Look, I get it. Politics sucks. Especially on social media. We’re all tired of the stupid memes, the clickbait stories, the anger and invective. Talking politics pisses everyone off and it doesn’t seem to accomplish anything. Both sides are awful and none of it matters. We are all struggling with our own problems and working our butts off to keep our heads above water and maybe, just maybe, have a little fun and see what our friends and family are up to. When we talk politics it kills the buzz and puts everyone on edge. And there aren’t nearly as many cool kayaking videos as there used to be. I hear you.
I used to tune out politics too. Used to not bother to vote. Which side controlled which part of the government didn’t affect my life to any large degree so why should I bother? It certainly made life simpler and more pleasant for me. And it didn’t seem to hurt me in any way I noticed. Just ignore it and leave the details to all those ‘activists’. Live my life, be kind to my neighbors, and let the world take care of itself.
Then I started to pay more attention to what those ‘activists’ were saying. I started to listen to the stories from the people who couldn’t afford to ignore politics because it puts their very existence at risk. I studied the facts and figures showing how many people are suffering under conservative policies, and how effective government intervention can be for the most marginalized. And even if I didn’t know those people personally, it became very clear that politics does matter to the material lives of many of my fellow citizens. It can be a force to improve their health and happiness, to recognize their humanity and struggle, and to make our world better; or it can dehumanize people, leave them to suffer or die, and destroy our culture and environment for generations to come. It might not have immediate and obvious costs for me, but politics really does matter and my role in it, however small, is important and necessary. Because to turn away and willfully ignore those who are suffering - that is a political choice in and of itself.
You should care that 200,000 Americans, disproportionately People of Color, have died unnecessarily from a virus our current Administration has done little to prevent or remedy. You should care that Black Americans are twice as likely to be killed by police and face racial bias in every aspect of our criminal justice system (not to mention in healthcare, housing, employment, etc). You should care that 84 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured and our current administration is actively fighting to make it worse, including a legal battle to let insurers ban people for pre-existing conditions. You should care that gay couples only recently got the right to marry and one of our political parties wants to rescind that right. That same party wants to ban Transgender Americans from military service, they support banning people of certain religions from entering our country, and they have no moral qualms locking up brown-skinned kids in cages and permanently separating them from their parents. You should care that the world is hotter, storms are bigger, and our climate is changing in dangerous ways which we CAN stop if our government takes a lead and makes changes. Maybe none of these things affect you directly and immediately, but they will affect us all sooner or later. If you don’t care for yourself you should still care for the others, for those who suffer now and future generations who will suffer later. And you can do something simple to help. Vote. Vote for Democrats. Vote for an imperfect party that won’t solve all the problems but will help many of those in need. It takes so little of you to do that but it means so much to many. Show you care because you can. Because I believe you do.
