The Griffin Editorial: You are not Switzerland, so don’t pretend to be

There is a myth that there can be neutral positions.

There is no true neutrality. How can both arguments truly be equal and weigh the same when one position literally calls for the banning or removal of the other position? There are no neutral positions when it comes to civil or human rights. You can’t Switzerland your way through a conversation of human rights without silently colluding with the oppressing force. It is the responsibility of every moral agent to call things that quack, waddle or bite like a duck, a duck. Simply: if you see injustice, call it the clown honk out. 

Collusion is not cute, it is a reflection of poor morals or weak constitution. Collusion, as explained by bell hooks, is when you do not want to end oppression, you just want to end oppression against yourself. You are not fighting to end it at all, simply you are aiming to get out of the fray and behind the comfort of the oppressors.

Do not argue to moderation! Take! A! Position! 

In formal logic, or arguments, there are these faults – or cracks – in the proof of the argument called fallacies. Fallacies do not entirely discount the conclusion, but they sure do not help prove its legitimacy. A very common fallacy that occurs in debate is called arguing to moderation: this assumes that the best solution is through compromise or between two opposing conclusions. Not to unintentionally advocate for false dilemmas, it's one or the other only, but genuinely: take a position. 

Apolitical is a sign of Privilege and Ignorance.

Apolitical is a sign of ignorance, or lack of depth, because to take that position means you failed to acknowledge that you exist within a grounded material world. Here, this means you acknowledge that the ideas, actions, thoughts and feelings you have all take place within a world you have access to and live in. Idealism is fruitless here; it is not actively applied within the world you take up space in; therefore, things are grounded instead of idealized, and they are actually applied within the world. Why would we try to achieve the perfect idealized “form of an object,” or state of being, when that version does not exist, or let alone occupy this Earth? This perfect being cannot be achieved, nor are ideals. When we act or question this world, we think about this world. Meaning how people act, think, speak and feel, we do not idealize ourselves. It is an honest and raw look at human beings, not perfect or idealized. In this grounded world, we act and make judgments. This is where you are not apolitical. Politics come from the Greek word polis, meaning city, city-state or community. Humans are community-based. It is an inescapable reality that all humans experience. No human is self-sufficient, even if our egos lead us to believe so. The food you buy is grown/processed by someone else. The clothes you wear are made by someone else. The house you live in was built by others. Even if you build your home yourself, grow your own food and make your own clothes, you are not self-sufficient because knowledge is something we gain from each other as well. You cannot stand alone from everyone else; you are grounded within a community. 

This being said, when you engage with your community in any way, you are being political. This is primarily done in two ways: actions and judgments. You have judgments on the world you live in. You have a position on what a society should provide for its people. You have critiques about the current society you live in. You have discontents with your experience in your community, whether your actions follow through on mending those discontents or not. Action is more impactful and can be intentional or unintentional. Every action you take involves other people such as where you live, shop, attend school, the policies you choose to support, everything. It all connects you to other people. Understanding this is the first step to learning how the world does not allow you to be apolitical. 

Nobody “just lives in this world;” by continuing to exist, you are continuing to be tethered to this world. 

-The Martin Luthers, Student Philosophers and Activists