Politics and Me

We're not a good mix, Politics and me. Coming from a family with a paternal Grandmother working for the House of Representatives and a Dad who was a circuit Judge, you'd think I'd have some interest in such things, but despite my family background(or perhaps because of it)I have little to no interest
in most things political. And here,

I'm not talking about actually 
working in the political arena as
did my Grandmother, but just 
plain keeping up on it. Actually
following the stories and issues. 
  
As a sort of aside here, there 
are, I suppose, gradations of political awareness. Years ago I went to school in Baltimore MD, which, like any city of any size, had its share of impoverished neighborhoods. My roommate, who was born and bred there, commented on one of the most indigent areas, that there were people there who didn't know who the President was!

 Well I'm not quite that far gone. I do know who the President is(!), as well as the Vice-President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Labor, House Speaker and all that. I know the three branches of government: Executive, Federal and Legislative, and something of the electoral process as far as the Electoral College and each state having a certain number of electoral votes to contribute. And I have a basic handle on what Democrats and Republicans(and even to an extent Libertarians)are about as far as their- again, basic approaches. 

And that's about it! In other words, I don't know shit from apple butter about Politics. I don't hit the bottom of the political awareness scale but I'd venture to say I'm still swimming in the lower quadrant. 

There are a good many other things in this world that I am interested in: words/etymology/literature/word-puzzles/sudoku/anatomy/physiology/psychology/philosophy/religion/history/music/movies/pornography/animation/animals/ichthyology. Well maybe not so much ichthyology(the study of fish and other marine life, or perhaps the Dick Cavett definition as the study of disgusting religions)but all that other stuff, plus a million things I just didn't think of right this minute. 

But Politics has never really held my interest. I do try in this area, make a good-faith effort every so often, but always seem to lose my hard-on somewhere in there. My interest is piqued sometimes, so I do get a bit of a chubby, but don't always make it to full wood.( Of course there's a joke in here about having intellectual erectile dysfunction- maybe later if I think of one..).

Left to my own devices, I don't worry about it too much. Like I said, I have a lot of other things I am interested in, so I'm usually busy with something or other. It's when I get out with other folks, particularly if they're intelligent folks. 

When the subject turns to Politics/World Events, I realize my deficiency, my intellectual malnourishment. A mention of Libertarianism, for instance, will likely elicit a deer-in-the-headlights look from me, since I have but the vaguest grasp of it. 

There are things in life you try to follow sometimes for the sake of someone else or a group of someone elses, but are really non-essential. Like football. I worked with a group who followed the teams and games, and would be avidly discussing Sunday's game on Monday. Never been the least bit interested in it myself, but to try and join in, I made an effort to watch a few games on a few Sunday evenings. No soap. 

It just didn't hold my interest. No harm done. Similarly, in music, I've never been interested in Opera. Since music is my field, this carries much more weight than an interest(or disinterest)in something like football. Opera is one component in a comprehensive musical education, but I don't think things are going to fall apart without it. Your edifice that is your education, if strong enough otherwise, will hold together just fine.

But as a so-called thinking person, Politics is an essential part of your(I know I'm going to regret this, but)intellectual portfolio. If you think about it, these things--the social sciences: Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, and yes, Politics, are all integrally related. Kinda like a big Sudoku puzzle(and I know I'll regret making that analogy as well..). Without some political awareness/perspective, you'll always be at least one number off.

This is something that I felt a bit of when visiting with a few of my friends over Christmas holidays. I'd always felt that I was as bright as they were(and still do, despite a deer-in-the-headlights moment or two of 'uncomprehension'), but I can see that I could stand to be better-informed. 

So I'm sure I'll make another stab at getting more into Politics/World Events, current issues, all that. It may fall by the wayside, but then there's always next time.