[hue3]

If you participate in politics without being minimally informed about it, people will demonize you for not being up to date with policies and current affairs. If you do not participate in politics, people will demonize you for taking no sides and expressing no interest in the future of the country. If you have some academic training, try to stay informed about current affairs and participate in politics, people will demonize you for engaging in “political hobbyism”.

And this seems to be an issue specific to U.S. politics. Maybe it’s time to collectively agree that American democracy is about excluding people from politics, in detriment to the interests of the economic elites.

EDIT: while I generally agree that what the author calls "political hobbyist" can be harmful to specific causes and can even perpetuate the status quo/political inequalities, it is within their own right to engage in politics however they see fit. We have to keep in mind that not everyone can be actively engaged in political debates in the city hall, or organizing a group of like-minded people to fight for a specific cause. Excluding "political hobbyists" from the political debate just because they are not engaging in "real politics" (author's words) is straight up anti-democratic -- after all, who can define what "real politics" is.

[anthonygd]

I think you made a bit of a strawman there.

> If you have some academic training, try to stay informed about current affairs and participate in politics, people will demonize you for engaging in “political hobbyism”.

The article isn't demonizing people who stay informed and participate in politics. It's saying that staying informed != participating in politics. Which seems fair and isn't excluding anyone. If you just read the articles and chat with friends about politics, you are not _participating_ in politics.

"Political hobbyism" feels a bit like the style of virtue signaling that's ridiculed so much. You can show how smart you are, you can have all the most virtuous opinions but let's not pretend you're actually contributing.

[supercanuck]

Sounds like they need to get a backbone.