Towards Painless Politics

Zero Trick Pony - October 2024
Staying sane when you feel helpless about politics

As we approach this stupid election, I have something I want to say to you about political responsibility, and the miserable experience of being a voting citizen in the United States.

You hate "politics".

Hey, me too. Believe me, I get it. There is very little to like these days about politicians, government, media, Facebook, or Twitter. Listening to the news coverage will eat your time and make you feel bad. Most issues don't matter to you personally, or seem like made up bullshit. And since you weren't born yesterday, you believe that there's nearly nothing you can do about it anyway.

The outrage machine

One reason it's so awful is that there's one thing that every politician, every activist, and every journalist wants from you: a strong emotional response. Ideally anger or fear. Republicans want you outraged over taxes and brown people. Democrats want you outraged by climate change, health care, and Trump. Politicians and activists hope your outrage will turn in to votes and campaign donations. Journalists hope your outrage will turn into you reading more news about outrage, providing views and clicks for their awful advertisers in the process. They all may hate each other on the issues and the politics, but they all agree that you should feel as upset as they can possibly get you. This is in their interest, but not yours.

Why you still shouldn't "ignore politics"

Despite that awfulness, unfortunately it is unethical for you to ignore the political process. When you are counted in the census, you empower political offices which evil men can use to hurt people. When you pay taxes, you deliver resources to police and military men which they can use to oppress and murder. No matter how down-trodden you may feel, you still have a minimal responsibility to direct the money and power that you are injecting into the system. Otherwise, you're leaving your part of the political power on the default setting, which is "evil". However:

Painless political participation

I feel strongly that you have an obligation to participate in "politics"--- but only in a basic way. (And I'll tell you specifically below what I think that is.) But now I'm going to tell you something that no activist will ever tell you: it's fine to just do the minimum! You've surely been told that you should "get engaged"! Donate thousands of dollars! Go door to door! Hand out fliers! Run for office! And sure, it's great if you want to do those things. But you don't have a responsibility to do "as much as you can". You have a life to live, and you don't owe Facebook or Trump or CNN hours and hours of your time and emotional energy. So here is my advice for painless political participation: pick a basic set of political actions, do them, feel good about doing your civic duty, and then forget politics after that. You don't have to keep feeding the outrage machine.

Doing the minimum

In my view, the least you can do is these four things. Together these might only take you a few minutes per year. That's not too bad, right?

#1 - Register to vote in every election and primary.

Usually this is only once or twice per year, or less. Depending on your state, registering to vote may be painless. However if you live in a Vote Suppression state like North Carolina or Georgia, it may take more effort, but there are toolsthat can help. Nevertheless, overcoming disenfranchisement tactics is a simple thing you can do to prevent despots from subverting the democratic process. If you're in a vote by mail state, that can make things even easier on election day.

#2 - Get informed by doing your homework OR trusting an advisor.

You should be informed about what you're voting on, but it's not particularly important to stay informed all the time. (And it's damned miserable to read the news regularly.) So as long as you do research on each politician and issue right before voting day, that's good enough. At the minimum, you need to know enough to avoid being fooled by the standard tricks: politicians who lie to get votes, ballot measures which are worded to scare or trick people into supporting special interests. Unfortunately this research can take hours, and I would not fault you for not wanting to do it. That's why I recommend Option B: pick someone you trust to do the homework, and vote their recommendations. This should be a friend, family member, or local politician that you have some reason to trust. It should not be an unsolicited voter guide such as a mailer or email. Ideally they would write you some rationales that you agree with.

#3 - Vote.

You should vote every item on your ballot, and you should vote in every election and primary. Especially don't skip primaries; there's often more meaningful political decisions to make on a primary than in the general. (And since turnout is usually lower in primaries, your vote will count for more!) Also, don't just vote for the President! Gerrymandering, vote suppression, and many other bad things that have undermined our democracy were accomplished by taking control of state and local offices which are further down the ballot. If you want your vote to be meaningful next year, vote for people who promise to keep your state democratic.

#4 - Donate, at least a little bit.

Okay you're not going to like this one, but I think it acknowledges an important reality of US politics. Campaign finance and political power in this country is fucked up, so it's not quite enough just to vote. Money can't entirely buy elections, but it helps. Fortunately, the rise of small dollar donations has made it possible for honest, young politicians to beat the old white men without having to take any evil corporate money! This won't fix campaign finance, but it helps. You can do your part by donating small amounts of money (as little as $5) to say, 5-10 candidates for some political office each year. You should pick a budget that makes sense for you. Just $20-$50 seems fine if you don't make much. If you have a tech job, think about donating $100-$500 or more. Don't feel like you have to keep giving more and more, just pick a budget and stick to it. If you're not sure who to donate to, lean on your trusted advisor. Good times to donate are a few months before each primary, and then again right after the primary. Money that arrives late is less useful to a campaign than earlier money.

How to ignore politics

Admittedly, this can be easier said than done. A few key recommendations:

That's it! Now you can (try to) ignore politics with a clear conscience. Best of luck!