I don’t watch the news unless it’s by accident or my grandparents have it on the TV. I don’t argue in comment sections on Facebook. And I don’t keep up with what’s going on. I can barely keep up with my laundry. Honestly, I’d prefer to talk about movies or what book I’ve been reading recently.
But here’s the weird part: the more I pay attention to the stuff I actually do enjoy — like movies, music, even the books I talked about — the more I realize that politics is kind of… everywhere. And not in a boring, yelling during a debate kind of way.
Take “The Hunger Games,” for example. I didn’t watch it because of the political aspect of it. I watched it because I love chaos and any scene where someone pulls out a bow and arrow like they’ve been training their whole life. But the more I re-watch it, the more I notice things: an insanely rich Capitol obsessed with fashion and food while everyone else is starving with only scraps to get by? A government using reality TV to distract people from their suffering? A girl becoming a threat just by surviving?
Yeah. That’s not just a plot twist. That’s politics. But with fire dresses and a mocking-jay pin.
And it’s not just movies. Think about books. Take a book like “The Darkest Minds.” The book discusses children who develop superpowers, and the government can’t handle it. They try to take control by locking these kids away. Not because they’re dangerous but because they’re different. That’s not just drama – that’s a story about fear, control and a government that can’t handle change.
Again, that’s politics. But with mind powers.
I’m not saying we all need to start debating policies at the dinner table or writing papers on government systems. I’m definitely not. But if you’ve ever watched a movie and thought, “That’s not fair,” or read a book and thought, “Why is the world like this?” — you’ve taken part in politics. You just didn’t call it that.
You don’t have to be “into politics” to care about those questions. But if caring about characters who fight back and people who speak up means I’m paying attention to politics, then… fine.
Just don’t expect me to watch the news. I’ve got books to read.
