Opinion: Stepping back from political issues and discussions can be due to more than the privilege of turning a blind eye
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Compared to the last two election cycles in the United States, the 2024 cycle has seemed muted. Conversations about candidates have felt hidden and hushed during the last several months. People in my life are reluctant to talk about the chances of Donald Trump reentering the White House and shut down attempts to discuss the 2024 election. The election cycle feels like an ever-looming storm cloud, and people refuse to check the weather forecast.
With this in mind, I have started thinking about how I and many others tend to sidestep uncomfortable political issues. It is easier to ignore situations that affect anyone but us, such as conflicts far away or legislative battles that won’t impact our autonomy. The more distant the issue is from our day-to-day life, the more comfortable we are in ignorance. This is the most discussed reason for ignoring politics that I come across, but I believe that people can also tune out politics due to how draining the issue is for them to face continually.
When others take neutral stances on politics or disconnect from issues altogether, it is natural to be skeptical of their motivations and consider they have opinions they prefer to keep to themselves. Political neutrality often does not contribute to social movements or create active change, which makes it seem like neutral individuals are simply bystanders. Being a bystander is criticized, usually in small-scale situations such as interpersonal disputes, but it applies to larger social and political conflicts just as adequately.
Staying out of issues that can be divisive or sensitive for people to discuss may seem like a sufficient way to avoid discomfort or conflict with others. However, being avoidant or neutral has been proven by a recent political study by University of California, Berkeley, to backfire, as people distrust those who hide their opinions behind neutrality. The study, done by Ike Silver and Alex Shaw, found that participants disliked people with neutral stances more than those who openly disagreed with them.
At first, distancing yourself from a difficult political issue seems like the easy and comfortable solution. But in the long run, you may negatively affect your relationships with people around you. Being upfront about political opinions, even if they oppose someone else’s, is usually a better way to handle uncomfortable discussions.
In other cases, people may remain quiet about issues due to political burnout. Burnout is quite common among Americans and across party lines. The amount of sensationalized news media and frustration with the government wears people down. Sometimes, remaining vocal about an issue, especially if it affects you, can lead to burnout if there is continual, upsetting media coverage and a lack of action or change.
Burnout is a common experience outside of politics, as we have things in daily life that wear us out over time. But most people who feel burned out politically may not realize that is why they have grown quiet about certain issues. The choice to remain neutral on an event or topic could be someone’s decision to take care of themselves rather than to push forward after burnout.
When people are not eager to contribute to political discussions, negative assumptions may be made without considering that the person may need to sit out on one conversation before jumping back into it. Some people are simply comfortable in their lives and don’t have the urge to disrupt that by speaking up. Neutrality can often seem like a negative trait, but depending on the issue, there can be a more personal reason.
Moore: What keeps us quiet?
Maddy Moore
January 15, 2024
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About the Contributor
Molly McPherson, Photo Editor
Molly is currently serving in her second year as the Photo Editor for the Daily Emerald. She worked as a photojournalist on the desk for almost two years prior to joining as an editor. To see more of her work, follow her Instagram @mediaxmolly and view her website mediaxmolly.com