203: I hope you're well in these crazy times

Politics.

I hate politics.

I don't want to have to interact with governmental bodies or systems, I just want those things to do their jobs while I live my life, but keeping them in line and keeping them doing their jobs well takes the involvement of the people. That's kinda the whole point of democracy, not everyone agrees on what exactly governments should and shouldn't do, so we have to have a system for regulating and reconciling those disagreements. Problem is, that system is broken. Depending on how deep you dig and who you ask, it's broken beyond repair.

The current outburst of government-led political violence and fearmongering is abhorrent, and while that should be obvious to anyone and everyone; "the party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.", and in modern America, it's working (on our sadly under-educated population).

I shouldn't need to say that ICE as it exists is functioning as a fascist and extrajudicial force, and is actively doing evil, but those in power are actively lying about it to anyone who will listen, so I think it's important to call it out.

I hold all of these opinions, and I'm someone who is very informed on the current political happenings, but I have some internal conflict on what I do about it.

We're in the position that protest is maybe the only effective pushback against the regime, and I would love to be involved, but I just feel so disconnected. I firmly believe that if I lived in Minneapolis I would be marching in the streets, but I'm in a small town in California. I know there are protests going on, because I see them, but I don't have the time or impetus to go, and I'm struggling a little with how that makes me complicit. Having the opinions is important, yes, but what value are my opinions if I take no action? I've looked, and the Cal Poly Democrats meet at the same time as Wind Power, so I can't make it to their meetings.

I do think Wind Power counts for something, the fight against the oligarchy that is our current administration is almost the same fight as that against big oil and the megacorporations that run our modern economy (don't even get me started on technology right now), so I don't feel completely useless.

It's something I've been thinking about and struggling with a little, internally.