Why Most People Should Not Be Politically Activist

[John Kilduff]

...because most people are going to be wrong.

Many intelligent and sincere people reach widely varying conclusions as to what would be "good", politically speaking. Yet many of these positions are in direct conflict with many other positions, also derived by similarly intelligent and sincere people. What this means is that many of the conclusions you (and I) arrive at, are probably going to be WRONG.

A bit like in Sklansky's example of how you are almost surely wrong if you think the specific tenets of your religion are correct and that every other religion is wrong, you are very likely to make a similar error if you think your political views are right and every one else who does not share your views is wrong. The chances for your particular beliefs to be right, while widely disparate views of many other similarly thoughtful people are also wrong, are just extremely slim odds.

The chances for any paticular political party's platform or tenets to be right: Dem, Republican, Green, Libertarian, Socialist, or whatever...AND for the other platforms or tenets to be wrong, is pretty darn small. So it is probably a mistake to get too attached to any group or belief system endorsed by any group. This goes for politics, religion, and probably other things as well which I haven't considered.

All the ballyhooing and bitter competition between Dems and Repubs is mostly silly, and the contest is not all that much more important than whether you root for the Mets or the Reds. Each party has its flaws and mistaken theories, as well as some good points. But it isn't like the free world versus the Stalinists or anything so spectacular or important as that kind of matchup.

Mistakenly attempting to put into place, in the real world, things that are wrong or otherwise inferior or deleterious, is not a good thing. It is *not* always better to be "trying to make things better." I would wager that over half of the people who are "trying to make things better" through political activism actually end up making things worse--inadvertently, of course.

Politics is an incredibly complex arena, and the Great World itself is far more complex than most people imagine. It is NOT better for everyone to be trying to remake the world in their own image, or in the image of the platform of their party, or according to their beliefs, or anything like that. To see why this is true, conduct the following thought-experiment: pretend everyone on the planet is a rabid political activist, convinced his or her own views are correct and should be implemented. Imagine too that there are a huge number of differing views held (as of course there are). Also imagine that everyone will work tirelessly to try to bring about the political changes to the real world, that they see fit. The world would then quickly become an even greater mess than it now is, wouldn't it?

Generally, what I am saying is that being an observer is better than being an activist, for the most part. If you want to do some good, you will probably effect more good by just treating those you come in contact with every day with respect and civility. And you surely won't be doing any harm by that, whereas if you try to push through some scheme you think is good, you may very well be mistaken and end up doing bad. And at the very least, there are too many pushy people in the world already.

edited: Besides the chance that the activist is wrong, there are the other drawbacks of things like expenses, time, and stepping on others' toes in order to try to push through the agenda one thinks would be best. Sometimes these costs are significant, and this is another argument against political activism.

Thoughts?

[hmkpoker]

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And you surely won't be doing any harm by that, whereas if you try to push through some scheme you think is good, you may very well be mistaken and end up doing bad.

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What if the extent of your political activism is an opposition to scheme pushing?

[DougShrapnel]

If 2 knowlegable, smart, and unbiased persons are in disagreement, the "correct" answer likley lies someplace in the middle. This of course assumes there is a correct theoretical answer.

[John Kilduff]

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And you surely won't be doing any harm by that, whereas if you try to push through some scheme you think is good, you may very well be mistaken and end up doing bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

What if the extent of your political activism is an opposition to scheme pushing?

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Nothing set in stone.

[candyman718]

So, I can't root for the Mets anymore? It's not like I thought I was helping them win. When they play the Yankees it really is a battle of good vs. evil. I can't sit on the sidelines and just 'observe'.

[Grey]

A value, by definition, can not be wrong.

Politics is not a battle about who is right, but about what weight different values should have in our government. How important is equality as compared to liberty? Liberty as compared to freedom? These values are constantly conflicting with each other- and that is the source of our political disagreements.

This is why most political arguments are never finished- and will never be finished. In the broader scope, there is no right and wrong.

I, for one, value equal opportunity above liberty. ACists disagree. Neither of us is right or wrong.

[hmkpoker]

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In the broader scope, there is no right and wrong.

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It's better to think in terms of effective and ineffective.

[BCPVP]

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Liberty as compared to freedom? These values are constantly conflicting with each other

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[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[Grey]

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In the broader scope, there is no right and wrong.

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It's better to think in terms of effective and ineffective.

[/ QUOTE ]You still need a goal. Effective at what? You're not looking at the broad picture- you're getting into the details.

Hitler was very effective.

[Grey]

I recommend the following for anyone who really wants to read further into this: http://www.amazon.com/Policy-Paradox-Pol...TF8&s=books

I've got an old copy if someone wants to buy it.