Politics is a Magical Force for Good
By Carolina Fowler
This piece is a part of our Wizard Rock the Vote series, exploring some of the issues on the ballot and the systemic problems that keep people from going to the polls. To find out more about how to get involved and support WRTV, visitthehpalliance.org/wrockthevote.
So this might be an unpopular idea, but I believe that politics is a force for good. Yes, hello. I’m Carolina and I’m a raging optimist. I’m telling you this because, spoiler alert, I’m about to use all those gooey, sticky sweet feeling words like believe and positivity and love. If you’re a “realist” and this kind of thing totally turns you off, I urge you to please read on and give me a chance!
Politics certainly can be, and has been, awfully depressing. Between the lies, power plays, inefficiencies, injustices, corruption and bureaucracy, it’s hard to see the silver lining. It’s hard to feel like we can make a difference. Hard to want to step into what feels like a complex world of negativity and deceit. So, here’s my idea: Let’s reframe it. How about WE be the silver lining?
Politics is like magic. It’s a tool. Left unchecked and in the wrong hands, it can be harmful and destructive. But it can also be a beautiful force for building a wonderful world. We have to make it that way. We must understand and believe that politics is actually a force for good. We must understand that politics is one of the most effective tool we have at our disposal to affect how we can all live together safely, peacefully, happily, prosperously, and justly. By believing that we can imagine a better world, we can be better, we can return politics to the hands of the people and use its magic to build the world that’s just for all.
It’s in ALL of our interests — everyone around the world — t0 participate. Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” There are many more good people in this world than there are evil. Many of us are lucky to live in democracies, hard earned and fought for by our ancestors, or even by our very parents and grandparents. However flawed and new our democracies, it means that we, the people, actually hold the power and the responsibility and it’s time we acted like it. If the system is a mess, it’s because we’ve let it be one. Rather than banding together to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems, we’ve become alienated from the political process. The “us versus them” mentality permeates not only polarizing political conversations but the concept of politics itself. It’s “us”, the people, versus “them”, the politicians. When in reality, we select them to be our proxy, our voice. They work for us and can be — should be — an extension of all of us.
So what can we do? We can start simple by celebrating the wins. Let’s bring attention to the people who are doing good, who take seriously the concept of “public service”. Let’s bring back trust, in ourselves, in each other, in our institutions. Let’s do our part to hold our representatives, and each other, accountable. Let’s work together, and build together. Let’s learn from each other and keep an open mind. Let’s cultivate and teach empathy. Let’s remember that we all ultimately want the same thing: happiness, safety, love. Those who hold an opposing view do so not because they are monsters, but because they believe that theirs is the way to that goal. Happiness, safety, love.
Our political systems are built on a foundation of values, and if we don’t consistently cultivate, evaluate, and strengthen those values, generation upon generation, the foundation cracks and crumbles. For many countries, our democracies are young, and we’ve built our systems on foundations that are still quite unstable. We need to go back to the basics and remind ourselves, and future generations, that being an active citizen is an expression of love. Love for ourselves and our futures, love for our families, friends and communities, and ultimately, love for our entire world. Let’s teach empathy, emotional intelligence, respect and equality as the necessary values so kids grow up knowing how to care. Not just about themselves, but their neighbours, fellow citizens and fellow humans. And the truth is, people who care are engaged in politics.
I think the biggest step in breaking down the barriers to participation is removing the negative stigma associated with politics. Here in Argentina, and in many of our new democracies in the Global South particularly, politics is intimidating, often violent, confrontational, polarized, cynical and so so angry. It often feels like it’s just about entitlement, what is owed. And, to be honest, this reaction is very understandable. Governments have been taking serious advantage of the people they are supposed to represent for many years. A lot IS owed and we must definitely fight for those rights with all we’ve got. But very little attention is paid to the other half of the bargain in a democratic society: our responsibilities as citizens. We must build with both. We must teach both. We must practice both. Give and take. Fight for our rights and and fulfill our responsibilities.
Each of us has our own identity, our own mix of values, personality and issues we care about, just like our favorite spells and a Patronus that is unique to us. Yes, you can go on a daring quest and make a big splash, like a Gryffindor. It’s a fantastic way to participate with passion, but that’s not the only way to participate. We can make a difference in the lives of the people around us by being hard-working, true and kind like a Hufflepuff. And by using our wit and originality to question the status quo and come up with ingenious solutions, like a Ravenclaw. And by using our cunning and resourcefulness to lead and question authority, like a Slytherin. We don’t all have to do everything. All we have to do is something.
There are more and more tools and technologies that make being informed and participating easier than it has ever been. Here in Argentina, Democracia en Red has built some fantastic tools like DemocracyOS, and made available dozens of open source apps from around the world. Partido de la Red is helping to give democracy back to the people by using the internet to allow any citizen to debate and vote for legislation and present them in government, while also providing easier access to information about candidates. There are as many ways to be an active participant in democracy as there are human beings. You can do community service, volunteer for your favorite candidate, create or sign petitions, go to marches and protests, recycle, share information on social media, be an informed and thoughtful voter, write blog posts and articles, report issues or crimes, push for more civic and emotional education in schools, shop locally and ethically, you can teach your family and your kids to care.
Most importantly, we must make popular again the idea that politics is something that we all have a stake in. Politics is a tool for shaping our communities into safe, just, and happy places. We need to bring back the fun, the magic, and the meaning. It’s about building together the world that we share. Let’s be cheerleaders for active citizenship! Let’s use music and costumes and food and laughter to celebrate being a caring and involved member of society.
That’s exactly the reason that I’m so excited to be involved in the Harry Potter Alliance. It’s all about building from love. Our motto is “the weapon we have is love.” We use the passion we feel for fandom to bring justice to the real world. We use fantasy and imagination to materialize the better world we know is possible. Yes, I may sound like a delusional 60's flower child. Yes, I know things are horribly complex and there are hundreds of factors we as individuals can’t control. Yes, I know it takes time. A lot of time, and a long, complex, sustained effort by a significant number of people. Yes, I know it’s hard, I know it seems impossible, even. But, as the great Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” And who are we to question Nelson Mandela? We’re constantly told that we can’t do it. But I don’t care. We can, and we will.
So yes, I’m an optimist. It’s a word often used in a subtly negative way, as in, an unrealistic dreamer who is wasting their time with fantasies and never gets anything done. And, I have to admit, that characterization sometimes brings me down. But my optimism is encoded in my soul. It’s what keeps me going when it feels like there are far too many injustices in the world. It’s how I know that we can use politics to build a better world. It may not become a reality in my lifetime, nor in my daughter’s lifetime, and who knows, maybe never. But I’ll be damned if I don’t do my part in trying to get us there.
It very often feels like Sisyphus pushing the rock up the mountain. Painful, difficult and pointless. But as Walt Whitman put it (always imagined in my mind, spoken by the wonderful Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society), what’s the point?
Answer:
That you are here — that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
What will your verse be?
Carolina Fowler is a “third culture kid” from Brazil now settled in Buenos Aires, mom, social media marketer and aspiring graphic designer with a passion for kindness, travel and activism (among many other things!) and Chapter Organizer for the Harry Potter Alliance Buenos Aires.
