I care about American elections. There is a possibility that votes will effect a change in policy that will align with some of your preferences. Like the proverbial Djinn in a bottle, you won't get exactly what you wish for, but it's something, right? There is a remote (you're more likely to win a multi-million dollar lottery) chance that if people educated themselves, the system can be improved every handful of years. Any wishful thinking concerning this remote chance is called hope, and the people who want to get elected will use this hope to acquire and keep their jobs.
Wouldn't you?
Unfortunately, there are major roadblocks in the way of properly manipulating the system. There are UIFs and FCCs in the world, and they will do whatever it takes. Every conflict will suck in any concept, any idea, any process, and label it UIF or FCC. It doesn't matter if you're Wolves or HoC, you're UIF or FCC.
A man in UIF says, 'Hey, let's all use longbows and bodkins.'
Another group of people start using longbows and bodkins. Some guy in FCC wants to use longbows and bodkins. Kalam says, 'What the fuck? You want to use longbows and bodkins? You're a dirty UIF. Get out of here. Get out!' Kalam turns to Kesh and shakes his head. 'I can't believe how stupid those UIF people are!'
When people talk politics, ask them specifics. Ask them how they want to actually fix problems. Example: there's no road leading to your house, and no street lights. First, figure out if this is a problem. Are you okay with this? Do you and your neighbors have trucks, or you just don't care about your cars? If it is a problem, then look for the most efficient solution. Is it cheaper for your town to contract with E&B Co, or Brickhouse, Inc? Are any of the people making this decision connected to these guys? What about the kind of work they did in the past? Did they have acceptable safety standards? What about the materials they use? Will they work at night, instead of blocking the road during the day?
Now take that and put it on a macro scale. That's how we should consider policy- with specific detail. It's easier to run along with the rest of your giant tribe and simply do whatever they do, but they're not making full use of their powers, or are using them to screw you, whether you know it or not. Easy actions come with a price.
A liberal is just someone who's open to new ideas. A conservative is someone resistant to change. A democrat believes in the people voting for it's government. A republican is someone who believes in a government that isn't led by a king. Blue is a color. Red is a color. Don't let anyone distract you with nonsense labels. They belong to dead humans and to sports. If you're going to listen to a pundit, make sure they're willing to make predictions about their proclamations, and figure out how many of those are right. You have the benefit of access to more knowledge than any generation before you.
Use it.
Don't judge them by what they say; judge them by what they do. Not every country allows you to see how your representatives vote. Use that right. Demand evidence, after you figure out what evidence is.
tl;dr: Politics has a lot of stupid distractions. If people could ignore that, they might be able to deal with the systemic issues and improve it to incentivize better policies. Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers, and in politics it's especially easy: look at how bad the other guy is.
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