It’s Past Time that People Talk about Politics
by Jaime Castle, Board of Trustees President
Folks of a certain age grew up knowing that there were some topics of conversation, to be polite, that you just avoided. A big topic to avoid: politics! But why? It’s fascinating to me, in an irritated way, how so many people ignore the topic altogether declaring that they just don’t like politics. What’s not to love about politics?!
People may dislike politics for several reasons –
Frustration with the system: people may feel powerlessness or apathy towards the whole process or the two-party system.
Negative associations: people are often distrustful of politicians and think that they are prone to corruption.
Polarization and division: Many people do not like the constant fighting and nastiness of the extreme partisan landscape. Conflict can be stressful, and it feels often easier to just disengage.
Complexity and confusion: Politics can be complicated, with complicated policies, laws, and procedures that are difficult to understand. This complexity can be overwhelming.
Overexposure and fatigue: The news can feel like a constant barrage.
Lack of representation: Some individuals feel that their views or communities are not adequately represented in the political discourse.
Prioritization of other interests: For many, politics simply isn’t a priority. People may prefer to focus on other aspects of life, such as family, work, hobbies, or personal development, rather than getting involved in political matters.
Even if people do have an interest in politics, they may be hesitant to talk about for many reasons. Fear of judgment is a strong deterrent to talk about issues in politics. Polarization and conflict avoidance are other reasons why many keep their views quiet. Some people do not think that they know enough about certain issues, or they hear conflicting information about issues and get confused. Some like to get into heated debates only to feel physically unwell due to the stress of their heart rate rising.
The more that I learn about politics, politicians, and society, I wonder if the whole idea that you must avoid talking about politics was something that was crafted in order to keep people away from paying too much attention to those who make the important decisions that affect our lives. I wonder how different our society would be if we were taught and encouraged to talk about politics, not only in a knowledgeable way, but in a civil way. I wonder if more people learned about logical fallacies and propaganda techniques would we be better off.
It’s not too late to change the narrative and to change the culture. My friend, a good person and a good politician, gave me an ornament that I keep close by. It says – We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. We can, as voters, learn about the issues better and learn about which resources are truthful. As parents and teachers, we can teach our kids how to see through messaging and visuals and to think critically. We can teach and model how to have a conversation with opposing viewpoints so that we can at least try to understand someone else or help us to understand fears and concerns that often lie underneath. It is a privilege to be able to ignore politics because that means that you don’t feel affected in a negative way by it. Too many are struggling and harmed by politics; however, putting heads in the sand is a selfish thing to do.
So, what can you do? The good news is that there is a lot that you can do. There is something for everyone to do no matter your current physical or psychological capacity:
- have the civil conversations
- join a canvass
- work on a phone bank
- write postcards
- register voters
- encourage people to vote
- donate to candidates or causes
- put up a yard sign (or five)
- share about candidates or issues on your social media
- call out toxic, unhelpful discourse or disinformation when you encounter it
- do not spread disinformation
- do not give up
- take a break
- imagine the world that you want to live in
- and lastly, go vote!
I want to close with a link to a music video that features at the end another political friend (and fellow 2020 Congressional candidate), Desiree Tims. She says in it: Every time that you sit out an election, every time you don’t show up because you think it doesn’t matter, someone else is happy that you didn’t show up so that they can make that decision for you.
Image source: Jaime Castle