Tom, my view is that many people subconsciously prioritise breeding and raising children over facing up to the manifest horrors of the world. They worry subconsciously that they might damage their children through anger engendered by trying to engage with the manifest horrors like we see today in Gaza.
It's why I think that there's a huge space in politics for those whose children are already adults, as they have in the main completed their child rearing and their adult children are less likely to be damaged if they had an emotional outburst, something they may be less likely to experience being of more senior years.
Politics, after all, is often for those who have raised a family, worked hard for a generation and engaged in a variety of areas in their local communities. That's what gives them grounding in local politics.
National/international politics is a different matter, since much of it is alien to 'normal' people who are good parents. It tends to attract the more deranged mindsets, to be honest. Narcissists, psychopaths, sociopaths, racists, master-race eugenicists, warmongers etc etc.
Most of the world needs far more 'ordinary' people in politics, ensuring that 'normal' values are not usurped by Zionists, extremist Muslims, belligerent billionaires or the like.
Agree with most of what you write, but would quibble with your statement about who politics is often for. Can’t tell you how many times doing tabling work for various ballot initiatives I was greeted with the ‘I’m not into politics’ line, often by the young, but also others across the age spectrum. My standard response was to throw a thought bomb back at them, saying, ‘Due respect, but everything is political, from the food you eat to the phone in your pocket to the sheets on your bed. We’re all political animals, the awareness of it is what differs among us.’ Was the catalyst for many interesting conversations.
Definitely need more ‘ordinary’ people in politics, but the system has pretty much closed off that avenue of engagement. The streets are pretty much our only avenue to change the bought and paid for paradigm.
agree that having children can make you vulnerable, but also can make you strong if you can see the bigger dynamics and estimate consequences in the longer run. (in job interviews for males being parents was often considered a plus, because one was considered 'tamer').
Tom, my view is that many people subconsciously prioritise breeding and raising children over facing up to the manifest horrors of the world. They worry subconsciously that they might damage their children through anger engendered by trying to engage with the manifest horrors like we see today in Gaza.
It's why I think that there's a huge space in politics for those whose children are already adults, as they have in the main completed their child rearing and their adult children are less likely to be damaged if they had an emotional outburst, something they may be less likely to experience being of more senior years.
Politics, after all, is often for those who have raised a family, worked hard for a generation and engaged in a variety of areas in their local communities. That's what gives them grounding in local politics.
National/international politics is a different matter, since much of it is alien to 'normal' people who are good parents. It tends to attract the more deranged mindsets, to be honest. Narcissists, psychopaths, sociopaths, racists, master-race eugenicists, warmongers etc etc.
Most of the world needs far more 'ordinary' people in politics, ensuring that 'normal' values are not usurped by Zionists, extremist Muslims, belligerent billionaires or the like.
Agree with most of what you write, but would quibble with your statement about who politics is often for. Can’t tell you how many times doing tabling work for various ballot initiatives I was greeted with the ‘I’m not into politics’ line, often by the young, but also others across the age spectrum. My standard response was to throw a thought bomb back at them, saying, ‘Due respect, but everything is political, from the food you eat to the phone in your pocket to the sheets on your bed. We’re all political animals, the awareness of it is what differs among us.’ Was the catalyst for many interesting conversations.
Definitely need more ‘ordinary’ people in politics, but the system has pretty much closed off that avenue of engagement. The streets are pretty much our only avenue to change the bought and paid for paradigm.
agree that having children can make you vulnerable, but also can make you strong if you can see the bigger dynamics and estimate consequences in the longer run. (in job interviews for males being parents was often considered a plus, because one was considered 'tamer').