Politics...More Questions Then Answers.
"Tower of Subconsciousness". Surreal art by Jacek Yerta. *My job requires to me stay mainly focused on local issues, which means ferreting out the intricacies of local politics in my small sphere of influence. Consequently, I don't have much time to stay abreast of national & international politics, which I find somewhat confusing & frustrating. I don't have a television so I even miss that perspective (for what ever it's worth). My own strategy for understanding politics is by getting involved with it at a local level, reading political commentary, & studying some political science type stuff. I rely on the internet (the news contained therein) & my politically astute blog buddies to keep me abreast of what's happening in the big picture.
I know what my worldview is & what my orientations are, so I gravitate toward bloggers that hold the same views & rationals as mine. (I feel I can pretty much pick out what is slanted & or irrational.) Even then, I try to keep an open mind about the issues. I have gotten involved with a couple of political action groups but I found the narrow focus too confining & the actions more divisive then constructive, so I dropped out.
My questions are ..Is what I'm doing enough? Is it adequate? Should I be more politically active? Or should I just join a major political party & let the talking heads dictate my vote? Does it matter? Maybe my perspective is just wrong? AGGGGH!
* I just added this picture because I think Jacek Yerta's art is really amazing & I wanted to share it. Besides a nice picture dresses up an otherwise potentially dull blog. :)
PS. Tonight I finally start lessons in the belly dancing class. Wish me luck! I anticipate it will be mostly a comedic situation. :)
posted by Rita @ 8:34 AM
14 Comments
14 Comments:
I think you're doing what's best for you.
If you want more on your plate, grab some! I feel you may have more of an effect acting on a local level as you do. In the world of national politics individuals are like a grain of sand on a beach - no ONE really stands out.
As to joining a major political party: sure, if you want them to tell you what your opinions are. Political affiliations are fine, as long as you don't merely toe the party line at the expense of your self identity?
OH,
Good luck with the Belly Dancing.
That stuff is sexier than socks on a rooster ;-)
Probably whatever you do you will feel it is not enough. Keep doing what you are doing and realize you are already doing way more than most people.
Big time politics is very cut throat, there is always a political spin on everything, often times there is too much of a spin or counterspin and other times there is not quite enough spin or counterspin.
Since I'm currently reading a book on marketing and product development, I'd say the best way to represent people is to interview quite a few of them in order to establish their political needs, send out surveys asking people to rank those (about 50) needs on a 1-5 scale, translate those highest ranking needs into political specifications, consult political/business/techology experts, consult published literature/online sources on political plans, perform a benchmark test on the various political plans to establish their strengths and weeknesses, consult with your political group to generate ideas as well, systematically explore and classify all the options and combinations thereof, prune the options that are preposterous in order to narrow down the options to a few, screen the remaining options based on specified criteria to narrow it down even more, weight the political criteria by percentages based on importance and go with the highest ranking political options....that's about as far as I've read in the book.
Ultimately, by doing those things, supply and demand will make you a political winner (or at least a business winner, lol).
I think it's best to pursue whatever arena of politics genuinely most interests you. If it doesn't really interest you, you won't stick with it through all the inevitable discouragements anyway.
Yerka is great, isn't he? I found some of his work on another blog over two years ago but never checked out his own site -- thanks for linking to it and reminding me.
1. The picture is fabulous.
2. I agree pretty much with mac
a. What you do at least on the Internet is pretty
important. Sometimes I think about it and
marvel. This is a taste of real freedom and
discourse without too much policing. Humans
and awareness is a beautiful thing.
3. I just 'pictured' the people on the internet block I
hang out on attempting to belly dance. I, uh,
hmm, yeah, you're probably going to do fine.
4. You asked because you care deeply. More than I
can say for a lot of people.
Politics.
We're doomed.
I have a deep distrust of politicians, I do believe that power corrupts, and that a system like that in America, where multi-millions of backing are required to propel a presidential candidate will never result in the best candidates getting into the White House, and ours in Britain are going the same way.
If candidates could vote what they believed, without fearing the withdrawal of those multimillions, if they could vote with their conscience, for the good of the country, but hey, if you don't order that missile system the shipyard will close..... and those jobs will be outsourced to Korea... its an impossible balancing act, politics.
I've just been reading, first a novel set in Philadelphia, with redcoats holding the city, and Washington at Valley Forge, and then I was reading Dr Johnson's essay on that war.
And thinking, how a few, a relative few, on both sides, drive conflicts, yet those who fight, those who die, too often have little grasp of the issues.
So much for politics.
Go belly dancing, it will be better for your mind and body.
mac
In the world of national politics individuals are like a grain of sand on a beach - no ONE really stands out. I don't think I'd ever try to be a national politician. I know I don't have what it takes, mostly money. I have a good friend that ran for state Rep. two years ago he fought a good fight, didn't win and he's still in the hole financially. The other guy had more money & more name recognition.
Some of my blogger friends remember when I ran for city council. I was even told I won & celebrated & everything. But due to some unusual circumstances & the fact that the powers in existing council did not want me there, I got screwed out of it...it's a long story. I'll blog about it someday. It hasn't stopped me from being involved, though. I have a lot of supporters that beg me to run again. I know I'd kick ass, but city councilor here is a volunteer position & my boss thinks it would conflict with my job at the newspaper. I need the paying job, so...
There is more then one way to skin a cat, I think working for the local paper is the next best thing to politics if you want to have influence.
Phil
Hi, my fishy friend. Buried under a ton of snow?
qf
I don't think I could ever get through a book like that, much less follow the criteria. I'm a retard when it comes to certain things.
infidel I figure if I keep plugging away at it, someday I might have a eureka moment.
I just wanted you to know that your totally unrelated art (which is wonderful, and you're right about the artist) just totally ruined the "surprise" in a short story I was reading. I took a break from my story, took one look at this, ad said, great, now I know how it ends. And I was right. After looking at more of the artists work, I think they read many of the same things I do... huh.
....the next chapter is about product testing whereby the population gets sampled and then is told to critique the product, that is how the quantity of product sold is to be determined as well as what upgrades are to be made. Then product architecture is discussed about how to build the products in modulated chunks and integral chunks....that's the update for the next two chapters on meeting supply and demand. The problem with politics is that politicians don't really understand what demand really is, and often times they just lie in order to win support when they do understand what the demands are. It is very rare when a politician actually meets the demands of the majority, that is why there are term limits.
Working for the paper may, indeed, be a better way to operate on a local level.
At least you will have a more available outlet for your influence?
oneblood technologically enhanced communication...what's not to love? The internet seems to be a great example of technology as extension of the human psyche.
I'm reading some of Marshall McLuhan's take on things. :)
sou
Politics is fascinating because it is so often frustrating & confusing. Last night I attended a meeting(just as a member of the press)between a group of people who were trying to get the city council to pass an ordinance & one of the council members that had voted down their proposal. I have had dealing with this same council member before. What a slippery eel he is! & he is only a small town politician. But I can't stay away from it, myself. & i'm not a bad person.
starry
He is the coolest artist! I would love to have a huge work of his hanging on my wall. One of those pictures you could just fall into...
qf
The problem with politics is that politicians don't really understand what demand really is, and often times they just lie in order to win support when they do understand what the demands are. YUP!
mac
YUP!
By following these basic easy-to-use principles of supply and demand, you could be the queen of the entire world of politics Rita.
I think you should do what you feel comfortable doing.
I have to keep reminding myself that I can do anything I want, but not everything I want. Otherwise I get overwhelmed.
I'm never involved in local politics. In a small town, it affects me minimally. I do write letters to a particularly obnoxious state representative who sees every issue as a chance to voice his objections to gay marriage or anyone who is not a Christian as he is. He seems to forget he represents all the people, not just straight, male, Republican, Christians. I know I am wasting my energy, but I can't help myself.
I tend to be more interested in national issues. I become involved in a political issue for a while, then I've had my fill and sort of drop out for a month or a year at a time. Sometimes it is just too frustrating and stressful.
Now that I am retired, I feel no guilt at spending my time on more pleasurable endeavors that I didn't have time for during my working life. I would fail at belly dancing, but I will be taking some foreign language classes and some graphic art workshops, joining a fitness center and traveling. Politics be damned!
Wow, this artist is great.
I also like Julien Murphy, Ray Ceasar, Michael Sowa and Mark Ryden
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