“I don’t get into politics.” “I don’t want to get political.”
A lot of people have probably heard someone say these phrases at some point: the words of people who would rather avoid conversations about politics than engage with them.
But whether you like it or not, everything is political.
Our lives are fundamentally intertwined with the political systems governing our schools, jobs, communities, and social settings. Choosing not to pay attention to the political environment around you means overlooking the political and social privileges you have in the first place.
If the people who are planning to lead the next generation of the world — students and Gen Z alike — aren’t actively engaging with political issues in their daily lives, how can we expect to hold governments accountable? Being politically active doesn’t require running for office or constantly advocating for your own political sphere. It does, however, require being aware of what is happening in the world and how political decisions affect your own local communities. Most importantly, it means voting.Â
If we always avoided conversations surrounding politics because they were too controversial or because we don’t want to debate someone with opposing views, change would be very hard to come by. Doing yourself and the people around you a favor by learning about the current political state of our world allows for society to become a productive and informed. Having honest conversations facilitates understanding our rights as citizens and as a collective. It means acknowledging the existence of social and political inequalities, even if they don’t affect you personally. It means recognizing the impact of the government on your own life. It means not ignoring the reality of various political situations and not limiting yourself to your own personal bubble of ignorance.Â
Put in the effort to find reliable sources and recognize when misinformation is spreading. Political engagement requires taking the time to do your own research rather than simply consuming whatever information is immediately presented to you. Be media literate, and be curious enough to keep learning.
In staying silent and uninformed, you remain complicit. It’s not impressive that you stay out of politics; it’s a privileged way to express that political decisions have never forced you to pay attention. Choosing to stay out of politics isn’t neutral; it is a choice to deny accountability, and is tone deaf to the people who can’t afford to ignore their political realities.Â