“Politics is Poisonous”
Many people associate politics with selfish political leaders squabbling and mud-slinging over state resources that cannot be accounted for.
As a student of politics (formally and informally) I have learned that politics is about how to live with other people. We create rules so that we know how to engage with people we don’t like, we create rules to ensure that people don’t take what is rightfully ours and we pay some people we’ll never meet to make sure that water comes out of our taps, have electricity in our homes, have tarred roads and the police arrive when we are in trouble.
If politics is poisonous, then it is probably as poisonous as climbing the corporate ladder. The toxicity of that rat race is scoffed at and deemed undesirable for many across the entire world. So what is it about politics that rubs people the wrong way?
I suspect it’s the lack of visible reward that comes from engaging in political institutions. In corporate culture, you suck up to your boss, gossip about them to your co-worker, arrive early, and look busy so that you can get yourself a promotion and if you’re lucky an award at the end of year staff function. In politics, your boss is the general public and unscrupulous business people. From the onset, you’ve got to be ready to wrestle in the mud with wild animals. Your co-workers are people like you competing to have your charm, your relationships, and influence. If you’re lucky you’ll win a seat in some influential body where you get to decide when your bosses will get electricity and water and who will provide it to them and how much it will cost them. It’s shocking then that so many can dismiss politics so easily.
When we find a hair in our food at a restaurant we don’t hesitate to ask to speak to the manager, and may even compliment the chef if we are especially pleased with our dish. Yet, when our streets are pitch black in the middle of the night we merely grumble and speed up to get home as soon as we can. All that money we lost in our salary is meant to guarantee that we don’t drive up a dark road and feel so unsafe that we drive above the speed limit. That’s all politics is- what the speed limit should be, and making sure the lights are on…
So, what is the real problem? Maybe it’s the sense that someone else should take on that responsibility, because we’re just too busy living our lives. Too busy climbing the corporate ladder, watching Netflix, and going to church. And that’s okay, but it’s also how corruption begins. Our lack of interest, which we address as busyness is an opportunity for those who can make the time and have an interest. Since you don’t care what happens with the chunk of money you handed over to the government, maybe I should use it for things that are important to me. Why should I not fix your street light at an inflated price? You wouldn’t even notice. That’s it. Except, it happens all around us, because the government is that powerful.
What you dismiss as frivolous and a stumbling block is a mega business. A huge business with diverse portfolios- from weapons to street lights. It could be the ultimate corporate ladder, why would you not want to climb it? If you grumble very often, it seems you are the person who should be most driven to climb this ladder, because if you did you may not have reason to grumble anymore. If politicians are corrupt- why not fix it? You can fix it, by becoming a politician. You could be the politician you and your neighbours are looking for. However, it’s a lot easier to grumble in your car and get home to watch ShowMax and enjoy your takeout.
The rules aren’t different from our daily lives, the real difference is the scale at which these rules are applied. As a result, the responsibility one is obliged to take on isn’t for everyone. So, politicians might be selfish and petty, but they’re also tough, tenacious, personable, and ought to be responsible. It’s not enough to just schmooze, because that’s just their foot in the door. They’re still expected to maintain your trust and do enough to have something to show for it.
If you take your children to school and have no idea what they do at school, who switches on the lights at school, and how the school got computers, then who do you think knows? Someone had to do that job. Was it the teacher? Was it the principal or caretaker? Probably not. So, why don’t you ask? You could look at a school as a business as well- the CEO may be the principal, who is accountable to the board- which is the school governing body in public schools. Where do the school fees go? Who is the CFO? Who is the COO?
The dismissive relationships that are particularly evident in the middle class may speak to the breakdown of social relationships. This disregard for other people, our social obligations, and general involvement in matters that are of common interest, such as tarred roads and street lights. So, if you don’t care, then who should? If you don’t care, then why are you surprised that the street lights have been off the whole year? Someone has to do it. And you don’t even care who does it. Maybe politics isn’t poisonous then, maybe you’re just scared of responsibility and the challenges that come with talking about accountability.
Accountability is difficult to talk about in personal relationships, so this wouldn’t be surprising at all. Someone hurts your feelings, and you think that you should pretend they didn’t. No- it’s healthy to tell people how you would like them to treat you. This ensures that your relationship continues to be favourable to both parties. When we hold our political leaders or representatives accountable, we are ensuring that these relationships continue to be mutually beneficial and healthy. Healthy relationships with our representatives and bureaucrats help promote healthy institutions which we hope will be less corrupt.
