Involvement in politics?

[DanieMarie]

How involved are you in politics? How involved do you want to be in politics?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I'm a voter, and I discuss politics a LOT. I've recently been trying to learn more about how things really work in this country, so that I can effectively write letters to help make changes. I've also been trying to learn the level of written German necessary to write such letters. It's something I'm really passionate about, and a lot of friends tell me I should go into politics as a career. I feel a lot of reservation though...I like the idea of volunteering for the party I vote for (Green) and getting more directly involved, but I feel like I'd never really get anywhere because I'm foreign-born (VERY rare here), have an accent (even rarer), and I didn't study any of the fields people in politics normally do (law). I sort of feel like I might not be able to make much of a difference, but I hate the idea that this might stop me, because it's one of the biggest things I feel is wrong with this country.

Does anyone have experience getting involved in politics? If so, how did you get started?

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Involvement in politics?

I think this is one of the most fascinating political approaches I've ever come across:

http://www.keithordinaryguy.org.uk/

[DeadJellyfish]

Re: Involvement in politics?

You shouldn't let those things hold you back. I believe that it's never too late to start a new path. If you need to study law, then go ahead and do it. If you're foreign born and have a different accent, so what? Make sure you do a damn good job at what you do and people should take you seriously

As for me, I just started becoming active in politics when the Obama/Romney campaign started. Even after the election, I found my self keeping up to date with politics.

[AzazelEblis]

Re: Involvement in politics?

I've paid enough attention to call myself a manner of Libertarian Socialist. The only reason why Noam Chomsky isn't the greatest political mind ever is that everything he says was either obvious before he said it, or is simply referencing material which is out of the reach of the general public.

I was similar to DeadJellyfish with the Bush reelection of '04 - I've just been stepping it up since then. I've read, I've studied, I've looked where schools wouldn't bother to show their students. And I've debated and learned from those students as they learn. If I don't know it, I know where to learn it, even off the internet and outside of a library.

The more I look, the more convinced I become that the stronger the Social-Democratic compromise, the better. you know, Socialism driven by Democracy. The "Freer the Market", the less free the people become. The more institutions, created to serve people, begin to take from them. Screw. That. Noise.

Why did we leave that? Oh yeah, a few multinational cartels (like OPEC) pushed our economy off a cliff in the 70's. So we decided to "free up the marketplace" for consolidation, making more of those Cartels?! Freaking brilliant.

[Dumuzi]

Re: Involvement in politics?

I was never active in politics before the last two years. But even then I'm not sure if you can call it involvement in politics. I do take part in certain protests and things like that. I've been showered with tear gas, helped out at field hospitals and pulled people out who were suffocating because of said tear gas, been shot at and stuff like that. But I don't think I will ever join a political party or campaign for someone.

I blame my mother who made me feel special, I don't think I should campaign for someone, people should be campaigning for me!