Being apolitical is impossible

Viani · 2017-09-12 08:45:37

Somebody said I was apolitical at work because I didn't identify as Left, Right or Central, and because I told them I was trying to re-forget what political traits went to what side because times were easier when I didn't involuntarily divide stuff between the Conservative Box and the Liberal Box.

"Right on, you're Apolitical! Thats really cool!"

But then I thought: I can't be apolitical? Because merely existing can have you classified as either/or by other people?

Is being Apolitic even possible?

Tachyon · 2017-09-12 08:57:42

there's a lot of people who would say everything is political, so i guess by that line of thinking it's not possible to be apolitical

although i don't find that very intuitive . . . it seems like if you have no opinions on any matters that would normally be considered political (e.g. government, economics, democracy, social justice, your rights) then you probably are apolitical

i think that would be pretty rare though?

Tachyon · 2017-09-12 09:00:39

either way the idea that you can neatly classify all political opinions along a binary left-right spectrum (or 2-dimensional political compass) is laughable

Viani · 2017-09-12 09:13:04

Does walking to work because I can't afford to fix my car yet a Liberal trait?

Tachyon · 2017-09-12 09:14:41

no?

probably?

idk

Viani · 2017-09-12 09:17:47

Anyone have the cached version of "Is Wario a Libertarian" or is it gone forever?

Tachyon · 2017-09-12 09:19:59

gone forever

the greatest thread in the history of forums

Tachyon · 2017-09-12 09:24:11

Viani every time you post in a thread, Chrome thinks it's in Vietnamese

it's really strange

Viani · 2017-09-12 09:27:03

Viani is a vietnamese name, so mebbe

Yarrun XIX · 2017-09-12 10:52:38

*Trying* to be apolitical is definitely political because it defines itself as being in opposition to politics.

Odradek · 2017-09-12 13:35:45

Viani more like Victor Charlie

Klinotaxis · 2017-09-12 13:38:26

Tachyon said:
although i don't find that very intuitive . . . it seems like if you have no opinions on any matters that would normally be considered political (e.g. government, economics, democracy, social justice, your rights) then you probably are apolitical

then you're implicitly pro-status-quo, unless you also mean a level of detachment enough that political opinions like "stop torturing me" would not occur

Fossilmaiden · 2017-09-12 13:57:54

The only real way to be apolitical is to be a hermit living in a cave far, far away from any people.

And even then I'm not sure if "lonely hermit in a cave" is a political position or not.

Tachyon · 2017-09-12 14:25:44

Klinotaxis said:

Tachyon said:
although i don't find that very intuitive . . . it seems like if you have no opinions on any matters that would normally be considered political (e.g. government, economics, democracy, social justice, your rights) then you probably are apolitical
then you're implicitly pro-status-quo, unless you also mean a level of detachment enough that political opinions like "stop torturing me" would not occur

i disagree, a bit? implicitly pro-status-quo would mean you think the present state of affairs is fine, which is an opinion surely

(i would assume that being tortured is not a state of affairs conducive to having no political views)

Klinotaxis · 2017-09-12 14:35:05

i mean, if you don't express an opinion, you have no need to. things are fine for you. if things were to change such that things were not fine for you, you would probably have opinions.

Tachyon · 2017-09-12 14:37:38

ah, that makes sense

i was wrong

Yarrun XIX · 2017-09-12 17:08:03

Fossilmaiden said:
The only real way to be apolitical is to be a hermit living in a cave far, far away from any people.

And even then I'm not sure if "lonely hermit in a cave" is a political position or not.

Isolationism, natch

Being apolitical is impossible

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