To channel the public’s thinking in productive directions — and show that the system is rigged while demanding that the system be reformed — progressives must consistently fill in four crucial gaps: What system is being rigged? Who is rigging it and how? What impact does this have on specific groups of people and our country more broadly? And, most importantly, how can we “un-rig” these systems that aren’t working?

The good news is that many progressive movements are telling the system-is-rigged story in powerful and effective ways, advancing a narrative that prompts action. We wouldn’t have the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau without a clear narrative that the financial system was rigged by wealthy elites, giving Wall Street outsized power over everyday consumers. By articulating a clear need for commonsense safeguards against irresponsible and discriminatory lending practices, advocates successfully spurred creation of an agency that now protects millions of Americans. Attempts to use the “system is rigged” narrative show promise on issues ranging from the minimum wage, where 30 states raised the minimum wage above the federal level, to the high skyrocketing costs of child care.

Some on the left still say that progressives should steer clear of this rhetoric to avoid triggering fatalism or mistrust in government. That’s a big mistake, because this mindset is already pervasive. Many felt it when the government bailed out “too big to fail” banks, for instance. But “rigged” thinking also fueled the lie that the 2020 election was a hoax. Former President Donald Trump’s election falsehoods are outlandish, but when we live in a world that includes so many rigged systems, it’s easier for some people to think that everything is rigged. The solution isn’t to dig our heads into the sand. Instead, we must embrace, and further flesh out, the “rigged” narrative to show how our economic and political systems aren’t working for most Americans — and what can be done to redesign them.