(politics in choices for child-raising)
(the late Johnny Clegg: an example of politics via music)
(the politics of relationships in movies–John Schlesinger’s classic homosexual embrace in mainstream film)
(the political consequences of getting most of one’s information online or via social media)
(the political choice to build a fantastic human rights museum in the centre of Canada)
(the politics embedded throughout Shakespeare’s plays)
The politics throughout Orwell’s books)
With the contemporary explosion of partisanship, ubiquitous trolling, and agendas, long after civil rights, the Irish troubles, ’60s feminist protest, gay liberation, indigenous protests, the world has been forced to confront that politics is embedded in everything, everywhere. One can go back to child-raising methods issues of the ’50s and see politics as something as simple and long-standing as pink vs. blue choices for gender.
And, in the arts, politics has been pretty core going back to The Iliad, Macbeth, Shakespeare’s tragedies and histories, Dickens’s novels, Ibsen’s plays, Grapes of Wrath, Miller’s plays, Dylan’s songs, Picasso’s “Guernica”, et al.
Politics is in everything, everywhere, and ‘all’ to a large extent in human life and the arts.
“Take a position” invite most works of art. “Which side are you on?”
When you boil it all down, any person’s attitudes, ideas, values, purposes, and lifestyles proclaim positions, sides, and agendas.
The hardest thing for any individual is to remain neutral, independent, and unique even when one does not socialize much.
One is still influenced by words and views of others via social media, reading, broadcasting, and personal experience.
And there will always be the inevitable social pigeon-holing and stereotyping: “Uh, what do you do?” Society is inevitably political thru its relationships and influences on individuals. Most of our conflicts are political on some level.
So what moves, excites and interests one? What gives one’s life focus, purpose, and meaning?
The arts potentially, but politics for sure. And it is impossible to separate politics from life, living, relationships, and lifestyles.
Likewise, the arts. Like trying to separate fish from water.
And ideas are inevitably political in some way. They always reflect and express individuals’, artists’ and politicians’ ‘positions’, agendas, goals, and politics.
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Coda: Exceptions to ‘The Rule’
Some examples of spontaneous, natural and neutral stuff:
(sharing a good laugh and other emotions and live in-person experiences)
(the beauty of Nature)
(much ‘pictorial’ art)
(‘pure music’/instrumental music aimed at affecting feelings, moods, the spirit or soul)
(simple, basic human survival and endurance in the moment)
(long-time childhood friends; at a 100th school anniversary)
(true loves of our lives: the early days)