A public affair

During the 2016 United States of America presidential election, there was a lot of heated debate surrounding the candidates and their ultimate potential as president. The workplace was no exception, and nearly every lunch break consisted of discussion around controversial speech made by a certain candidate. After weeks of this, one of my co-workers, who did not participate in these discussions, gave their piece, "Why are we talking about this? This is the United States election. It doesn't affect us here in Canada."

Over the years, I've encountered a number of people who do not like to discuss politics [which to some degree, especially when meeting new people, is fair, as it can lead to severed friendships and awkward dinner tables], but I have oddly encountered even more people who think discussing politics is doltish. They don't want to hear about politics, think reading up on current affairs is a waste of time, that it is depressing, boring. 

To each, their own. But then, when they complain about unfair fines, heavy taxes, messy street design, unsafe intersections, antiquated transit systems, a broken healthcare system- they still don't make the connection. 

Politics affect you, whether you like it or not. It directly, and will forever, affect your way of living, quality of life, and just about almost every single aspect of what it means to be a human living in a society.