politics
Table of Contents
Politics
Politics is a complicated subject which deals with systems of governance and the power, or 'authority',1) which inevitably emerge from the fact that decisions are being made for large groups of people, which brings us to the seemingly constant strife over power and what public policies form.
Politics and the Internet
The internet is a dangerously powerful tool with political origins2) that can connect people, but it's important to stay vigilant as political gamification slowly makes the illusion fade. After all, it has become the ideal place to manipulate content,3) spread propaganda,4) and weave echo chambers, which has the effect of dividing people into more conquerable factions or sparking the recent uptick in political polarization.
For newcomers
If you're new to politics, I'd advise 'observing from a distance' at first. You should attempt to understand every angle and approach, without any indoctrinated or preconceived notions,5) before developing a personal opinion and ideological affiliation. Don't be afraid to face a bit of cognitive dissonance. Of course, there is a lot of bullshit, so it's fine to just say 'fuck it' and throw the damn thing away.
However, this does not mean that you should blindly adopt a 'neutral' label (e.g. apolitical, centrist, moderate) since 'nothing' (i.e. going with the status quo) is a decision itself. This line of thinking can lead to dangerous mental gymnastics (e.g. argument to moderation, horseshoe theory, "road to hell",6) etc.), where one can make the crucial mistake of being blind to the dangers seen in the paradox of tolerance.
On that note, I must acknowledge that ideologies have turned into a biography or identity label, which isn't a problem, but the issues arise when people mirror this and blindly latch onto a label without knowing the connotations, consequences, or nuances. Your interests are not always shared by family, friends, billionaires, entertainers, celebrities, e-celebs, institutions, the media, shitposters, etc.7)
Political ideologies
There's an extensive catalog of ideologies, thus the 'ideology shopping' or 'ideology store' jokes, but I'll simply narrow it down to the few that actually 'matter' because I don't want to overcomplicate things. Besides, most people would be scared off or deterred by an extensive list,8) so here is a brief list of ideologies with very basic definitions that doesn't involve throwing away all logic and reason to imagine two cows.
- Anarchism - A system where the concept of 'no ruler' is the main focus.
- Capitalism - A system where the means of production is privately owned. Hope you love debt!
- Communism - A system where the means of production is owned by the people.
- Democracy - A system where the power lies within the people, mainly through popular elections.9)
- Liberalism - A system where the concept of 'free will' is the main focus. Allegedly.
- Monarchism - A system where the power lies within a, typically hereditary, head of state.
- Nationalism - A system where the concept of a 'nation' is the main focus.
- Republicanism - A system where the power lies within the people, through representatives.
- Socialism - A system where the means of production is owned by the state.10)
Charting the ideologies?
In political spaces, you will occasionally run into diagrams that attempt to 'organize' the political spectrum, such as the left–right spectrum, the political compass, and countless political tests (e.g. 8values, DozenValues, PolitiScales, etc.). These can be useful tools for newcomers and demographic polling, but they fall apart once you understand nuance and how easy it is to misplace an ideology.
The reality is that 'political ideologies' are blueprints that consist of several abstract ideas, which will never fit perfectly on a diagram because of how complex the material world is. What is anarchism to the 'big–small government' scale? What is monarchism and libertarianism to the 'authoritarian–libertarian' scale? Where does one put left-wing labor rights and right-wing regime change on a 'liberal–conservative' scale?
See also
1)
It's important to remember that 'authority' is relative and, by this point, authoritarianism has become a funny idealist buzzword. It is an inevitability, like nature and its natural disasters. I probably won't be taking you seriously if you say 'horizontal alignment' or 'statism isn't poggers', like, what are we doing here?
2)
The tech industry has historically relied on financial institutions and military funding, considering the origins of ARPANET and IPv4, so it's not a coincidence whenever they uphold the bourgeois status quo. The illusion of freedom and privacy would then come from the libertarian hobbyists that could first afford it, thus why you find nerds that preach about a 'technocratic utopia' with crypto and 'apolitical' AI solutions.
3)
Content manipulation can technically be done at any level, from group moderators to website ownership. Subtly editing threads is scandalous, but it's also a massive waste of time and resources, yet we acknowledge 'bot farms' and 'troll farms' whose purpose is to make it seem like 'activity' has been occurring.
4)
Some people might say 'disinformation' instead, but 'disinformation' can be a very subjective word. How do you know your information isn't actually disinformation? Any thoughts on journalistic objectivity? Ever heard of information pollution? Should the press help hold the people in power accountable?
5)
A lot of political propaganda tend to exploit a 'fear of the unknown', thus why the false dilemma (i.e. 'us against them') is so common. You should probably talk to people, before jumping to unnecessary assumptions or conclusions. However, it must a cooperative dialogue, not a pissing contest disguised as a debate.
6)
It's important to see that most people are trying to do what's 'right' in their eyes, but the problem stems from the execution, thought process, or perceived personal gain. Try to avoid binary thinking. You aren't achieving anything by thinking 'evil' inherently exists or telling people they will 'go to hell', though it can turn you into a sad or jaded misanthrope if you allow it. Lighten up, cunt.
7)
The main lesson is that you shouldn't mirror someone else's ideology and defend it when you may not even agree with it, unless you live in a 'mandatory conscription' country where you don't really have a choice.
8)
The actual reason is “Are you insane? I'm not writing all of that”, which you can understand if you glance at Wikipedia's list of political ideologies or the Polcompball Wiki's list of ideologies and variants.
9)
Bringing hits like: “Why don't Americans just vote against the TikTok ban? Are they stupid?”
10)
Socialism is meant to be a transitional system between capitalism and communism, thus why it's called the 'first phase' or 'lower phase' of communism, but this usually brings us to those incredibly annoying debates on whether [insert socialist state] was more capitalist or more communist.
politics.txt · Last modified: by namelessrumia