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But someone has to decide which topics are political. That is a political decision. Which means there are still politics, regardless of what your policy says.

But someone has to decide which topics are political. That is a political decision. Which means there are still politics, regardless of what your policy says. For example, I might say that calling me by my preferred pronouns isn't political, it's a matter of basic respect. Other people might think this is an act of political coercion, and report me to HR for violating the "no politics" policy. Resolving that dispute is a political act. Moreover companies are political entities granted a charter by the state, and don't hesitate to have positions on political issues that directly affect their business. So "no politics" doesn't mean "no politics" at all, it means (charitably) no discussion of politics beyond things the prevailing political consensus deems as apolitical, or (uncharitably) no discussion of anything that makes the dominant group uncomfortable.

dijit 4y ago
You can always make the argument that everything is everything else, everything can be traced back to religion, or monetary gain or trying to improve social standing; that’s not interesting because it’s extremely easy to make everything relate to everything. So, while I appreciate greatly the attempt to politicise the world and make this topic greyer than it needs to be: it’s a little at odds with reality unless you’ve entirely internalised the notion that everything is political always. This is the same argument as “silence is violence” but even that movement acknowledges the reason they consider it violence is because it supports the status quo. The status quo should not be considered political. In order to be apolitical one must live within the status quo; only excluding the inherently political things like protesting or denouncing/promoting politicians or parties. Similar to how theism doesn’t preclude denouncing other faiths or supporting any: whatever the current climate is with regards to the dominant theism; is what is usually understood to be normal by atheists wherever they are based- with the obvious exclusion of inherently religious things like going to a place of worship or praying.
- projectazorian 4y ago
  > So, while I appreciate greatly the attempt to politicise the world and make this topic greyer than it needs to be: but it’s a little at odds with reality unless you’ve entirely internalised the notion that everything is political always. No, not everything is political, but many things are, especially when we're talking about how to govern corporations, which are political entities with a charter from the state and often have a great deal of power over their employees and the communities in which they operate. > The status quo should not be considered political. In order to be apolitical one must live within the status quo; only excluding the inherently political things like protesting or denouncing/promoting politicians or parties. And who defines what is "within the status quo"? Doing so is a political act.
- mcguire 4y ago
  I've noticed people often have bizarre notions about "politics". Politics is simply the way people in groups come up with decisions. How you and your friends decide where to go for dinner? Politics, whether it's voting or someone's birthday preference, or because your one friend Ayn really has to be the one to decide or else she throws a fit. The status quo? Well, yeah, it's not political, in roughly the same way that a paper mill is not political. But like you say yourself, it becomes political when someone wants to change something. If someone wants to build a paper mill in the middle of your neighborhood, you'd best get your political hat on and start doing the political boogie because you don't want to live near the smell and chemicals. If someone wants to change the status quo, say because they think the current treatment of Xs by Ys is unacceptable, then you can bet that both supporting and opposing the status quo will become political.

dijit 4y ago

You can always make the argument that everything is everything else, everything can be traced back to religion, or monetary gain or trying to improve social standing; that’s not interesting because it’s extremely easy to make everything relate to everything. So, while I appreciate greatly the attempt to politicise the world and make this topic greyer than it needs to be: it’s a little at odds with reality unless you’ve entirely internalised the notion that everything is political always. This is the same argument as “silence is violence” but even that movement acknowledges the reason they consider it violence is because it supports the status quo. The status quo should not be considered political. In order to be apolitical one must live within the status quo; only excluding the inherently political things like protesting or denouncing/promoting politicians or parties. Similar to how theism doesn’t preclude denouncing other faiths or supporting any: whatever the current climate is with regards to the dominant theism; is what is usually understood to be normal by atheists wherever they are based- with the obvious exclusion of inherently religious things like going to a place of worship or praying.

projectazorian 4y ago
> So, while I appreciate greatly the attempt to politicise the world and make this topic greyer than it needs to be: but it’s a little at odds with reality unless you’ve entirely internalised the notion that everything is political always. No, not everything is political, but many things are, especially when we're talking about how to govern corporations, which are political entities with a charter from the state and often have a great deal of power over their employees and the communities in which they operate. > The status quo should not be considered political. In order to be apolitical one must live within the status quo; only excluding the inherently political things like protesting or denouncing/promoting politicians or parties. And who defines what is "within the status quo"? Doing so is a political act.
mcguire 4y ago
I've noticed people often have bizarre notions about "politics". Politics is simply the way people in groups come up with decisions. How you and your friends decide where to go for dinner? Politics, whether it's voting or someone's birthday preference, or because your one friend Ayn really has to be the one to decide or else she throws a fit. The status quo? Well, yeah, it's not political, in roughly the same way that a paper mill is not political. But like you say yourself, it becomes political when someone wants to change something. If someone wants to build a paper mill in the middle of your neighborhood, you'd best get your political hat on and start doing the political boogie because you don't want to live near the smell and chemicals. If someone wants to change the status quo, say because they think the current treatment of Xs by Ys is unacceptable, then you can bet that both supporting and opposing the status quo will become political.