Raise your hand if growing up you were ever told that a lady should never talk about three things: politics, sex, and religion.
Sorry Mother Carolina. Today we’re talking about the first one.
I know that these days, politics can be a very uncomfortable topic.
With all the name-calling and yelling, it’s easy to just block out information to stop the overwhelm.
Also, it can be hard to know what’s true and what’s a lie.
Andddd before you say anything, no matter which side of the aisle you’re on right now, EVERYBODY has skeletons in their closets.
So why should we even go there?
Not your old boring history lesson. I promise.
Time for a quick background.
I’m from Venezuela, a beautiful country that was devastated by one of the worst political systems in the continent’s history.
You can read more here, but it all started with a President that implemented different socialist policies that backfired since the early 2000s.
What was the starting point of this? Was it all a big campaign lie?
Kinda, but not completely.
After years of studying my country’s history and how we got there, and after talking to different people that supported the president that started it all, I realized that the real root was misinformation.
People didn’t know about politics, it was too boring.
All politicians were fighting back then. People were mad, so most Venezuelans decided to be moved only by emotional arguments.
Even my mom voted for Chavez, the President who brought communism to Venezuela.
When I asked her WHY, she said that her generation was just lazy and it was easier to trust someone else’s opinion on TV than to do her own research.
Throughout the years, I also heard sooo many people saying: “Ugh I won’t vote. Honestly I have my job, my family. I don’t care for politics, it doesn’t affect me”.
Fast forward 20 years, we have a broken country, a broken economy, a broken society and one the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
It wasn’t only that people made the wrong choice in 1998, and continued making it until it was too late.
No. The majority just didn’t care enough to understand the issues and the policies in the first place.
Information, not muscles, is power
The goal of this post is not to make you become a political activist if that’s something you don’t feel called to.
However, knowing what’s going on politically is both a right and a responsibility.
I’m not talking about being obsessed with the news and unfollowing anyone who supports something or someone different than you, but rather about engaging in productive conversations.
I’m not American, so I won’t be able to vote in these coming elections.
Because my country lives under a Dictatorship, I can’t vote in those elections either.
But I do have a voice, and I feel like even a civic duty. And of course, what I’m going to talk about goes beyond the US.
Wherever you are, I want to encourage you to register to vote, and even after the election, continue understanding what you believe in, and most importantly, why and what that means.
My investigator hat is on
Oh, one more thing.
I went to school for Mass Communications.
Some of the things I’ve studied include Sociology, Political Sociology, Psychology, Logic, World History, Venezuelan History… I even took a class on Foundations of American Politics.
I’ve studied A LOT, read a lot, and currently read a lot on these topics.
As I always say, there are still sooo many things that I have left to learn.
If anything that I say here is not factually true, pleaseeee feel free to send me an email and I’ll happily correct my statement.
Know that I’ve done my research, and yes, of course, I do have a personal opinion, but my goal with this post is not to persuade you to think like me, but to give you the tools so you can make the best decision for you, for your family, for your situation, for your priorities, your values, and your background.
You know that knowledge and education are key so take this episode as that: a tool.
Okaaay, sooo we have a lot to cover, and I want to make it digestible and to the point.
So this is how we’ll go about this:
- 5 Reasons Why As Women We Need To Know About Politics
- How to know who to vote for?
- How to know who to trust if all politicians lie?
- How much politics is too much politics?
5 Reasons Why As Women We Need To Know About Politics
1. It’s been a historic goal
Quick history time.
The whole feminist movement, first wave feminism, it was all born with the goal of giving women access to new opportunities, specifically the right to vote.
This is going to sound stupid for society today, but back in 1848, things like PUBLIC SPEAKING were considered “un-ladylike”.
So, of course it matters.
Politics are the main reason that you and I, as women are even allowed to wonder if we want to be aware of these issues. It truly is a tremendous privilege.
2. Politics is not just a partisan issue
There’s this idea that somehow we should only care when there’s an emergency going on, or when a political party does something atrocious.
True politics goes way beyond political gossip or what the headline of the day is.
3. Politics is about politics
It can be controversial, but let that sink for a bit.
I know it sounds dumb, but sometimes it’s not that obvious.
Why do I think that it’s important to make that distinction?
Well, I’ve seen so many people (to be fair, women are not alone in this), not wanting to have anything to do with politics because they don’t like politicians.
Or if they do, they choose their candidate based on their Twitter performance.
Politics is not Bumble BFF.
We are never going to find a savior in a politician.
With politics, we choose solutions for public problems. And by choosing a politician, we’re not choosing the PERFECT person, but the lesser evil.
So yes, politics is about politics.
When you vote, or when you get involved, you’re choosing or aligning yourself with a worldview. Your voice can determine the types of politics that are put in place.
4. We get to choose who represents our interests in the decision making process
Okay, this is not a man-hating point. I love men, I constantly go to them for research, men or women, if it’s good quality I’ll read it, watch it, etc.
HOWEVER… women have issues that men cannot possibly understand or even consider unless those issues are brought to their attention.
For example, and I’m going to use a non-political issue, let’s say maternity leave.
30 years ago, most companies didn’t have maternity leave.
Was it because women were considered less? Maybe, but not necessarily.
Honestly, since men don’t carry babies, they don’t fully understand the hormonal changes and other biological processes that happen when a woman has a baby.
When they were the only ones with a voice in Corporate America, the issue wouldn’t even cross their minds.
Now we see how corporate policies have changed so much in that sense.
So let’s go back to politics.
What are some issues that you would like to see addressed in Congress?
You can have a voice by voting for the candidate that best represents those issues. But you need to understand those issues first.
Which leads me to my next point…
5. Politics do affect you
I feel like maybe today we’ve all realized that to different extents, but I still wanted to make this point.
They literally affects every aspect of your life.
For example, did you know that as of 2019, tampons were taxed in THIRTY-FOUR states in the US?
Why? Because they’re not considered a “basic necessity”.
So yeah. Policies not only affect your needs, but also the needs of the most vulnerable.
How to know who to vote for
1. Go beyond propaganda
Noam Chomsky said:
“That’s the whole point of good propaganda. You want to create a slogan that nobody’s going to be against, and everybody’s going to be for. Nobody knows what it means, because it doesn’t mean anything.”
So, go beyond slogans, go beyond propaganda.
I wish that we didn’t have to put in the time.
But in a country that’s so divided, in a time with so many injustices going on, we need to go deeper than what a political commercial that we watch during a Youtube video ad break shows.
2. Be willing to get uncomfortable
Choose the things that matter the most to you, and where you stand or what’s your position on those issues.
Once again, go beyond propaganda or Instagram graphics, you’re too smart for that.
I’m going to give you a brief list of issues that can affect you, but this is just a tiiiiny little fraction of what’s going on:
- Taxes:
I mean, this one is huuuge because whether you’re in business or not, taxes determine how much $ you keep in your pocket, how much you pay, and what programs and initiatives are your taxes funding.
For a comparison of the current perspectives on taxes, you can click here.
- Immigration:
The immigration system is currently in chaos and there hasn’t been a consensus on how to fix it.
For example, since 2014 detention centers started getting overwhelmed and the number of children that were put in these facilities that look like “cages” has continued to grow.
I know that the New Way Forward Act was approved in 2019 and became a Law, but sadly, that’s still an issue that hasn’t been solved.
This is one of the things I would say that everyone agrees on, the difference comes from the proposed solutions.
Lately, there’s been some proposals to start replacing our current immigration system with a more merit-based system, but it hasn’t passed either. So expect this to continue being a hot issue.
- Health care coverage:
Hot issue too.
Should it be free for all? If so, how is it going to be funded? What about previous failed attempts?
How could the law protect those who don’t have the resources to pay for health insurance?
No one wants people to die, that’s clear. But HOW should we go about it?
- Abortion:
Did I make you uncomfortable yet? Sorry. Some issues that are currently being discussed are the pro-life vs pro-choice stands.
Some laws have been passed. For example 2019 New York’s Reproductive Health Act allows women to have a full term abortion in New York.
This means that a woman can have an abortion at any point in her pregnancy, even at 40 weeks, if a health care professional determines that the health or life of the mother is at risk.
This includes mental health.
I don’t know where you stand, where you think life begins, whether you think that this is an issue of women’s right, I won’t go into my arguments today, but keep in mind that those issues are going to be impacted by, you guessed it, politics.
- Racial inequality:
Again, one of those issues where we can agree on the end goal, but there are different approaches and proposed solutions.
Some of the policies that are usually discussed around this issue include welfare, police unions, affirmative action, just to name a few.
Once again, politics matter because policies are decided through politics.
Something that could be related to this is criminal justice, which needs a proper interpretation of the constitution… obviously this could be its own podcast.
And these are just sooome of the issues. Other issues include free speech, religious liberties, reproductive rights, and so much more.
I knowwww, talking about all this can be uncomfortable.
I wish it wasn’t.
But there’s no point in you wanting to live to your fullest potential, become an assertive leader, be of service to others, have an impact in your community, have better relationships, etc., if you don’t stop to think where you stand in these issues.
When Edgar and I were taking our pre-marital class, someone asked one of our teachers if she thought that two people with different political opinions could have a healthy marriage.
She said that it wasn’t that much about the political denomination per se, but about the values that were represented in those political views.
So yes, these uncomfortable issues will have a cascade effect on your feminine journey.
3. Analyze where each candidate stands on each issue
Honestly, I feel like this is why it’s so hard to choose who to vote for.
Because we try to do it backward.
We listen to a speech, watch an interview, read a Tweet, and immediately decide: “Oh, I could never vote for this person!” or “They’re awesome, I’ll vote for them!”.
But when we know where we stand, what’s our worldview, and which POLICIES we support, then it becomes much easier to decide.
Look at the candidates’ platform, their website: what specific policies are they supporting?
Look at the candidate’s party: What has been the party’s overall position in that specific issue?
Has the candidate been in office before? What has she or he done?
Again, let’s go beyond soundbites because we all have 5 minutes of stupidity.
What are the actual proposals, acts, legislation that that person has supported?
For example, in the case of the President, he or she nominates Supreme Court Judges.
So each president will probably appoint different judges that will be the final arbiter of the law on those issues that you care so much about.
So it matters. Politics matter.
How to know who to trust if all politicians lie?
This is hard. I get you.
I’ve felt that pit to my stomach.
I’ve read some politician’s Tweets (I won’t name names but I think you can have a few ideas), and felt truly sick.
So the first thing is creating that personal separation.
Remember that when you choose a politician, you’re choosing an employee. Elected officials work FOR the people.
As a leader, sometimes you hire good, sometimes you hire bad.
Can you imagine if a CEO said: “OMG that person stole from my company! I’m not gonna hire anyone else, ever!! Really, I’m just gonna let my company’s IG followers choose our next VP of Marketing. Let me do a poll on my IG Stories”.
What would happen to that company?? Well, since IG followers don’t really know the ins and outs of the company and only know what you decide to put out there, I don’t think the future of that company would be too bright.
And the same it’s true, and even more so, at the government level.
How much politics is too much politics?
There is definitely a thin line between being aware of politics, and being obsessed with politics.
When you cross that line, you start having some unhealthy behaviours.
Some red flags include (and I’ve been through all of these, so no judgement here sister):
- When you wake up, you can’t spend more than 30 minutes without checking your news app. You basically start needing the news to feel some type of reassurance.
Let’s say this is borderline addiction, where you need your early kick to be able to make it through the day.
- It’s starting to affect your relationships. You start name-calling anyone who doesn’t think like you.
I’ve heard everything from “if you vote for this candidate you’re a communist” to “if you vote for that candidate you are a psychopath”.
Check yourself, if you start to feel physical anger towards a person who you loved and respected until not long ago, just because they have an opposing view, it may be time to step away.
Remember that you probably agree with your friends and family on the gravity of the issues, the disagreement probably comes on the how of the solution.
And disagreement is fine, it can be super productive.
- It’s starting to affect your physical health. This, I would say, is the most serious red flag.
You have increased anxiety, you can’t sleep, you start having anger issues. You become depressed and even start thinking that this is the end of the world.
In those cases, it may be wise to just step away for a while.
Relax, watch some Selling Sunset, it’s fine.
I definitely have my seasons, so there’s times when I’m more engaged, and times where I take a break. But I try to always stay aware.
At the end, every country has a history, a unique culture and unique needs.
In my country I experienced first hand the consequences of apathy, so as an immigrant I wouldn’t want to see my new home go through the same.
I know that talking about politics can seem like a lot, so I invite you to listen to the podcast on this episode too, so you can process the information.
I know that talking about politics can seem like a lot, so I invite you to listen to the podcast on this episode too, so you can process the information.
This is a highly relevant topic, so share your main takeaway on your Stories! Make sure to tag me (@eugeniamorgado) so I can share it too.
Until next time,
With love, E. ♡
Some additional resources and references:
- If you live in the US, learn what’s your State’s registration deadline: https://www.vote.org/voter-registration-deadlines/
- To find bills currently being discussed or passed by Congress in the US: https://www.congress.gov/
- Some answers regarding to unaccompanied minors: https://www.hhs.gov/programs/social-services/unaccompanied-alien-children/faqs/index.html
