Apathetic Politics

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote." ~George Jean Nathan

My only disagreement with George here would be to exchange the word "government" (which for myself refers to society as a whole) with the phrase "the Powers That Be" (PTB - the Golden Rule says "those with the gold, make the rules"). The highest level of victory is to convince your adversary that their cause is inevitable and defeat assured. I believe two of the most destructive forces in society are political apathy (or a nihilistic sense of powerlessness) and impatience (or a need for instant gratification). These two forces feed off and reinforce each other, turning most of society into passive sheep that do naught but bitch and moan (only to their fellow sheep) with little or no willingness to do anything about what is bothering them.

"A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves."
- Bertrand de Jouvenel

I have always been both politically aware and active and I have met, and am friends with, a number of politicians. I believe (I know, actually) them to be good people who are following what they believe to be a higher calling. It is an extremely challenging, draining, and for the most part, thankless job. It is definitely not easy. Plato sarcastically explained it well when he said "One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors". I believe this to be not a "truth" but a widely held and accepted "opinion" to the point where most actually believe it to be a fact.

I have yet to come across any (prejudicial and judgemental) generalizations about any group of people that was actually all that truthful or very accurate, other than in the reflection of widely held misconceptions.

H.L. Mencken said it best. "People deserve the government they get, and they deserve to get it good and hard."

Taking an active role in our own lives, in the society we live, can be more work than most people are willing to do (for whatever reason you wish to blame). Complaining is generally easier, but it's not much different from masturbation (or procrastination): it might make you feel better while you're doing it, but eventually you realize that all you did was screw yourself!

"Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an 'inconvenience.' We have opted instead for an authoritarian system *disguised* as a Democracy. We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there."
-- Frank Zappa