"What I Know About Politics" or "Poop."

[Seil]

I should know something, shouldn't I? I mean, politics are important. People who politic talk about rights and regulations and stuff. People in politics talk about minimum wage. Politic people talk about voting and whatever the junk.

On one hand, I think "Why should I care?" On the other hand, I recognize that out political body is important, and applaud eery African and Middle Eastern country who fights for their right to democratic process. On the third hand, I don't really look at who they elect, as long as they can elect someone.

I'm serious; as a Canadian, I think "Wow. What an inspirational struggle for democracy!" And then I don't pay attention. I'm a terrible person. Really, Leonard Cohen.



And Tom Waits. The important part is that I, as a citizen of a town, in a province, in a country could care less as to how any of those were run as long as the standard of life doesn't change for me - and I think that's wrong.

I'm not saying that politiczzzzZZZZzzzzz ZZZZ zZzzzz or Law ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzsssssssssssssssssssszzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*SNORT*ZZ ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz." But if only someone was interesting:







Alternatively, you guys can lie to me - just entertain me, and I won't care.



---------- Post added at 11:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 PM ----------

Or, because it took me far longer to find that pictoral quote than I had originally intended, and I got distracted on the way over there, (because I have pictures of over 1,500 quotes) (because I am Seil) here's Robin Williams.

(Because fudge anybody who doesn't like Robin Williams.)

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Poop summarizes politics pretty well.

[Osterbaum]

The thing is, politics as usual is boring as fuck.

[Amake]

As Warren Ellis likes to put it, politics is the act of controlling one's environment. The hillbilly living alone in a cabin on the prairie who refuses to vote, the Timecube guy, the news forum and Barack Obama are all working towards the same goal: Making everything in their world either make sense or go away where they don't have to see it.

Speaking in generalities, anyway. I look at my country's racist party's success over the last eight years and go "Wow, what an inspirational struggle against democracy!" in a deadpan voice, I listen to the wealthy side of my family complain about higher taxes and increased employer responsibilities and try to not roll my eyes, and then I go back to writing my book about dragons, time travel and hitchhiking with Tom Waits.

(Because I think that's the best way for me to make a difference.)

[Osterbaum]

My alternative is to try and make politics interesting for myself. That means doing what I think is important and useful, working towards real change and to an extent approaching politics from a very personal perspective: how does it affect me? what can I do? what do I want to do?

I also find that people are generally more interested in politics, and I don't use "politics" here to mean "parliamentary politics", when they feel their choices and their voices matter. Truly matter. People are more inclined to find out what's what if they can use this knowledge to actually do something about these things.

[Ryong]

We're in the middle of elections here and it basically boils down to "LOOK AT HOW CORRUPT THE OTHER GUYS ARE" - even though they're also corrupt as fuck - or "LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS WE DID" - even though most projects that involved building anything, like the new stadiums for the world cup which were supposed to cost a tenth of what they did - so at this point I'm just going to try and give a chance to the guys who haven't been in power for the last 12 years.

[shiney]

Politics is the art of making your opponent look shitty so people can't see how shitty you are.

[Ryong]

My teachers are bad at politics, then.

[Terex4]

Originally Posted by Osterbaum

My alternative is to try and make politics interesting for myself. That means doing what I think is important and useful, working towards real change and to an extent approaching politics from a very personal perspective: how does it affect me? what can I do? what do I want to do?

I also find that people are generally more interested in politics, and I don't use "politics" here to mean "parliamentary politics", when they feel their choices and their voices matter. Truly matter. People are more inclined to find out what's what if they can use this knowledge to actually do something about these things.

This is incredibly accurate. I've always had an interest in politics but I've seen a few people, who otherwise wouldn't get out of bed on election day, getting involved because of what we have at stake.

On the other hand, they are also easily discouraged when things don't go well.

[Osterbaum]

Unfortunately almost everyone gets easily discouraged. But I think this is both a reaction to the unexpected level of opposition but also to the often mistaken idea that if the goals weren't immediately achieved then nothing was achieved. But many campaigns, movements etc. have actually achieved many of their immediate goals and medium term goals; it's the long term goals that (in the current situation) often remain out of reach.

I get temporarily discouraged quite often and it makes me contemplate the meaningfulness of what I 'm doing. However this:

My alternative is to try and make politics interesting for myself. That means doing what I think is important and useful, working towards real change and to an extent approaching politics from a very personal perspective: how does it affect me? what can I do? what do I want to do?

as well as becoming friends with some of the people you do politics with and investing more than just time into it all help quite a bit.

I won't lie, a strong ideological drive is also pretty useful in this regard.