Politicians are Idiots

Portuguese version: http://oplanopiloto.blogspot.com.br/2015/08/politico-e-idiota.html

            In Brazil it is very common for people to say: "There are three things that cannot be discussed: soccer, religion and politics." I heard that as a child and grew up with the impression that politics was a forbidden subject, poor for a discussion topic, and a subject for idiots.

Let's try to understand a little more by seeing the meaning of these words. Perhaps you’ve learned in a philosophy class that the word politic comes from Greek and it means "something that is related to the polis." Poleis were the cities of ancient Greece, therefore a politician is someone that cares and interact with the polis, in other words his/her community. Idiot is also a Greek word with an opposite meaning. It comes from the word idiōtēs, which means someone who is private, a person opposed to the polis, someone who does not interact with his/her community and only cares about himself. What is interesting is that in ancient Greece, an idiot was someone who did not participate in political life; today an idiot is someone who does (at least for Brazilians).

But what is politics? Is it parties? Election? Democracy? Dilma (the president)? ...... Yes, but there is much more than that. In reality, you experience political activity every day, every time that you do something with your community, your condo, your neighbors, your club, your family, etc. Even if you decide to isolate yourself (if possible), you are still making a political decision. A French playwright, Philippe Destouches once said "The absent are always in the wrong."

Let's say you live in a condo. Meetings organized by the building manager are a perfect tool where residents can participate in a political activity. However, I bet that most of you do not want to attend these meetings because they are boring and you prefer to go for a walk with your dog. Now, suppose that in one of these meetings it is decided by a vote that dogs are no longer permitted in the building. Even though you did not attend the meeting and express your opinion (perhaps making a difference), you now have to live with the new rule. In politics (especially a democracy), when you're not there to make decisions, someone will make it for you. You might try to avoid politics because they are"boring" and "idiotic", but politics do not care what you think, and go after you anyway.

Today we use politics every day and most of us don’t even notice. Unfortunately the taste for politics is fading for many people in Brazil, with fewer people interested without even knowing the great effect that it has in their lives. I am not saying that we need to become activists and participate in everything. But, maybe we could try to understand a little more of it and how it is present in our daily lives. Perhaps by understanding a little more, the interest for politics might come back, and people will not only think of it as a subject for those who are corrupts and idiots.