Michael here.
So first things first: I don't know much about politics. I'm quite reticent about engaging in the whole messy affair. Obviously I have opinions about stuff, but I really do not like speaking up in political venues, for reasons I'm about to describe. I have stayed so far away from politics that I don't even know where I'd fall on the "political spectrum". I took a test once in Grade 10 that told me I was just right of center, so maybe that'd still hold true.
But here's the main reason I don't like to engage in politics—too much heat and not enough light. I find that everything political is just so charged and eventually hateful that I don't want to identify with any "side" in any issue, because it means I'll draw out hatred and contempt without even having said anything. If I'm gonna engage in political stuff, I don't want to contribute to an already awful sounding divide between the two American political parties.
At this point you may ask, "Why not just register as an independent?" Maybe I will someday, but that would take me engaging more to actually go register. Also I'm lazy.
Anyway, the conversation that I overheard this morning was between two people who identify themselves as liberals/democrats, and they were talking to each other in hushed tones, as though they were speaking treasonous things or part of an underground subculture that needed to be kept secret.
I also have spoken with people who identify themselves as liberal/democratic, and they talk about how hard it is to be such in Utah, which is apparently a predominantly red/Republican/Conservative state. Complaints are often made about how people sometimes mix Church and politics, and how it can turn people off from Church quite strongly.
So I am annoyed by politics. It seems to create divisions, obscure clear thinking, and get in the way when it doesn't need to.
Some of you may think I'm cozying up to the liberals by writing this post. I'm not. I'm not cozying up to republicans either. As I said before, I don't really want to drink in with any particular party or form of identification that's going to make me an enemy to people I don't even know, or make enemies of people I don't know.
I don't engage in politics, but I listen to things I hear, and it's really hard for me to get down to what's really going on in certain issues. Most times I hear sweeping generalizations (from both sides) that try to establish as universal a particular point of view.
I feel bad for politicians—honest politicians, anyway—who have the difficult job of trying to keep everybody happy. They always fail, but they have to keep trying. I guess when I say "keep everybody happy" I mean that they have to pass laws that serve people of all different persuasions as equally as possible. And that's impossible for people so fragmented and torn apart as we 21st century 1st world people seem to be.
I could write more in the future about political subjects (and I probably will), but all I'll say for now is that division and strife and animosity are not gonna solve problems. It's a huge bummer that political people get so heated, and that non-political people are also often haters. I wish there just wasn't so much contention out there!
So politics are frustrating to me because it seems like it's trying to create division and contention. I try to do some serious thinking about the issues I hear about on the news (when I hear about what's on the news), but I find no safe place to go and sort through it all. Everywhere I try to look there are gonna be people providing information that is slanted toward one side or the other. So I don't engage, I just stay separate from it all.
I know I should be involved politically and be a good citizen and involved in my community and junk, but it's just not a very appealing arena to jump into.
Anybody know any good, safe, neutral places to learn about current issues?
