Politics for when and where?

Anyone who was born after 2000 is confused and often frustrated by politics. This confusion seems to annoy older generations.

There are different schools of thought when it comes to when talking about politics is appropriate.

The first is the idea that the only times you should talk about politics honestly is when you are at the polls actively voting. And even then, only write down your thoughts. This means no posting political opinions, offer neutral opinions when asked about politics, and avoid outright political symbols.

The rational behind the ‘poll only politics’ is that people will judge you for your political views. You may not get hired if a potential employer chooses to check your socials and sees your post about “love is love.” Or your friends could decide to step away if they don’t agree with your political views.

The second idea about when to discuss politics is only discuss the important things and only do so when you are an eligible voter. If you are a minor, too bad, politics aren’t for you. The issues in this school of thought are defining what are important issues. In my experience, people who feel this way encourage others to only discuss politics that impact them.

The idea here is to not bother others with trivial issues or get emotional over things that don’t affect you. Sometimes politics can be silly, like arguing over what color the fire trucks should be (they should be red, all yellow fire trucks are a blight on humanity and I need them eradicated).

The third train of thought is that everything is political. The colors you wear, the music you listen to, and even the coffee you drink are political statements. People who believe this usually are strong proponents for political literacy, meaning you as a person are responsible for staying up to date on politics.

I think this is best described by The Good Place, a TV comedy about the afterlife. In The Good Place, they realize that everyone is ending up in ‘the bad place’ because living has become complicated. The show uses a tomato to explain this fully, the judge of good and bad goes to earth and tries purchasing a tomato without losing goodness points (yes it sounds silly but it makes sense).

Within minutes of trying to search for ethically sourced tomatoes she accidentally ends up on explicit sites, she is yelled at for the color of her skin, and she has to deal with humidity. In the end, she can’t find a single tomato without losing some of her “goodness” points. Because living is hard, because the internet has connected everything, and with outsourcing, every single thing we buy has been in 3 different countries before getting to us.

And with the more extreme political movements going on right now, basic human kindness can be seen as a political act. If you are sick and try to avoid sharing germs by wearing a mask, that is a political statement. If you have friends who are getting married and they are both men, going to their wedding is a political statement. If you wear Nikes or purchase Starbucks, congratulations that was a political statement.

I may sound repetitive when I point out, there are ways to be both the ‘poll only political’ and a ‘everything is political’ person. Exceptions exist everywhere. I also refuse to tell you what to do.

I will tell you what I have chosen to do. I am a queer, neurodivergent person with chronic illnesses, so it is hard for me to be impartial when it comes to politics because most of it ends up impacting me.

I have dealt with employers who were uncomfortable with me sharing my political views, and in certain settings I agree. As a childcare worker, I don’t think I should be telling children how I personally feel about the president. So, when I am actively working, or wearing anything with my work logo on it, I keep my politics to myself.

But otherwise, I have visible tattoos and brightly colored hair (currently orange and teal), plus a nose piercing. People assume my politics from just looking at me, and most are correct. I make political statements by just entering a room and I am okay with that. I also don’t shy away from boycotting companies I don’t agree with, because money is just as much a vote as a ballot.

I work and study fields that allow for more flexibility in political stances, but there are fields that basically prohibit employees from sharing political opinions like the military or civil servants. If your employer doesn’t allow you to publicly share your political opinion without backlash, that is not ideal.

Just don’t trust the news or word of mouth if you are thinking about being politically active. The news is repeating the same facts in different patterns to create different meanings (I study journalism, trust me). Stories are only as trustworthy as the people who tell them, so make sure you find more sources before you give something your trust. It sucks and reading the news feels like writing a research paper, but in the digital age this is really the easiest way to stay safe and informed.