In today’s world, it is almost taboo to consider yourself a political person. Openly discussing politics labels you as “that guy” to a lot of people. For some reason, being passionate about politics (outside of a few months every four years) makes one seem as if they are too opinionated. 

At best, this encourages being apolitical. I take issue with this, because being apolitical causes many to lack basic knowledge of or concern about the U.S. government. Being apolitical should not be the accepted norm; this breeds apathy and is detrimental to the country’s democratic process as a whole. 

Many people consider themselves apolitical because they believe becoming engaged in politics is ultimately futile. I have met many people that feel completely disillusioned to the idea that their passion might create a difference, whether that difference be local or national. For example, more than a few of my liberal friends did not vote in the recent presidential election. All of them told me something akin to “It is Mississippi, so a vote that is not going to Trump does not even matter.” 

This kind of mentality extends to their wider view on politics as well. If one person’s voice is so small,why should they even make the effort to care? Unfortunately, many Americans hold this outlook. It makes it much too easy to manipulate the average person and remove their minds from the democratic process entirely. 

Some people also avoid discussing politics because of the inevitable heated debates that follow. Politics is a fairly touchy subject for many of us, because our political views go hand-in-hand with our overall world views. Political beliefs concern morality, philosophy, and security, so of course it is an intimidating thing to discuss at any kind of length. 

Cass Doherty, a contributor for The Odyssey, outlines the issue well: 

“Maybe it comes from the fact that we do not want our world views threatened. We do not want to hear someone else shut us down, or even just try to. But if we are confident in our opinions, our outlooks – like so many of us claim to be – why do we even care?” 

The reason folks stay out of the political sphere is the same reason many people keep their religious opinions mostly to themselves: their views are too fundamental to their understanding of life for them to feel comfortable exposing them to criticism. This avoidance of discussion really just hampers their ability to reach  a higher level understanding of their own beliefs—discussion leads to the development new, and more in-depth opinions. Talking politics not only benefits our modern democracy; it helps us grow as people and work together as a communities. 

Carolyn Lukensmeyer, executive director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse, states, “There has been an enormous increase in social distance over the past 30 or 40 years. In our everyday lives, we do not interact significantly with people whose lives are different.” A large part of that is because of our demonization of anyone that holds a differing political opinion. 

Many people that do hold political views refuse to even acknowledge the other side’s stance and, as an effect of that, decide it is better to just leave politics alone than to discuss them. Surely, learning about different kinds of people with different ideas can only help develop our own convictions even further. Having our views challenged might seem daunting, but in the end, it will benefit us personally.

Politics involve many multi-layered issues that go beyond the mere circus show American politics are often portrayed as today. I believe one of the most prominent reasons that our government has devolved into its current state is that we simply do not care. Being apolitical is not a badge of honor, and it should not be the way we live our lives. 

It is time to engage ourselves with our government, and do so in a way that is not behind closed doors. I do not mean that everyone should be a political connoisseur, but understanding what democracy really is and how our government is handled would be a fine start for those who currently remain apathetic.