EVERYTHING IS POLITICAL
Keep reading and leave a comment to join this dialogue, then check out today’s writing prompt at the bottom of this post. [From the Archive.]
It’s not often I get riled up, especially when I write. But today’s post is a little different from what I usually write.
Simply put, I am getting sick and tired of people saying they “just aren’t that political.” Even saying that is a political stance. If you believe you are exempt from engaging in politics, or that you aren’t already engaging in politics, your politics simply side with those who are in power and making decisions on your behalf. And those decisions they’re making either don’t bother you or, to your knowledge, negatively affect you. But make no mistake, your politics side with those in power if you are not questioning their decisions or directly engaging with those decisions in any way— via voting, townhalls, grassroots movements, talking with your neighbors and people who live around you, etc.
EVERYTHING YOU DO AND SAY IS POLITICAL.
Your mere birth and existence within a certain society on this planet is political. Whether you like it or not, it is not possible to refrain from existing inside the political world in which you live. The way you live and work and eat and exist is indicative of your political existence and your politics. You can say that you don’t like to engage in negative, circular, volatile (etc.) political interactions, of course. But saying that is different than believing that makes you apolitical. I honestly don’t think there is such a thing as apoliticality. It’s not possible to be apolitical.
Where you live, how you live, if you can easily move where you live, IS POLITICAL.
Where you eat, how you eat, what you’re able to eat, how often you’re able to eat, and how easy it is for you to get food to eat, IS POLITICAL.
What you wear, where you get clothes, etc. IS POLITICAL.
Where you sleep at night, what you sleep on or in at night, and if you’re safe enough to sleep at night at all, IS POLITICAL.
Where you work, who you work for, your options for work, and how much you get paid IS POLITICAL.
The list goes on and on and on… but hopefully my point is becoming clearer.
EVERYTHING YOU DO AND SAY IS POLITICAL, WHICH MEANS EVERYTHING YOU READ AND WRITE IS POLITICAL.
Everything you say and don’t say, as well as what you do and don’t do, as you continue to exist on this planet is political, because it’s all indicative of and related to who you are and what you are allowed to do or capable of doing based on who you are and where you live and everything associated with that. And because who you are and where you live and how you are able to engage in the world around you (or don’t), directly affects the politics of where you live and how you live, as well as others living in the world around you, especially where you live. [ I won’t go into parsing the Butterfly Effect on a sociological level, this time…]
If you don’t have to worry about things like food scarcity or medical debt or unemployment or safe housing, you exist and engage in the world around you differently. And the way you engage or don’t engage in the world around you contributes to what happens in the world around you, eventually determining who is in power making decisions about the world around you and what you can or cannot do in it, as well as what others can or cannot do in it.
EVERYTHING YOU DO AND SAY IS POLITICAL, WHICH MEANS EVERYTHING YOU READ AND WRITE IS POLITICAL.
This is why education is power. Because the more you know, the better you can engage in the world in which you live and question and engage with those who are in power. This is why it matters what you read and write (which is something you can or cannot do). And why it matters that you even have the ability to read and write.
Choosing to read only suburban romance novels is a political stance, just as choosing to read only Western Classics or WWII nonfiction is a political stance. This is why it’s important to stick to a more egalitarian and diverse reading regimen lest your worldview and beliefs become too singular and siloed, as we live in a diverse and globalized world whether we like it or not.
And our reading regimen directly influences what we’re interested in or able to write about. You are highly unlikely to write anything about WWII if you never read anything about it before, for instance.
There is more to be said and explored regarding this topic, to be sure. I will likely pick up where this post leaves off in a future post. For today’s post, however, I just wanted to spark some much-needed reflection on what it does and does not mean to ‘be political,’ and how what we read and write influences this.
I need to write more posts about this topic. But for now, you can read Is reading political? and All writing is political. and Is it possible to be apolitical? .
“Even refraining (especially refraining) from actively participating in political debates and voting is a political decision because you're saying it's okay for others to make political decisions on your behalf, which is ultimately a political decision you're making. So even if you think you're staying out of politics, you aren't. You're simply silencing yourself.” - from Is it possible to be apolitical?
"Man is by nature a political animal."- Aristotle
“Colloquialisms, examples of humor, accents, rhetorical devices and techniques, semantics, writing structures and grammar, etc. exemplify one's politics in what they write.
You don’t have to write about contentious two-party politics to engage in political discussions, or discussions that involve communities or governments, as everything involving people and their communities is political—most especially the language they use (or don't use) when they write.
…
Anything written can and will be an example of a polis and something a polis can discuss or ignore or silence.” - from All writing is political.
"No citizen is apolitical; as a citizen, by definition, has to take interest in public affairs." - Mohammad Hamid Ansari
“All books are political due to the language they use, which means all reading is political. But that's also why we need to keep reading. Reading is the best way to engage with and understand another's politics, to see the world from a different political lens.
Contemporary life and tired rhetorical habits have distorted what most of us think of when we hear or see the terms 'politics' or 'political' or their derivatives nowadays, sadly. But the truth is, things that are political, like books and reading, are inherently human. And what could be more important than reading more books to better understand other humans and the language they're using, to better understand them and what makes them tick?” - from Is reading political?
"'A Talk to Teachers' showed me that a teacher's work should reject the false pretense of being apolitical and, instead, confront the problems that shape our students' lives." - Clint Smith
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Today’s Writing Prompt
Writing Prompt: Free Write, A Day in My Life
Set a timer for ten minutes. Once you start the timer, start free writing about what a typical day in your life looks like. Write about whatever comes to your mind as soon as it comes to your mind, and don't overthink what you're writing about. Don't stop writing until the timer goes off. And feel free to repeat this free writing exercise for any topic in the future, especially when you find yourself stuck or needing a bit of creative inspiration.
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