idea that the government should work swiftly to address citizen concerns no matter how small.

Rapid Change, Higher Productivity

The rapid nature of the plastic straw order shows a different side to policy and action compared to the slow moving nature of many other government policies. Large scale initiatives like infrastructure projects, healthcare reform or economic relief programs can take months or even years to come to fruitition. In an era where workers are expected to meet ever increasing productivity demands, voters have little patience for drawn out decision making processes in politics.

The modern workforce is governed by efficiency metrics, deadlines and instant communication.

Employees are expected to deliver results quickly, solve problems on the fly and maximize output with minimal downtime. This cultural shift has altered voter expectations of politicians. When people see how quickly businesses implement changes or how rapidly technology evolves, they begin to demand the same level of responsiveness from their government.

Trump’s executive order on plastic straws meets this expectation perfectly with it's immediate, tangible and directly impacts people's everyday lives. It has nothing to do with the straws and everything to with the physical and visual element of voters seeing and getting immediate action.

Current World Paradox

There is a growing paradox at play that politicians need to take into consideration as workers experience the stress of increasing productivity demands, they simultaneously expect government officials to operate at the same pace. This creates an environment where symbolic, fast tracked policies gain more attention and support than comprehensive, long term solutions.

Plastic straws are a perfect example of this.

The actual environmental impact of plastic straw bans is minor compared to other pollution issues, yet it became a flashpoint issue because it directly affected people's daily routines.

Trump’s decision to bring them back was met with strong reactions not because it fundamentally altered environmental policy, but because it represented swift action in response to public dissatisfaction.

This type of responsiveness is something many voters wish to see applied to larger political issues, even though those require far more complexity and time to implement effectively and everyone knows that it can't be done so they focus on the smaller more irrelevant issue.

It also shows another side, the broader disconnect between voters and policymakers. Many policy decisions are made based on broad ideological goals rather than immediate practicality.

Environmental policies often take a long term approach and work by the compounding changes of smaller impact of regulations over decades. However, voters especially those who are constantly navigating the pressures of an efficiency driven economy are more concerned with how policies affect them in the present moment not tomorrow.

Trump’s executive order sidesteps the traditional policy process making it a direct response to voter sentiment rather than an initiative that undergoes extended legislative debate. This approach connects with the public that has grown tired of slow moving bureaucracies and prolonged arguments.

It also exposes a deeper issue the demand for rapid decision making in governance may be growing, but meaningful long lasting solutions still require careful planning and execution.

Up and coming future politicians will need to keep this in mind when campaigning in the future to ensure they can meet today's needs while delivering for future generations.

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