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[FWIW: I don't read Reddit or Twitter or any of the rest. HN is as close to online humanity as I can tolerate] > Turns out in real life, people care a lot less

[FWIW: I don't read Reddit or Twitter or any of the rest. HN is as close to online humanity as I can tolerate] > Turns out in real life, people care a lot less about politics than in online cesspools. Sure, if you ask it that way. But if you ask them how they feel about almost anything, their opinion will be shaped by the politicization of music, sports, food, weather, child rearing, education, the economy, their town, the helicopter on Mars, etc. These things are politicized and the way people think about them is not authentic, but political. Not all individual people, not all individual cases. But anyone who pretends that politics is not front and center in their belief systems is either deluding themselves, or truly exceptional. Probably the former.

surgical_fire 3y ago
There is a huge distance in between "my opinions and worldview is informed, to an extent, by the political climate" and "I live and breathe politics all the time, and it is front and center of every discussion I have with everyone" I have friends on every corner of the political spectrum. My wife is a lot more conservative than I am. This was never an issue. There is a huge amount of topics where our interests intersect anyway. "There is so much more in the universe".
- quesera 3y ago
  Right. Because we are privileged and reasonable people! Privileged by the fact that our existence, and our choices, do not raise the ire of our community. Some of our choices are tailored to fit that community of course. Reasonable because we believe that the existence of others, and their choices, are not things we need to have opinions on, unless they are directly affective of our well-being. But this is not true for everyone. Outside of our quadrant, things get complicated quickly. Some people do not have the privilege of being culturally unexciting. And some people do not come by reasonableness naturally. I'm not saying you can't go through your day without thinking politically. I'm saying that there is a politicization angle on everything except the most mundane. And outside of our quadrant, this can create real life-affective friction. And, back to the topic, this is why they put "political affiliation" on dating apps.
  - Spivak 3y ago
    Yep, it's easy to be politically disinterested or not really care about the differences between different parties when your interests and way of living are protected by both of them and whoever is in office has very little effect on your life. And it's not a bad thing or admonishment, it's a fantastic privilege that's gotta be great for your mental health.
    - surgical_fire 3y ago
      That's a very big assumption, that the reason politics is not front and center in my life if because I am somehow privileged and that those in power protect my interests. In truth, I am an immigrant from a poor country. I depend on a Visa to stay in my country of residence. I am an ethnical minority. What is good for your mental health is exercising some detachment. Life is too short to waste it on things beyond your power. I prefer to focus on how I can improve my own life and the lives of those I love instead, and to spend my free time in things that make me happy. Maybe my privilege is having the wisdom to differentiate the things I can change from the things I can't.
      - Spivak 3y ago
        I don't think we're actually disagreeing, I'm in no way advocating getting involved in just random politics for no reason. But if you need to actively participate in politics -- campaigning, fundraising, testifying at hearings, writing or meeting with your legislators, calling your local paper and giving interviews, collecting signatures because of policy you need or policy that is going to meaningfully harm you then you don't have the privilege to detach from those issues unless you already have other people who will stand up for you. But obsessively following news or yelling at no one in particular on the internet about issues, I wouldn't bother either.
      - quesera 3y ago
        > Maybe my privilege is having the wisdom to differentiate the things I can change from the things I can't. This is indeed a privilege which is available to many people who do not take advantage of it! But it's also not available to everyone. Perhaps more relevantly, it is not the present case for everyone. I agree with you in how I live my life, and I'm fortunate to be able to do that. Obviously I don't know you but presumably you chose to immigrate to a place (or a specific location in that place) where you are able to live a fairly safe life. Some people are not there, and are not able to escape where they are. For them, the politicization of everything is existential. ...and some others politicize things because they are unhappy and hurting the people they think are hurting them makes them feel better. Or so it seems. All very unhealthy, and yes I'm speaking from an American perspective. We are not known for our strong and stable mental health.

surgical_fire 3y ago

There is a huge distance in between "my opinions and worldview is informed, to an extent, by the political climate" and "I live and breathe politics all the time, and it is front and center of every discussion I have with everyone" I have friends on every corner of the political spectrum. My wife is a lot more conservative than I am. This was never an issue. There is a huge amount of topics where our interests intersect anyway. "There is so much more in the universe".

quesera 3y ago
Right. Because we are privileged and reasonable people! Privileged by the fact that our existence, and our choices, do not raise the ire of our community. Some of our choices are tailored to fit that community of course. Reasonable because we believe that the existence of others, and their choices, are not things we need to have opinions on, unless they are directly affective of our well-being. But this is not true for everyone. Outside of our quadrant, things get complicated quickly. Some people do not have the privilege of being culturally unexciting. And some people do not come by reasonableness naturally. I'm not saying you can't go through your day without thinking politically. I'm saying that there is a politicization angle on everything except the most mundane. And outside of our quadrant, this can create real life-affective friction. And, back to the topic, this is why they put "political affiliation" on dating apps.
- Spivak 3y ago
  Yep, it's easy to be politically disinterested or not really care about the differences between different parties when your interests and way of living are protected by both of them and whoever is in office has very little effect on your life. And it's not a bad thing or admonishment, it's a fantastic privilege that's gotta be great for your mental health.
  - surgical_fire 3y ago
    That's a very big assumption, that the reason politics is not front and center in my life if because I am somehow privileged and that those in power protect my interests. In truth, I am an immigrant from a poor country. I depend on a Visa to stay in my country of residence. I am an ethnical minority. What is good for your mental health is exercising some detachment. Life is too short to waste it on things beyond your power. I prefer to focus on how I can improve my own life and the lives of those I love instead, and to spend my free time in things that make me happy. Maybe my privilege is having the wisdom to differentiate the things I can change from the things I can't.
    - Spivak 3y ago
      I don't think we're actually disagreeing, I'm in no way advocating getting involved in just random politics for no reason. But if you need to actively participate in politics -- campaigning, fundraising, testifying at hearings, writing or meeting with your legislators, calling your local paper and giving interviews, collecting signatures because of policy you need or policy that is going to meaningfully harm you then you don't have the privilege to detach from those issues unless you already have other people who will stand up for you. But obsessively following news or yelling at no one in particular on the internet about issues, I wouldn't bother either.
    - quesera 3y ago
      > Maybe my privilege is having the wisdom to differentiate the things I can change from the things I can't. This is indeed a privilege which is available to many people who do not take advantage of it! But it's also not available to everyone. Perhaps more relevantly, it is not the present case for everyone. I agree with you in how I live my life, and I'm fortunate to be able to do that. Obviously I don't know you but presumably you chose to immigrate to a place (or a specific location in that place) where you are able to live a fairly safe life. Some people are not there, and are not able to escape where they are. For them, the politicization of everything is existential. ...and some others politicize things because they are unhappy and hurting the people they think are hurting them makes them feel better. Or so it seems. All very unhealthy, and yes I'm speaking from an American perspective. We are not known for our strong and stable mental health.