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It's interesting how many people seem to view politics through the lens of what they think about politicians.
Politics is bigger than that.
The word "politics" comes from the root word 'polis.' It's Greek; it means 'city' or 'citizen.' It was also the name of Aristotle's book on the subject, called (phonetically) 'Politika,' which means, "affairs of the city." The Roman roots "politicus" is derived from the Greek "politikos" which means "related to the citizens" or "civics" or, somewhat more cynically, "belonging to the state."
The achievements of Greece are largely philosophical, while Roman built public institutions (which the US, and subsequent liberal democracies, was very much modeled off of). Western civilization is generally viewed as the merging of 3 things; Greek philosophy, Roman civics, and secularized Christian values. These are all apart of politics... it's not just Democrats and Republicans. And sincerely feel it's unwise to give these things up just because the two parties we have are less than ideal.
I don't even look at this as a left/right thing any more. It's bigger than that. It's general US and global politics. It's garbage in the grandest scale, because it's humans running the asylum. It's so seemingly out of control that it's almost moot to discuss rationally anymore.
It's the general "dumbing down" of America reflected on the open market of stupid people's ill informed opinions. The web only contributes to this stupidity, instead of being a new form of expression, it has become the place to go for one's daily dose of hate..
There is way better stuff going on within the alt media which has generally refused to take any one party's side in things. Sadly, politics today involves a huge chunk of the least informed, a very real change from a time when people would read about the party's position, plank by plank, economics, foreign policy, banking and finance, education---But today it's all about personalities amid a Jerry Springer mentality, a shameful spectacle of imbeciles...
The minute you realize that Democrats and Republicans are two heads of the same monster, you'll be on your way to taking all of this crap a lot less seriously.
And the federal government is all theater to most Americans. The only people they directly affect are other big time politicians and maybe the multi-millionaire and billionaire classes, and only then because they need their money for campaigns, slush funds, etc. If you are such a person, fine, go ahead and give a damn about your federal government. For the other 99.99% of America, stick to your town council or City Hall if you need to feel involved, because those people actually affect YOU and your life.
Beyond that, it's all one big theater of the absurd. Trump this, Obama that, Hillary something else...and we all just choose which of the dancing monkeys we applaud or ridicule.
I still enjoy poking fun at both sides especially since these folks think this is real life.
And while the Trump circus has been great entertainment I'm really disappointed in the Left for being so unhinged that now I can't even enjoy making fun of Trump. They've taken all the fun out of it.
I'm happy with the point I've reached. After many years of being intensely interested, I've reached a point where my emotions are mostly under control. I've also matured a lot over the past 10 years, and I'm now able to appreciate many sides of an argument. If anything, I'm now less patient with people who are highly partisan. They bore me with their one-sided views of the political world. And that's why I stick around here. This is the only political forum I'm familiar with that includes people from all points on the political spectrum. I can always find my views echoed here. Sometimes they're from the left, sometimes they're from the right, and sometimes they're right in the middle. It's nice.
If you stick with it long enough, the same will probably happen to you. It's good to take a break from politics now and then, but if you can keep an open mind and begin to identify with political arguments from more than one side, it will help you with the emotional ups and downs because you'll always be able to see something good in whatever happens, no matter who wins or loses.
The word "politics" comes from the root word 'polis.' It's Greek; it means 'city' or 'citizen.' It was also the name of Aristotle's book on the subject, called (phonetically) 'Politika,' which means, "affairs of the city." The Roman roots "politicus" is derived from the Greek "politikos" which means "related to the citizens" or "civics" or, somewhat more cynically, "belonging to the state."
If we want to get really etymological, the Greeks even had a word for those who were self-centered and only dealt with their own small affairs, not taking part in the affairs of the city.
Based on the Greek for "private", "one's own" - idios. And yes, the word is "idiot".
I'm not sure I understand. You mean that you're a fair-weather American? You're fine with politics as long as everything is smooth and sunny, but you're giving up now that the country is falling apart?
One thing about America at present: It disproves any idea that politics is dull. For sheer entertainment value, it's never been better. And, yes, although I'm aghast at much of what I see - particularly the dark underbelly of greed, meanness, and racism that Trump has exposed in his supporters - I try to stay on top of it as much as I can, and hope to become more involved, not less.
If we want to get really etymological, the Greeks even had a word for those who were self-centered and only dealt with their own small affairs, not taking part in the affairs of the city.
Based on the Greek for "private", "one's own" - idios. And yes, the word is "idiot".
The first recorded pressure to join the collective and enslave your neighbor?
The first recorded pressure to join the collective and enslave your neighbor?
Oh my!
Ok, so I've seen you float this idea around before, but I've never had a terribly compelling reason to engage with it. But now this thread exists... so here we go...
If I'm correct, your an anarchist-libertarian type. You're in that range. And if I'm not mistaken, it's because you believe other viewpoints wish to enact force upon others via the state, which is always wrong. And that's fine. You're also against politics, which I'm gathering you feel is using force of the state. And I understand the logic of why you don't want to engage in that... but at the same time, it makes no goddamn sense.
You could vote Libertarian. You could engage in politics and attempt to convince (not force) others to vote this way as well. And these people who you've voted for could grow in congress, and you could begin seeing our society move closer to your ideal, even if it's not fully achieved. But because it's not fully achieved, you view that as supporting state sponsored force and won't engage.
But, imagine a fascist party, which is as close to the opposite of libertarian/anarchist views I can imagine, begins to rise. You could engage in politics, move society towards using less force even though it won't be abolished entirely, as a means of combating a society that will pretty much be defined by it's constant use of force.
In essence, it's better in your mind to sacrifice none of your principles and let a person who stands in opposition to all of your principle seize power than it is to sacrifice some of your principles to support people who don't agree with some of your principles and support a society that uses less force (not none).
Do you see my confusion at your stance on politics? It's fine that you're an anarchist or libertarian or whatever you are. But being an apolitical anarchist/libertarian is essentially the same as being a Christian who only acts like a Christian when they go to church a few times around the holidays. That's to say, I don't necessarily doubt the sincerity of your belief, but I don't believe you have much conviction.
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