A friend recently told me that he was done with politics. He said he couldn’t stand it anymore because it’s gotten too dirty. I don’t know where he’s been dwelling for the last 20 years or so, but politics at its worst has been an infected wound for a long time. And only the most thick-skinned political junkies are the ones who can’t help but touch the wound to test how much pain they can endure. That shouldn’t be the case, but that’s the political climate we have created for ourselves.
We let emotions get in the way of rationality. I’ve said and written things in the past that were driven purely by emotion that I regret. If I ever had the intention of running for office, that would quickly be snuffed out by someone dragging out some of my past Pulse or Sidelines columns. That being said, I don’t regret voicing my opinion. There’s no point in having the freedom to conjure an opinion if you don’t have the courage to express it. It also takes a bit of courage to accept that you might be wrong.
That last part is what fails on many people, the inability to see the other perspective. If self-reflection was an innate ability, people like the notorious Phelps Family might think twice before protesting at military funerals and holding signs that say “God Hates Fags.” They have all the courage in the world but are apparently lacking the sliver of doubt that every person should have to keep his dumber actions in check.
We cannot give up on politics. Plato said that the price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. Evil isn’t the only bad result garnered from political apathy. Political apathy and ignorance have spawned the careers of people like Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, whose self-interests obviously play a role in his political decision making. He’s probably the senate’s biggest adversary regarding global warming, and it’s no coincidence that he’s also heavily financed by the oil and gas industry. He’s one of a many examples of people voting against their better interests. It has nothing to do with Republicans or Democrats. Some of our elected leaders are just so thick skulled and uncompromising that they’re unfit to lead.
And we as a society are to blame for our bad leaders. We have a tendency to vote for incumbents based solely on name recognition or fears of change. During the 2004 election, I heard many people say that they voted for Bush for a second term because he got us in war and he would be the best to get us out. It’s the old adage that you don’t change a horse in midstream. Well, if he’s the reason that you’re in the middle stream in the first place, why does he deserve a second chance? There’s no real logic to it; it’s just the easy vote.
We can’t give up on politics because our politics is our democracy, and democracy isn’t just pulling a lever or pressing a button. It means that you have a responsibility to your neighbor to make the most well-informed decision possible. Even if it means occasionally butting heads and swimming in the dirt that is our political system.
