But I'm not political!

“I’m not political,”

she assured me, immediately after stating that in her industry, it is very difficult to plan for the future or know if you’ll still have a job because,

“…because that’s what you get when you elect a bozo to run things. Nobody knows what to expect. But I’m not political.”

“I’m not political.”

Respectfully disagree. I hear those words on repeat from others. Not just her. Normal, decent, good people, as if they’re some sort of non-partisan creed for neutrality and common sense.

What is politics, if not making choices about allocations of resources and power?

To not vote, to “not be political,” those are decisions, those are choices in and of themselves. They are not absolution from history.

To “not be political” is a phrase I have heard many times, and most of the time, most of the time, it is coming from those who are comfortable with the status quo, who are comfortable enough with the ways things are and with their own family’s safety and security and future that they can confidently assert a mindset of being separate from all that…distasteful arguing and rude disagreements.

To “not be political” is also a choice many people have made in history. There are always, always those who have asked: why make a fuss? I don’t see anything wrong…

What were you, or your parents, or grandparents, or families, or friends, or whoever doing during the Civil Rights protests of the 1960s;

the ones that we read about now in our history books and for the most part, most of us can accept that these were noble pursuits, this was righteous activism that mattered and was for a good cause?

Where were they? In the streets? Engaged on any level in any kind of marches, rallies, protests, writings, events, speeches…anything?
Or were they at home?
Being “non-political?”

What was the prevailing mindset THEN?

That is the question. We know about some of the villains, the monsters and thugs and blatant racists who got caught on cameras or hot mics or in speeches going a little too far over the line for history to be okay with in that era - the ‘60s.

But then, but then…the hordes, the mobs, the people who were…non-political were…the masses.

Us.
You.
Me.

So many people simply living their lives and being okay with the current state of existence around us.
I do that every day. I have a family, first and foremost to take care of. I can’t - or have chosen - to not spend every day engaged in battles for universal human rights or basic dignity and opportunities afforded to all. In little ways I do what I can. Listen mostly, speak up sometimes, write in a little corner (here) in the universe, take my family to events and rallies and protests and marches that reflect the kinds of change we would like to see; the kind of change that sees all people as worhty of basic respect and dignity. And rights.

My life is not tied up in politics. But I am political.

I am political. To say you’re not is also a political choice. I’m not attacking this person who said it. It’s a common refrain. It is a distant callout though. To not make a choice is to make a choice. To not decide is to decide. To not view yourself as “political” is to make a choice of what kind of political you are.

If it affects others, we think of it as political.
If it affects us, it’s…life.
That’s when people start to realise, “oh, maybe I’m more opinionated than I thought.”

I don’t know. I’m not that political.