I understand the desire to feel political. Theoretically you have a say in what’s going on with your local government as well as the national government, and that’s awesome! So many countries and people don’t even get the chance to do that. The part that gets lost is voting for the guy that best represents you and your ideas. So many people seem to only vote one way and they’ll change their stated believes to parrot the same rhetoric that their party’s candidates spout, even if it’s not right, ethical, logical, or possible. People seem to pick sides like they pick sports teams and that you have to support them fanatically while simultaneously shitting on everyone else.
Couple that with the current state of corporatism that has bought and paid for the representatives we vote in, and the whole thing is a waste of time and energy. But (roughly) halt the people still get to say “my team won!” at the end of the day and that feels good. You don’t tend to feel the continual raping on every front of your rights and finances because it’s going to happen to you even if “your team” won and each team is going to stick it to you anyway. But at least you get to spout off on FB or the OG about how awesome your candidate is and how much everyone else’s sucks.
There's no point being involved in a system that is bought and paid for, and one that's not going to change, because the lawmakers in charge are the one's benefiting...so why would they change the law?
It is bad in terms of society and in terms of those individuals that want to be fooled, because society needs you to believe that your petty little vote means something and that your efforts, time and money spend on all political movements are going to make a change.
In reality people need to feel important; that they matter as individuals within a massive society that doesn't even know they exist, so they delude themselves into thinking that their single vote matters and that them getting involved with politics is going to make a difference.
Those that criticize you for being apolitical are simply defending the bullshit thye feed thmeselves evrey day to maintain their imagined importance in this world.
Fuck anybody that clings so closely to their 'team' that they can't relate, or worse do harm, to common people. Fuck your political party, your religion (or lack of), fuck your race, fuck your class, fuck your family, fuck your local high school football team if they cause unnecessary hostility to your fellow man
It is bad in terms of society and in terms of those individuals that want to be fooled, because society needs you to believe that your petty little vote means something and that your efforts, time and money spend on all political movements are going to make a change.
In reality people need to feel important; that they matter as individuals within a massive society that doesn't even know they exist, so they delude themselves into thinking that their single vote matters and that them getting involved with politics is going to make a difference.
Those that criticize you for being apolitical are simply defending the bullshit thye feed thmeselves evrey day to maintain their imagined importance in this world.
I like the last sentence the best.
I've got a lot of family members that are very one sided political thinking, never contemplating that neither party really has their best interest or the countries best interest at heart. Yet it makes them feel important if their side wins, like they had something to do with the victory and they were proven right.
My favorite part is when I hear people in politics refer to themselves as "Public Servants" as in they the most selfless humble honorable people ever born to the earth, always putting others needs before there own, and how they could have made so much more money in the private sector but for the good of the people have donated their lives for the cause.
Apolitical means not voting, not caring, not influencing. You've only changed your approach to effecting change, & to an arguably much more valuable & efficient one at that.
Campaigning is about winning races, not changing minds or even policy. You still very much care about changing minds & policy.
Apolitical means not voting, not caring, not influencing. You've only changed your approach to effecting change, & to an arguably much more valuable & efficient one at that.
Campaigning is about winning races, not changing minds or even policy. You still very much care about changing minds & policy.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that "apolitical" means "not interested in politics". "Politics" being "activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power" (I lifted that from a Google definition search).
I have zero desire to aquire governing power nor do I want to spread influence via State coercion but of course I care about the community that surrounds me. I think you're confusing/blending "apolitical" with "apathetic" which I think can be mutually exclusive, although not always.
Howard Zinn put it best: "You can't be neutral on a moving train".
Everyone who believes US politics have gone to shit, as they have, should in turn do something about it. Watch/listen to dissenters of the norm and especially of mainstream media, such as those who have led significant popular movements (Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, et al), engage in constructive, logic-based debates online, thinking for yourself and opening yourself up to once being wrong. Write or create videos about things you think should change. Participation invokes change and apathy only allows others to do the changing, which almost always involves the powerful becoming more powerful.
I love George Carlin to pieces but he's wrong about voting. Dems and Republicans suck but between them there generally is a lesser of two evils. The two party system as a whole absolutely sucks, and guess what -- we'll be stuck with it until enough apathetic people decide to change it.
Any association with Huckabee would have been miserable, at least for me. He's a hypocrite with a warped world view. Overall seems like an asshole. Any anecdotes (toe-tapping or not) would be welcome OP.
On dissent, here's an awesome interview of Chomsky by Bill Moyers. Like me, you may not agree with every single thing Noam says, but he's dead on about positive political change and how it happens because of the people, not politicians.
HolyHackBBCZack - Being extremely political and being apolitical seems to have to same impact on the world around me so I don't see a problem with it. Blame the two party system, the electoral college, the news, the politicians themselves but don't blame me for refusing to run on the rat wheel anymore. Make a positive impact on the people you personally interact with and call it a day.
You should try a 5 or 6 party system like here in Canuckistan. Regularily, 35% of the vote wins a majority government and what even a large % of my fellow Canuckistanians don't understand is.....65% of the voting public did not want the party in power, in power.
