Everything is politics
“History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.”— Mark Twain
The Weimar Republic collapsed into industrialized murder for myriad reasons.
But one catalyst was Good Germans—folks who descended into detached neutrality by avoiding polarizing “political” issues as millions of people were systematically exterminated.
In her 1963 book following the trial of Adolf Eichmann for crimes against humanity, Hannah Arendt coined the phrase banality of evil to explain the horrific consequences of Good Germans’ unquestioning participation in bureaucratic, state-sponsored murder.
Fast forward nearly a century and America’s constitutional republic is on life support thanks, at least in part, to the detached neutrality of millions of Good Americans.
So how do we knock the blinders off? By embracing the fact that everything is politics.
Sports is politics. Don’t believe me? Just watch Bad Bunny’s performance this Sunday. Or search for the New York Giants’ owner’s name in the Epstein files. Or watch Pablo Torre’s recent exclusive about how the Grizzlies’ owner profited (and continues to profit) off of Russian war crimes.
Music is politics. Don’t believe me? Just watch Bad Bunny’s speech at the Grammys. Or the documentary on HBO about STAX. Or Johnny Cash’s performance at San Quentin.
Food is politics. Don’t believe me? Just watch literally any episode of No Reservations. Or go to your local Mexican restaurant and look in the eyes of the people trying to make a living while brown people are systematically disappeared. Or research how cuts to USAID will starve thousands in Africa.
Here’s a suggestion the next time someone says they don’t want to talk politics: just walk away. Why? Because there’s nothing to discuss.
CPJ | 5 Feb. ‘26 | Memphis
ADORE Johnny Cash! Cannot believe you included him here because by chance I let my mind wander today. Thinking about how the shock we felt when Shakira came out and surprised everyone when Jennifer Lopez played at the 2020 Super Bowl Half-Time Show - WHO could Bad Bunny bring out to shock us this year? And my heart sank a bit because I couldn't think of anyone who could better bridge the divide in our great nation better than Johnny Cash. Folsom Prison Blues got me clapping and hootin' - and I thank you for this moment of escape. (I changed my email address & now my Profile photo is gone. I'm working with Substack Support to fix the issue. Sure hope I'm not being overly nice to AI bots!)