4 ms·
I feel one should take a moment to think about why we've been so political for the last 200 years and why it started during democratic revolutions. Before then
by marcinzm 6y ago
I feel one should take a moment to think about why we've been so political for the last 200 years and why it started during democratic revolutions. Before then the vast majority of people had little power and thus no need for politics. Those with power (lords, kings, court members, etc.) were very political all the time. The rest did what the king and lord said or died. Ones opinions and thoughts and desires didn't directly matter. Then democracy came about and your opinions and thoughts matter. You can influence policy without risk of death, you can change the forces that drive a decent chunk of your existence. Political decisions impact your life and the lives of those around you so it is logical to try to shift them to your benefit if possible. It's simply that in the past that wasn't possible or risked your death.
I'll take being political over being a slave any day of the week.
edit: Also, in the past I'm sure people were political but locally within the scope they were allowed to influence. They couldn't tell the king what to do but maybe they could get their local parish priest to help them instead of the neighbor they hate. It's just like how HOAs are political nowadays.
- _eht 6y agoSo if you’re not living in an HOA, are you a slave?
- marcinzm 6y agoThat's not my point. If you live in a HOA and don't care about the governance of that HOA then you are a slave to the HOA. The HOA may be a benevolent dictator or a malevolent one but you are their slave. edit: The same applies to government except you don't generally get the choice to not live under a government (or the cost of moving is massive). As I see it, over longer periods of time being a slave is unpleasant even if it can be cushy in the short term.
- _eht 6y agoI see your point. Thanks.
- Balgair 6y agoAthens invented their democracy ~2600 years ago. Themistocles is a good example of a person that shows the breadth of politics at the time and how remarkably similar they are to today. Even in the 6th century BC people were political, from a slave to an archon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themistocles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themistocles