What is Politics?
Politics is a way for people to help shape the future of their community, country and world. It’s about putting the needs of others before your own and working to make a difference in the lives of those around you. Politics involves understanding the rules of a society, how laws are created and upheld, and how government works. It’s also about making sure that those who need help get it, whether it be raising the minimum wage (so that people can afford to pay for food and housing), free college tuition (so that people can get an education) or universal health care (so that no one is left without medical attention when they need it).
Some people define politics narrowly as “that which concerns the state”. This includes a range of activities, actors and spaces from the more abstract or metaphorical space of the international sphere right down to the Palace of Westminster in London or the UN headquarters in New York. However, for many, this definition is too narrow and excludes the myriad of political activities that do not involve the state, including anti-war protests, boycott campaigns and the choice to not eat meat.
Another approach to politics is that it is a process of settling contestation over the distribution of material goods, such as money and power. However, this view has been challenged by the growing prominence of issues that are not directly related to material resources such as gender and cultural identity, environmental sustainability and immigration.
People who agree on certain policies can often come together into formal political organizations called parties. They will usually have some degree of disagreement between members, but they work together because they believe that if enough of them join forces they can have more influence on decisions in their community, country and the world. They compete with other parties in elections for the opportunity to represent their ideas and to govern on behalf of their constituents.
Some believe that politics is a fundamental part of human society. It is a necessary part of human life because it enables people to organize and negotiate with each other in order to ensure that they are treated fairly, and that the interests of their community are represented within the larger context of a democratic society. It is also a tool that can be used to solve problems that cannot be solved through direct negotiation or conflict, such as war, crime and natural disasters.
For most of us, politics is about much more than elections and laws. It is about the everyday decisions that are made in our communities, countries and the world every day. The most important thing to remember is that politics is a tool that can be used for good or bad, but it is our responsibility to use it wisely. It is our job to educate ourselves about how our government and laws are created and enforced, so that we can make informed choices on who we vote for and the kind of world we want to live in.
Politics is a way for people to help shape the future of their community, country and world. It’s about putting the needs of others before your own and working to make a difference in the lives of those around you. Politics involves understanding the rules of a society, how laws are created and upheld, and how government works. It’s also about making sure that those who need help get it, whether it be raising the minimum wage (so that people can afford to pay for food and housing), free college tuition (so that people can get an education) or universal health care (so that no one is left without medical attention when they need it). Some people define politics narrowly as “that which concerns the state”. This includes a range of activities, actors and spaces from the more abstract or metaphorical space of the international sphere right down to the Palace of Westminster in London or the UN headquarters in New York. However, for many, this definition is too narrow and excludes the myriad of political activities that do not involve the state, including anti-war protests, boycott campaigns and the choice to not eat meat. Another approach to politics is that it is a process of settling contestation over the distribution of material goods, such as money and power. However, this view has been challenged by the growing prominence of issues that are not directly related to material resources such as gender and cultural identity, environmental sustainability and immigration. People who agree on certain policies can often come together into formal political organizations called parties. They will usually have some degree of disagreement between members, but they work together because they believe that if enough of them join forces they can have more influence on decisions in their community, country and the world. They compete with other parties in elections for the opportunity to represent their ideas and to govern on behalf of their constituents. Some believe that politics is a fundamental part of human society. It is a necessary part of human life because it enables people to organize and negotiate with each other in order to ensure that they are treated fairly, and that the interests of their community are represented within the larger context of a democratic society. It is also a tool that can be used to solve problems that cannot be solved through direct negotiation or conflict, such as war, crime and natural disasters. For most of us, politics is about much more than elections and laws. It is about the everyday decisions that are made in our communities, countries and the world every day. The most important thing to remember is that politics is a tool that can be used for good or bad, but it is our responsibility to use it wisely. It is our job to educate ourselves about how our government and laws are created and enforced, so that we can make informed choices on who we vote for and the kind of world we want to live in.