ANST - Politics, paranoia, poppycock, and piffle

[Dennis Grace]

Salut Cozyns,

Lyonel aisai.

I'd like to interrupt everyone's politicking for a moment to discuss 
politics.

Lately, I keep seeing missives in which the writers claim to abhor 
"politics" and to shun all who would practice same.  Politics--these 
missives appear to say--are vile, deceptive practices and just an 
altogether, all around Bad Thing^(tm). This is, I think, a somewhat 
flawed perspective on at least two levels.

On the first level, we seem to have a definition problem.  Yes, 
contextually, I understand that when these writers say "politics," they 
are using the word as shorthand for "maneuvering for power and personal 
gain."  Such a usage bothers me.  It not only candy-coats the presumed 
activity, it belies the virtues of politics in general.  

My objection to the candy-coating is that the use of such euphemisms is 
tantamount to lying.  If you feel a need to accuse someone of attempting 
to manipulate others for the sake of personal gain, you should do so 
openly and directly.  Don't circumlocute; just say it.  If you have no 
proof, of course, making such statements would be libel, and you should 
probably keep *unsupported* accusations to yourself.

My objection to belying the virtues of politics--and thereby overriding 
the principal definition of "politics"--is that it makes the business of 
politics that much more difficult for the people tasked with the 
performance of those duties.  If the Crown, the territorial barons and 
baronesses, and the various Ansteorran seneschal(e)s are denied access 
to political means, what alternatives do they have for effecting 
positive change?  Politics is simply the science of governing.  If they 
can't govern, they're nothing but titular space-holders in the _Black 
Star_.

On the second level, every time I see a missive claiming to abhor 
politics or detest political players, the author *always* has a 
political agenda.  If you see a statement like, "We don't like working 
with peers because they're too political," your Irony Radar ^(tm) should 
sound an immediate alarm. Such an overt statement of hierarchical 
prejudice is exactly the sort of underhanded, manipulative politicking 
the writer (or speaker) is attempting to condemn.

Frequently, when I hear someone condemning the "politics" of others, the 
speaker feels her/himself the target of some injustice.  Either s/he 
believes s/he was overlooked for an award or s/he thinks s/he was 
unfairly defeated in a bid for an office or s/he believes s/he should 
have won a competition s/he lost. "Lady X received the Sable Really Neat 
Thing," the reasoning goes,"but she didn't deserve it.  I *did* deserve 
it and didn't receive a Sable Really Neat Thing.  Obviously, Lady X 
obtained her Sable Really Neat Thing by unsavory means."  Sad.  Such 
people are insecure, and paranoia is somewhat more palatable than a 
sense of personal inferiority.  (Of course, paranoia and feelings of 
inadequacy are neither the only nor the best responses to such a 
situation--oops DANGER, TANGENT ALERT!).

Lately, in the Principality discussion on the Southern Regional list, I 
have seen a number of anti-Pr writers accuse pro-Pr folk of politics, 
usually accompanied by a disclaimer like, "I don't involve myself in 
politics."  The disclaimer in such a missive is--as I'm sure many of you 
will realize--balderdash (except in those cases where it's merely 
poppycock or piffle).  If you are attempting to sway others in a 
political discussion, you are guilty of rhetoric and politics.  The fact 
that you are attempting to support the status quo does not make your 
position any less political or your arguments any less rhetorical.  Does 
this mean you've done something bad?  I think not. If--OTOH--you 
threatened to shoot, pummel, or otherwise harm someone for disagreeing 
with you, you'd be guilty of extortion.  This *would* be a Bad 
Thing^(tm), but without recourse to politics and rhetoric, what's left 
but brute force?



lo vostre por vos servir
Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace, Capitan
Bryn Gwlad
Ansteorra
Micel yfel deth se unwritere.
		--AElfric of York


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