Individuals can only voice their sentiments. Government is essentially controlled by money interests and in general political/socio-economic changes only occur after economic calamities that unite people for political change. Most of these are usually only temporary as revealed in the lastest successes by the super-rich class to rollback most of the Depression era banking reforms and protections.

Right. All ppl can do nowadays is to change themselves in a way not to rely on the governments any more. It's not right to expect anything from a system which hardly matches with your ideas..
However, societies are changing. Ppl are gathering in their own communities with their own ideologies.
It's time not to let others think instead of us. It's hard, but, at least, peaceful.

Realistically, what can one man actually do? — JustSomeGuy

A lot.

Of course, it depends what you want to change.

A lot. — ssu

Yeah.... if you control the military, no doubt >:O

It's the 21st Century. Tim Berners-Lee has done his magic. Use it. Send mails to your Journalists and politicians. I do, I get responses. I have changed things. Most people dont do that kind of stuff, so the ones that just yaps does not get heard. Even more for you US guys compared to us Scandinavians. I have good friends in California who are politically interested without being politicians. They went up to their Congressman in Washington, was very politely treated, even invited to a session in the congress! But it's like anything else, to get results, you have to make an effort.

Join a party; get involved; run for party offices; become a delegate at conference; run for democratic office.
Depending on the country you live and the party you choose will determine whether any of this makes any difference.

Every vote counts: http://www.kcra.com/article/gop-incumbent-wins-random-drawing-in-virginia-house-race/14727483

Zero. They did a study. The US government does whatever it wants regardless of voter sentiment.

Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

One individual citizen usually can not sway public policy at all. There are exceptions: You might be presented with the opportunity to do something remarkable, and it might be photographed and published. Think of that guy who stood in front of the column of tanks rolling into Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989. His brave act didn't bring a government down, but he made a political point that rolled across China.



Or think of the many thousands of people who individually and collectively worked to reduce discrimination against gay people in the 1970s or against black people in the 1960s. A lot of the work was carried out by very small groups of people planning and acting in their local communities. Sure, there were huge political demonstrations, but that was late in the game. In the beginning, it was mostly individuals and small groups.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. — Margaret Mead

Individual citizens always play a role in social, civil, and political change by making choices in their personal actions that support change. An example is when individuals won't cross a picket line to shop at a store where workers are on strike. This is usually not much of a sacrifice, but it helps.

Inform yourself. Decide what kind, or what specific issue(s) you find important and urgent. Read the literature of large groups. For instance, you might check out the Nature Conservancy or Sierra Club if the environment is your issue. Find your group.

But there are always local issues which are a piece of larger issues. Maybe there are people in your immediate neighborhood that have difficulty navigating because they have mobility problems (use wheelchairs or walkers) and the city hasn't made curb cuts at the corners which enable people with mobility problems to use the sidewalks more easily. (Assuming there are sidewalks, of course -- which a lot of places don't have.) One individual becoming a thorn in the side of a city council person or city bureaucrat can often get the city to do things.

You will probably find your city and county government more accessible than the state government, and the state government will be more accessible than the federal government. That's OK, because a lot of what government does is done at the local level.