I don't know if this is obvious if you read my blog, but I'm fascinated with politics. I love reading the news and watching video essays about geopolitics. But probably my favorite activity is discussing political topics with others. The problem is that there are frustratingly few people I can have fun discussions with. By far the most common response I get when I try to bring it up in normal conversation is that people don't like following the news anymore and don't want to talk about it because it frustrates them. They think they can live a happier life by evading all the negative emotions conveyed by the media. As they say, ignorance is bliss.
On the other hand, there are people who are passionate about a certain topic, those who actively participate in activism. They are even less fun to talk with. Most of them sort all human beings they ever meet in two categories: those who support their cause and those who don't, i.e., friends and foes. When talking to them, it is dangerous to try and bring up any nuance, since you are at risk of being labeled as a foe and completely losing their attention. Nowadays it has become absolutely trivial and accepted to ignore someone. People establish "safe spaces" and surround themselves with others who label any form of critically questioning their beliefs as harassment.
These two categories of people couldn't be more different and yet they have one thing in common: they care. They consider politics to be important. I have learned that what makes people fun to discuss politics with is indifference. Once you accept that your opinion couldn't matter less in the grand scheme of things, that there is nothing you can say or do to make any tangible difference in the world, once you give up hope, that's when you can regard politics as simply fascinating. Once you look past all the deception, let go of the emotions and resist the temptation of buying into the convenient narratives, you start to see the incredible game of chess that's being played right in front of our eyes.
To understand my frustration, try to imagine watching a game of chess with a bunch of people, who are big fans of either player, but almost none of them know the rules of the game. Instead, most of them are horrified and mourn the loss of any piece. Some of them have strong opinions against taking pieces from the opponent. When one of the players sacrifices a pawn, people in the audience stand up and loudly demand to cancel them while a smaller group passionately debates if the rook at D4 or the knight at C6 should be made responsible for their death.
You might say that this analogy is lacking. After all, we're not just watching politics. It has real consequences on our lives. It's more like we are the chess pieces. But what does it matter? The chess pieces have just as much influence on the game as the audience. Again, that's a claim you might want to question. You'll probably point to some past protests, grass roots movements or revolutions that have been successful in bringing political change. But if the audience keeps shouting random demands at the chess players, there's a high chance some of them end up being valid chess moves. In the end, its the chess players who make the decisions.
But I'm not here to tell you how you should be watching a chess game. This post is about me and how I prefer to watch the game from a distance, together with others who understand the rules of the game and are somewhat indifferent on who wins. My goal isn't anything more than to enjoy the show. That might sound cynical or even morbid to you, but I'm a nihilist. It's not like I'd consider any outcome to be better than any other.
So, if you enjoy my blog posts, why don't you join me? If you do, bring popcorn!
