Contemplating "Politics"

[qos]

I rarely post about politics. I enjoy talking about other topics that many people find stressful, private, and/or volatile, especially religion and sex -- but I shy away from political conversations, especially in this forum.

This afternoon I had an insight about why that is, and I have to credit blessed_harlot's posts about Christian Anarchy for a significant amount of the thought leading up to it.

When I talk about sex and/or religion, it tends to be from a very personal, individual perspective. I talk about my own beliefs, my own experiences, always with the explicit or implied disclaimer of "Your Mileage May Vary." When I talk with another person about these topics, the focus is almost always about individual beliefs and experiences. We may have significant differences of opinion, but hopefully we can each honor the personal experiences that shaped those opinions.

The point at which it stops being about personal experience and starts being about other peoples' behavior is where politics begins. The conversation becomes political when it starts being about what each person thinks is best not just for him- or herself but for others as well. It's the point at which someone goes from saying I think it's wrong to ___ and becomes If I had my way, no one would be able to ____.

I am not saying that political conversation is bad. We live in extended communities, and we need to have political discourse -- preferrably conducted with a high level of thoughtfulness and civility. But it's not something I want to engage in in this space. This is a space where my friends and I share personal experiences, not where I debate which set of values should be dominant in the region or nation. It's not that I don't have opinions about such things, it's just that I don't usually want to air them there. (Please note: I have no problem at all with my friends holding such discussions in their own journals. That's their space, and I am free to take part or scroll down as I please.)

I don't know where this contemplation is leading. I wish I had more to say about it now than I do. But this insight felt significant enough to note.

Comments

[amqu.livejournal.com]

I think people have different things that interest them. Not that you couldn't be interested in politics, just that it is far down your list of importance. I could be wrong, but I don't see you as an avid follower of cable news.

Just like your religion is personalized to yourself, your politics probably are as well and I don't imagine you'd be a perfect fit in any mainstream political thought.

I am interested in politics while having absolutely no involvement in it. It's fascinating to me. Things have been unraveling for a while, and I like to keep abreast of how fast we're going to hell in a handbasket. ;)

The conversation becomes political when it starts being about what each person thinks is best not just for him- or herself but for others as well. It's the point at which someone goes from saying I think it's wrong to ___ and becomes If I had my way, no one would be able to ____.

I don't know if I agree with this definition. It is too broad. For example, that would mean if you were discussing somebody being raped or murdered and said, "that person should go to jail," you are having a political discussion because you are saying that if you had your way no one should be able to rape or murder.

Of course, now that I write that paragraph and think about it, perhaps you're right. That is why people enact laws and once you start doing that, you have political action.

[qos.livejournal.com]

Yes, it would be a political conversation according to my definition.

I do have an interest in politics, one that's been growing over the past few years, but I get easily frustrated by what seems to be a lack of authentic discourse and true focus on the collective good. Obviously I have my own prejudices about what that "good" looks like, but even so. . .

That is why people enact laws and once you start doing that, you have political action.

Exactly.

And while I don't pretend to be exceptionally well informed about rape or murder cases, it's clear that there are many different values in play regarding how such crimes are defined, how the cases are tried, and what kind of punishment is imposed. There are issues of selective enforcement, definitions of "consent" and "self-defense", and etc. I think that everyone on my friends list could agree "rape and murder are bad" -- but I'm also sure that there could be some lively debates about how such crimes are defined, how they should be punished, and etc.

I want to reiterate that I don't think such conversations or debates are necessarily bad; I just prefer to engage in them in a different space than this journal.

Of course, if I make a post about a political topic then everyone is free to share their own opinions unless otherwise requested or I turn commenting off. ;-)