friends, romans, countrymen
I love politics.
Politics are how we do democracy. Politics are the means by which, through a lot of crap, we participate in a tiny installment of a great conversation that runs throughout human history. Politics are about philosophy. They are about what we owe each other, what we mean to each other, how we as human beings navigate the utter cosmic bizareness of being social animals.
I don't really cry at movies or books. I always cry at museums.
I have very little patience when I hear someone claim to hate politics, honestly. Maybe these people hate conflict, or hate opening their eyes to conflict. I find it much more frightening to be in the dark.
It's not that I love everything about the American electoral political process. I hate that half of us are trying to have an honest conversation with an all-too-sizable minority which prioritizes their own sense of superiority over the best interests of us all. I hate that there are people who make political decisions based on selfishness, bigotry, resentment, or intellectual laziness (insofar as those concepts are even severable), but that's a stupid reason to hate politics. It's like saying you hate money because sometimes people use it to buy trashy porn. I hate that people experience this sharp reminder of disenfranchisement and disempowerment because we are not all treated equally, but I cherish the reminder of the promise that we should be. There are ideas, attitudes, bigotries expressed and utilized in political debate which I loathe with every fiber of my being, but those things are present whether it's an election year or not. Elections are an opportunity for us to drain some of those poisons out of the body politic.
I'll tell you what I don't mind, however popular it is to bemoan: I don't mind even a little the pettiness, the silly electronic trappings of elections. Because they are a reminder that sometimes - not always, not universally, and not in every way that matters - but sometimes we, a species so transient and violent and cruel, are capable of a peaceful transfer of power.
I even love election coverage. Not so much because it's exciting on Election Night, because that excitement comes with stakes higher than I'd ever bet on my own, but because I revel in hearing the details and accents and geographical quirks of parts of the country I haven't lived or even been. I love hearing from people who hope - who truly, deeply believe - that the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. That we, the people, have a union covered in fractures and flaws and blood and problems yet to be solved, yet perfect enough to sit down and have a conversation.
So anyway. This post is up, for anyone else planning to spend the next few hours of their life picking at their Night Cheese, reveling in the surprising shade capabilities of Senator John Kerry, and clinging desperately to the Word of Maddow.
This entry was originally posted at http://pocochina.dreamwidth.org/256322.html. Leave a comment here, or there using OpenID.
Politics are how we do democracy. Politics are the means by which, through a lot of crap, we participate in a tiny installment of a great conversation that runs throughout human history. Politics are about philosophy. They are about what we owe each other, what we mean to each other, how we as human beings navigate the utter cosmic bizareness of being social animals.
I don't really cry at movies or books. I always cry at museums.
I have very little patience when I hear someone claim to hate politics, honestly. Maybe these people hate conflict, or hate opening their eyes to conflict. I find it much more frightening to be in the dark.
It's not that I love everything about the American electoral political process. I hate that half of us are trying to have an honest conversation with an all-too-sizable minority which prioritizes their own sense of superiority over the best interests of us all. I hate that there are people who make political decisions based on selfishness, bigotry, resentment, or intellectual laziness (insofar as those concepts are even severable), but that's a stupid reason to hate politics. It's like saying you hate money because sometimes people use it to buy trashy porn. I hate that people experience this sharp reminder of disenfranchisement and disempowerment because we are not all treated equally, but I cherish the reminder of the promise that we should be. There are ideas, attitudes, bigotries expressed and utilized in political debate which I loathe with every fiber of my being, but those things are present whether it's an election year or not. Elections are an opportunity for us to drain some of those poisons out of the body politic.
I'll tell you what I don't mind, however popular it is to bemoan: I don't mind even a little the pettiness, the silly electronic trappings of elections. Because they are a reminder that sometimes - not always, not universally, and not in every way that matters - but sometimes we, a species so transient and violent and cruel, are capable of a peaceful transfer of power.
I even love election coverage. Not so much because it's exciting on Election Night, because that excitement comes with stakes higher than I'd ever bet on my own, but because I revel in hearing the details and accents and geographical quirks of parts of the country I haven't lived or even been. I love hearing from people who hope - who truly, deeply believe - that the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. That we, the people, have a union covered in fractures and flaws and blood and problems yet to be solved, yet perfect enough to sit down and have a conversation.
So anyway. This post is up, for anyone else planning to spend the next few hours of their life picking at their Night Cheese, reveling in the surprising shade capabilities of Senator John Kerry, and clinging desperately to the Word of Maddow.
This entry was originally posted at http://pocochina.dreamwidth.org/256322.html. Leave a comment here, or there using OpenID.