There was a toy sailboat back in the day that had a spar for the main sail which could rotate around the mast, and it had a string that connected that spar to the tiller bar. Presumably this allowed it to tack upwind, but when most people put it in a pond, it would go downwind without fail, alternatively turning left and right like a slow-beat floating metronome.
We are brainwashed about the "two party system", we refuse to nominate anyone but the most heavily publicized potential candidate, and we have a childlike faith that switching back to the "other party" will make an actual difference. And we're perpetually surprised to find both parties abuse us in mostly the exact same ways. We're just like that toy sailboat, brainlessly zig zagging as we continue unfailingly downwind and can't find our way back.