I've long been confused by a certain selective way that I hear people using terms such as "politics" and "political". But I think I might've figured it the internal logic of this usage:
To these people, it seems that only actions and viewpoints which challenge the status quo are "political". The status quo itself is seen as the natural order of things, and therefore not "political". Only things that "rock the boat" are political.
So, challenging the gender binary is seen as "political", but embracing it isn't. Pointing out examples of structural racism is "political", but blithely accepting these things without examination is normal and polite. Challenging the many ways in which misogyny is ingrained in our culture is "political", but participating gladly in that system isn't. And so on.
Like fish who can't see the water they swim in, these people seem unable to imagine that things which are comfortable and ordinary for them could have anything to do with politics. They get to sit back and enjoy the benefits of being (usually) a straight white Christian male in America, without even acknowledging that there's anything political about that situation. It's just natural and inevitable – like the nitrogen cycle, or the law of gravity.
In a sense, they're right – if you *are* one of these people, you can just ignore all of those concerns, crack open another beer, and you'll be just fine. If everyone would just agree to drop the subject of politics, then your life wouldn't change very much. In fact, it'd probably be better.
If you already have the power, then you get the privilege of pretending that politics isn't about power – it's just about other people complaining, and rudely trying to distract you from enjoying your beer.
Has anyone else noticed this way of talking about "politics"?
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