"Nah, I don't get involved in politics."
And with a wave of his hand, the decision was made. He wasn't interested in a free subscription to my column. I didn't bother to argue that I have been known to write about lots of other subjects besides politics -- addiction, nutrition, food, books, health, media, TV, UFOs, sports, social customs, environment, science -- because I knew it wouldn't matter.
Yeah, I write about politics a lot, because, unlike my friend, I think it matters a lot. Especially today. And it really annoys me that so many people just wave it off so casually, as if it has no impact on their lives. This friend, who recently became a father, had been talking about companies failing to pay a living wage, the inability of businesses to hire help, the lack of trained help available, the red tape in workers' compensation proceedings, shoddy construction jobs and how the system is rigged. You know, that system.
That system that threatens to inflict Donald Trump on us again, unless we all start paying more attention to the politics of the day. Because whatever complaints you might have with the way things are today, you're going to have many more if enough uninterested-in-politics voters decide not to vote or, worse, to join the bullies and racists and check the box for Trump because, you know, he tells it like it is.
If only.
Like it or not, everything is politics in one way or another. We are a nation of laws and politicians write the laws. We either like them or we don't. We get to vote accordingly. Hire them or fire them. That's our basic job as citizens.
But if you "don't get involved in politics", you really don't have any right to complain, especially if you also don't vote. Informed citizens who vote are the backbone of a democracy. Ill-informed or misinformed citizens are the obvious threat. That's where we are this year with the Trump cult of ignorant followers, who vote.
But the silent threat are all those who don't want to get involved, don't want to learn about the candidates and their positions on issues and how it might impact the lives of everyone, voters and non-voters. And, please, don't give me that "they're all alike" nonsense. The last eight years should have put that argument to rest.
The Trump Republican Party is a clear and present danger to our democracy. The Democratic Party, behind its presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, is fighting to protect and preserve our democracy. It's as simple as that. Even a minuscule, grudging amount of attention paid to what has been going on in America should make that clear to anyone who likes the idea of living in a free and democratic nation. We all have a stake in it. That's not politics, that's the cold, hard reality.
This concludes your civics lesson for today. Perhaps some day we'll elect enough politicians who think it's a subject that should still be taught in all our schools, along with a true history of slavery, sex education and geography.
Pay attention, please.
rjgaydos@gmail,com
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