5 Reasons to Abandon Politics

[IDefendThePlatform]

Saw this on reddit.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time you know that I’ve moved away from the political means to attain my goals. Instead of begging politicians and destroying my soul by working within the political machinery I’ve decided to rely on civil disobedience and agorism. Oftentimes people still working within the political machinery ask why I can’t participate in politics and perform acts of civil disobedience and participate in agorism. Well, here are five good reasons:

• It eats up a horrifying amount of time and energy
• It’s an addiction
• It doesn’t change anything
• In the end, it’s about violence
• Politics is a relic of a barbaric past

Details about each reason is provided at the link but suffice it to say each reason is an inescapable reality of participating in politics. If I still participated in politics I wouldn’t have time to perform acts of civil disobedience or participate in agorism. When I did involve myself in the political system I was constantly bombarded with demands to phone bank, drop literature, march in parades, attend meetings, donate money to candidates, and other activities I refused to do. Every campaign wanted me time and money and, in the end, they failed to change anything. Some of the candidates won, some of them lost, but the country is still a shit hole.
I don’t believe civil disobedience and agorism are strategies guaranteed to win but they are fun to do and radically different, which is necessary because their alternative, politics, has failed to achieve anything other than tyranny since its inception. When on strategy has failed miserably the need to do something radically different arises.

More at the link:
http://www.freemansperspective.com/stop-caring-about-politics/

 

[Scrapmo]

Those can be true if politics is approached with tunnel vision and a gang mentality, which is what most people do. You also have to have some balance in your life. Politics can't be all that you read, do, and think about or it will drive you insane, angry and depressed. Have some hobbies, learn a skill, spend time with friends and family, read fiction. If you find yourself in a funk, quit reading, posting and talking about politics for a week. Take yourself out of the environment for a little while. You will feel much better. I myself have to do that a few times a year.

A philosophical, historical or theoretical approach to politics can really help keep your mind sharp. It is also a great why to practice debate, logic and rhetoric. Since politics seems to be a breeding ground for the illogical it is good hunting ground to spot logical fallacies, which also helps focus your own reasoning abilities.
Since engaging in politics, I am more principled, my mind is sharper and I am thinking more clearly then I ever had before.

But everyone needs a break sometimes, even with a positive approach, because it can exhaust you.

 

[PierzStyx]

Abandoning politics is like abandoning economics. You can say you do it, but in the end all you do is make yourself an ignorant slave. But then ignorance is bliss, I suppose.

 

[cajuncocoa]

Activism > politics

 

[Matt Collins]

Politics is human nature, you can't escape it.

 

[muzzled dogg]

Politics is human nature, you can't escape it.

that's what they used to say about slavery

 

[Matt Collins]

that's what they used to say about slavery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_sequitor

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

Abandoning politics is like abandoning economics. You can say you do it, but in the end all you do is make yourself an ignorant slave. But then ignorance is bliss, I suppose.

Incorrect. Every action you take in life is economic. The same cannot be said of politics. Not every action in life is an attempt to gain power over other people.

 

[PierzStyx]

Activism > politics

Activism= politics.

 

[PierzStyx]

Incorrect. Every action you take in life is economic. The same cannot be said of politics. Not every action in life is an attempt to gain power over other people.

Disagree. Every action is political. Either you are defending your freedom or submitting to someone trying to control you. Either way, its politics.

 

[IDefendThePlatform]

Activism= politics.

Politics = tacit consent to the system http://c4ss.org/content/4075
Activism like civil disobedience and agorism = withdrawing consent from an illegitimate system. More powerful.

 

[Matt Collins]

Incorrect. Every action you take in life is economic. The same cannot be said of politics. Not every action in life is an attempt to gain power over other people.

Politics is the adjudication of power, it's how society decides who gets power and who doesn't. Every time you interact with other human beings there is politics involved in one form or another. In your school, at your church, in your club, in your family, with your significant other, etc. Politics is human nature and is inescapable.


Also the other thing is that other people have power over you through the political system and if you don't have at least a piece of that power then you're going to get run over, taken advantage of, shafted, on the short end of the stick, etc.

 

[Matt Collins]

Politics = tacit consent to the system http://c4ss.org/content/4075
Activism like civil disobedience and agorism = withdrawing consent from an illegitimate system. More powerful.

That doesn't work because "the system" has more guns than you do. Doesn't make it right, but there really is no withdrawing from "the system", that concept is a farce.

 

[talkingpointes]

+1776 Ron Paul will roll in his grave if this movement ends with political means. People looking to be in politics only do so 99% of the time for power and money. Rand is no exception and our movement has a huge target on our back.

Personally I think the entire system is completely rigged and by joining the system you are basically allowing everything it does and approving of it.

00' rigged 04' rigged 08' rigged 12' rigged -- Why is 2016 any different.

It's like the Einstein insanity quote.


Let's take the easy route out and vote for Rons son who is NOTHING like him AT ALL. Then we can watch him for the next 3 years raise money for the establishment and help them regain integrity. Fantastic good thing I donated all that money and time. Yeah, fuck that - I will never donate to Rand again.

 

[Matt Collins]

+1776 Ron Paul will roll in his grave if this movement ends with political means.

This makes no sense. The movement has always been political because that is the nature of things. Ron was a politician who was running for office and was trying to change the political environment through his campaigns.

People looking to be in politics only do so 99% of the time for power and money.

The only reason to go into business is to make money. The only reason to go into politics is to gain power.

Is there anything wrong with making money? No. Is there anything wrong with gaining power? No.

If you acquire your money unfairly, or if you spend it to do bad things then that is obviously not good. Same with power. If it is ill-gotten, or if you use it to hurt others, then that obviously is bad.


Money itself is not bad. Power itself is not bad. Both are necessary if you want to survive and not be dependent upon others.

Personally I think the entire system is completely rigged and by joining the system you are basically allowing everything it does and approving of it.

There is no "joining" or "leaving" the system.

You are subject to laws and when the government decides to enforce those laws they will likely win because they have more guns and more resources than you do. This is why politics is important because you can stop or change these laws if you know what pressure points to put on the elected officials. I've seen this done firsthand, and I've done it myself.

Let's take the easy route out and vote for Rons son who is NOTHING like him AT ALL.

This has been dispelled hundreds of times already, why do you keep repeating this falsity?

Ron and Rand are exactly alike, except for their approach to moving us towards a more liberty position.

 

[ClydeCoulter]

It's human nature, huh? That's just an attempt to keep people from thinking outside of the box.

I don't want to do things for money. I could care less for money except for the purpose of convenient exchange and long-term-store of my goods and labor. How the hell can you "make" money (I know, the fed does and that's what devalues my store of my labor and goods)?

Power? Power over others? Why would I want that? I have trouble enough wielding the power that I have over myself, and the responsibility I have for my family.

Take a look at the root of the problems. Some persons want to extort, kill, rape and pillage. So, now I have to "do something" that I don't want to. I have to defend myself yes, but now I am told to give power to someone else for this reason. Then, these people that are given the power want more of it, because they are like the ones that were supposed to be subdued but in fact now find a better way to commit extortion, kill rape and pillage by getting others in their power structure to do it for them.

Freedom?

 

[Matt Collins]

I don't want to do things for money. I could care less for money except for the purpose of convenient exchange and long-term-store of my goods and labor. How the hell can you "make" money (I know, the fed does and that's what devalues my store of my labor and goods)?

When exchanges are made, each party comes away with more value than when they started. Otherwise an exchange doesn't happen. Everyone wants MORE value, not less value.

Power? Power over others? Why would I want that? I have trouble enough wielding the power that I have over myself, and the responsibility I have for my family.

Because if you don't have power over yourself, someone else does. Not to mention, you can use power for good things, just like you can use money for good things. If your local government is about to raise your taxes for example, the only way for you to stop it is to exercise your political power. If you don't have any power, then you can't stop it and you'll end up getting taxed more.

Again money isn't bad. And neither is power. Both exist as human nature. But how you get power and money, and what you do with it is important.

 

[ClydeCoulter]

When exchanges are made, each party comes away with more value than when they started. Otherwise an exchange doesn't happen. Everyone wants MORE value, not less value.

Bullshit. I don't want more value, I want equitable exchange to gain those things that I don't or cannot create for myself. I don't see value created by exchange, I'll give you 10 dimes for 4 quarters, or a cow for a years worth of vegetables. I understand that there are sometimes distances and other labor involved in some types of goods, such as those coming from a distant land where some thing is grown that cannot be grown where I am.

Because if you don't have power over yourself, someone else does. Not to mention, you can use power for good things, just like you can use money for good things. If your local government is about to raise your taxes for example, the only way for you to stop it is to exercise your political power. If you don't have any power, then you can't stop it and you'll end up getting taxed more.

Again money isn't bad. And neither is power. Both exist as human nature. But how you get power and money, and what you do with it is important.

I said I should have power over myself and mine.

Because there are assholes in the world, I and others have to pay and pay. Pay for protection, pay for insurance, pay, pay...and what do we get for it? Bust into my home for a plant and kill me? Yeah, chances are that that won't happen, but it does happen to someone, an individual a person a human being a bother, son, daughter, grandfather. I don't care for statistics, "only 1 out of 100k people are killed by cops"...bullshit. Someone died at the hands of an out of fucking control system.

 

[ClydeCoulter]

You know what?

If it's all about human nature being so fucked up and dealing with lesser of evils, why not just return back to letting nature take care of it all? Eh? You get a disease, you might well die, instead of you being alive but asshole-type doctors killing or causing the suffering of innocent people for money.

All we are doing is changing WHO suffers and dies, away from natural and/or accidental causes to human error and greed causes. We fight to save a life here, but kill another over there (there being across the street or continent).

Mankind is incapable of properly planning and controlling anything that is beyond his own survival and mutual benefit with his peers. And that is a shame, because we are capable of so much, but our "human nature" gets in the way? I don't buy it. It is not in my nature to control or hate or steal.

 

[Matt Collins]

I don't see value created by exchange,

Then you fail in your understanding of economics.

I said I should have power over myself and mine.

I agree, but unfortunately that is not the way humanity works, at least not presently (and it isn't going to change any time soon).

So you have to work to gain power for yourself however you can, which means stopping the elected officials from running over you. That means having power to get them unelected or cause them pain. If you're not feared, then you're not respected.