Romy asks, “What does politics change in MY life?”
Politics affects just about everything in your life — how you get to school, what you eat and drink, even the air you breathe. If you don’t see politics affecting your life, that’s a good thing! It’s like the background music in a movie: when it’s working well, you don’t even notice it.
Politics is the rules of the game of life. The rules are so obvious to us that we don’t even need to think about them. You know murder is illegal, so you feel safe walking down the street. You know the FDA inspects food, so you buy chips at a store without worrying. The roads are paved, the sidewalks are clean, there’s water at your tap and electricity in your wall. You can get anywhere in New York for $2.50, and you can get a letter anywhere in the US for $0.49.
You take it all for granted. This is the way life has always been for you. It’s just the rules of the game.
But what if the rules were different?
Over the last several decades, we accidentally ran an experiment. Korea, which used to be one unified country, was split into North Korea and South Korea. North Korea based its politics on the USSR, and South Korea based its politics on the US.
70 years later, we can see how much politics changed the two Koreas.
Pretend you were born in South Korea. Your life isn’t too different than in the US. You can browse the internet, eat at restaurants, read books from around the world. When you grow up, you’ll pick what job you want to have. You’ll make about $26,000 each year. You can expect to make it to the ripe old age of 80.
Now pretend you were born in North Korea. The internet is blocked, you mostly eat rice and cabbage, and you can only read books approved by the government. They’ll also pick your job for you, which you can never quit. You’ll make less than $600 a year, and you probably won’t live to see your 70th birthday.
North Korea hardly even has electricity outside of its capital, Pyongyang. Check out this satellite picture of the two Koreas at night:
But that’s on the other side of the world, right?
For people who live in El Paso, Texas, it’s a little more close to home. The Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez is just across the river. They’re considered part of the same metropolitan area, like Boston and Cambridge.
But the rules of the game are a little different in Mexico. There’s more corruption, so it’s easier to buy influence. They don’t have our same system of checks and balances. And there’s less protection against your stuff getting stolen.
The result? Ciudad Juárez is terrorized by dangerous drug cartels, and El Paso is one of the safest cities in the world. The Mexican side of the river had more than 500 murders last year. The American side had only 20!
If the stakes seem lower in the US, that’s just because the system is working well for you. For a lot of people, the rules of the game still spell life or death.
What are the rules for people who can’t afford their doctor’s bills? For people who can’t find a job? What happens to soldiers who are injured in the army, or children whose parents don’t take care of them? When should we go to war, and how should we choose who goes? Who can own guns, and what kinds? How much should we spend to try to cure diseases? How can we stop humans from trashing the planet?
These rules are written by politicians. The politicians are chosen by you and me.
If it seems like politics doesn’t change much in YOUR life, you’re very fortunate! Maybe you should use your vote to help someone who will see a difference.
More on this: Daron Acemoglu, Understanding Institutions
More from Romy Asks:
Originally published at milobeckman.com on February 12, 2015.
