> Which is a shame because if they did they wouldn't vote against their own interests.
I am not haughty nor arrogant enough to presume I know what is best for other people. Above all I value democracy. People can - and should - vote for whatever they want.
That extends to the right of being oblivious to politics.
> You’re basically saying you’re fine either way so it doesn’t matter to you
That's not what I said. I said that my opinions on politics and economics don't sit front and center on my personal relationships.
I pay attention to politics to understand where the wind blows. I have investments to manage, a mortgage to pay, and a daughter to raise. Understanding how to operate according to political and economic decisions by those in power is important. It just doesn't matter much for my personal relationships.
> But it does matter for a bunch of real people who’s freedoms are compromised by policy decisions.
Freedom is not unlimited. Nor it should be. Democracy is above all a compromise that ensures nobody will be really happy.
I'm not sure what to do about this- how to relate to people whose single minded obsession with politics has tinted every aspect of their lives and thoughts, and they think people that don't see it that way are complicit with their "evil enemies."
It's becoming more and more common, and awful. I see this a lot- my family can't even have holiday get togethers anymore, because people that used to get along great have now "joined opposite sides" and can't talk or think about anything else anymore. They'll start lecturing each other loudly, and literally can't think or listen to other people anymore. They do this even if everyone present agrees with them!
What is actually happening is the opposite of what they seem think- it's not the other people that are checked out of real life and not taking a stand on things that are actually important-- it is them. Obsessively and angrily watching news doesn't solve problems, nor does blind application of any ideology. Ranting at people with your ears and mind shut down doesn't convince anyone of anything.
A simple minded obsession like that can't exist in a healthy person that is actually engaged with the things they care about, and have personal control over. They're not good parents, family members, employees, or community members anymore - the kind of people engaged with making the world better through direct actions - but angry closed minded zealots.
I'd like to help these people become human again, and stop obsessing over politics in a way that dehumanizes anyone that doesn't perfectly agree with them. My thought is that it is an emotional problem, and not about the politics at all. They seem to be projecting their own personal anxieties and fears into a political framework, as a distraction from understanding and dealing with them. Or conversely, politics has found a way to weaponize personal emotional problems as a way to engage supporters.
I am not haughty nor arrogant enough to presume I know what is best for other people. Above all I value democracy. People can - and should - vote for whatever they want.
That extends to the right of being oblivious to politics.
> You’re basically saying you’re fine either way so it doesn’t matter to you
That's not what I said. I said that my opinions on politics and economics don't sit front and center on my personal relationships.
I pay attention to politics to understand where the wind blows. I have investments to manage, a mortgage to pay, and a daughter to raise. Understanding how to operate according to political and economic decisions by those in power is important. It just doesn't matter much for my personal relationships.
> But it does matter for a bunch of real people who’s freedoms are compromised by policy decisions.
Freedom is not unlimited. Nor it should be. Democracy is above all a compromise that ensures nobody will be really happy.