NationStates Jolt Archive

I used to play this game with some friends of mine around the table at our favourite pub. The idea is to try and come up with a single thing (concept, object, smell even) that does not have a political connotation. It was up to everyone to try and prove that those things all DO have political connotations.

Try it out...can you think of anything that is not political?

Reminds me of an advert that used to be on TV where this guy said to his mate that he didn't do politics. Then, whenever he complained about something, his mate would point out that it was related to politics. I can't actually remember what the point of the advert was, but it gave me the impression that I'm living in a totalitarian state where everything is controlled by the government. :p

Oh come on...do I have to put a poll here so someone will read this? :(

Okay, I'll start. Peanuts...they shouldn't be political, right? Wrong!

Peanuts:
Used in many inventions of George Washington Carver, who was a black man, and therefore somewhat ignored by the scientific community of the time. (Politics: racism)

Peanuts:
Can be used to produce oil using less space than canola fields, and oil to be used in the combustion engines of plant-oil using vehicles, a threat to the oil industry. (Politics: alternate fuels, oil lobby)

Peanuts:
One of the main allergies developed by children, extremely dangerous and the cause of strict government regulations in terms of labelling. (Politics: government involvement in labelling requirements)

Peanuts:
Smooth or chunky, they are high in protein and an excellent source of non-animal nutrients for vegetarians who do not want to raise other animals for food. (Politics: food supply)

Peanuts:
you get the point:)

God, me and the other people out there that realize the formalities and labels someone else uses does not actually effect us unless we let them. You can do anything you want in life including harm other people in anyway you wish but with this you can also help any person in existence with this same freedom. If you let a paper law or another person's opinion stop you from doing whatever it is you want to do in life then you already gave up. Every law out there from the speed limits to our rape and murder laws are all phsycological laws. There is no physical barrier because God knows we do not need them as loving people. Think about it. Whoever is willing to rape or murder another person already does that now with our stupid useless laws in place. Politics is strictly a fake way to think you have control over another person. When more people realize this, we will either have major confrontation to correct our inequalities in politics or something more drastic may occur.

We currently have a system that says go ahead and rape, murder ans many people as you wish all we will do is jail or kill you afterwards. Anotherwards we are intiially saying it is ok for you to do the deed as long as you accept the 'possible' outcome. This I see as being the same as having no law at all and having the person that does a horrible deed (kill,rape,etc..) subject to the same possibilities from family or any life loving person that catches someone doing such deeds. So why have a bunch of phsycological laws on paper that do nothing to stop or even deter someone since people still do what they want to do.

My ass

God, me and the other people out there that realize the formalities and labels someone else uses does not actually effect us unless we let them. You can do anything you want in life including harm other people in anyway you wish but with this you can also help any person in existence with this same freedom. If you let a paper law or another person's opinion stop you from doing whatever it is you want to do in life then you already gave up. Every law out there from the speed limits to our rape and murder laws are all phsycological laws. There is no physical barrier because God knows we do not need them as loving people. Think about it. Whoever is willing to rape or murder another person already does that now with our stupid useless laws in place. Politics is strictly a fake way to think you have control over another person. When more people realize this, we will either have major confrontation to correct our inequalities in politics or something more drastic may occur.

Well, that wasn't fun at all. :(

Reminds me of an advert that used to be on TV where this guy said to his mate that he didn't do politics. Then, whenever he complained about something, his mate would point out that it was related to politics. I can't actually remember what the point of the advert was, but it gave me the impression that I'm living in a totalitarian state where everything is controlled by the government. :p


Funnily enough the advert was about registering to vote... worked well didn't it? ;)

My ass

Do you intend to bare it? (Politics: public nudity)

Do you use it for intercourse? (Politics: sodomy laws)

Is it obese? (Politics: consumption by rich countries compared to that of poor countries)

I could continue...

Me having sex with your mom.

Do you intend to bare it? (Politics: public nudity)

Do you use it for intercourse? (Politics: sodomy laws)

Is it obese? (Politics: consumption by rich countries compared to that of poor countries)

I could continue...
I don't intend to shit my pants

Erm... no... ew

No, just ugly

Me having sex with your mom.
touché....

I'm thinking domestic violence

Why does sodomy include oral sex?!

-

Something that doesn't envolve politics... the existance of any animal that isn't social or is an insect.

Everything else involves politics in some way, shape or form.

touché....

I'm thinking domestic violence

Well, either he just admits there's nothing political about it to save face, or he has to detail all the ways I can have sex with his mom as they pertain to politics. I think I win either way.

:mad: politics are not fake. politicians make laws and laws affect our very being. if politicians have no real control, than how come i cant go fast in my car when im late for work so i dont get fired. basically politicians have the ability to get me fired. i know its my fault that i was late in the first place but politicians dont help me when im not perfect.

dancing?

how you dance involves the social conventions :)

i like getting oral.





i just thought id add a little something
i think everyone here can say that WE ALL LIKE ORAL SEX!!!! :fluffle:

i like getting oral.





i just thought id add a little something
i think everyone here can say that WE ALL LIKE ORAL SEX!!!! :fluffle:
even when we're all by ourselves

Sex is strictly non-political. ;)

Sex is strictly non-political. ;)

Especially when it's with Sinuhue's mom....

politics are not fake. politicians make laws and laws affect our very being. if politicians have no real control, than how come i cant go fast in my car when im late for work so i dont get fired. basically politicians have the ability to get me fired. i know its my fault that i was late in the first place but politicians dont help me when im not perfect.

Exactly why politics are fake. We are not perfect. Politics seek something that we are not capable of giving: perfection. We will never be perfect because we are perfectly fine the way we are. The perfection that is being sought is from the viewpoint of another person therefore it can never be perfect for you. Also those laws that politicians make do not effect you unless you let them effect you. You can still speed to your job and if your boss fires you then fuck him so what. You can say that you need that job but do you really? You only think you need that job because you want that money and because you want that money you think you need that money. There are other jobs and even then you still do not have to work for anyone else. Start your own business or say fuck it and start growing your own food (or whatever else) and start making a living with it. I know people that have made more riches (in friendships and money) from nature (politically free) than the people I know working some dead end job for someone else's pocket book.

Me having sex with your mom.

As per a later comment, I am a she. Yes, this is political, because it would involve:

(if consensual) adultery, which in some countries comes with a death sentence, but in Western culture is usually pointed to as a reason for the 'decline in western civilization', and is usually the man's prerogative to commit, not the woman's.

(if forced) rape, which is legislated as a crime in most countries. In some, it is a crime, but the woman is also punished, as she should have died before allowing such a violation of her honour.

Murder, as my father would likely try to kill you either way. This is political, because in some countries he would have the right, while in mine, he would not. A difference in jurisprudence.

By the way, if this is an indication of the level of maturity to be displayed on this thread, then you are welcome to take it over. Chau.

Especially when it's with Sinuhue's mom....
and dog

Chau.

Ciao.

Ciao.
No, that would be Italian. Chau is Spanish.

The politics of which would be:

Whichever spelling becomes absorbed into the English language will depend on which ethnic group has the strongest influence at the time.

No, that would be Italian. Chau is Spanish.

I wasn't correcting you. I'm Italian.

I wasn't correcting you. I'm Italian.
I'm two Italians! No three!

I wasn't correcting you. I'm Italian.

I thought so...I edited my post to explain...

In an attempt to raise the maturity of this thread, which is rapidly declining, let's see how related to politics dogs are. The only example I can think of is Toronto, Canada, where laws enforced made illegal owning a bulldog since they are considered to be too dangerous to be kept as house pets (liberty to do as you want vs. public safety) If someone can think of something else about dogs, which doesn't involve some retarded idea or comment, plz add to it.

Sex is VERY political...

I cite the Lillith example in the Garden of Eden

;)

In an attempt to raise the maturity of this thread, which is rapidly declining, let's see how related to politics dogs are. The only example I can think of is Toronto, Canada, where laws enforced made illegal owning a bulldog since they are considered to be too dangerous to be kept as house pets (liberty to do as you want vs. public safety) If someone can think of something else about dogs, which doesn't involve some retarded idea or comment, plz add to it.

Leash laws.

In an attempt to raise the maturity of this thread, which is rapidly declining, let's see how related to politics dogs are. The only example I can think of is Toronto, Canada, where laws enforced made illegal owning a bulldog since they are considered to be too dangerous to be kept as house pets (liberty to do as you want vs. public safety) If someone can think of something else about dogs, which doesn't involve some retarded idea or comment, plz add to it.

Here in Lane County they have a max limit of owning 2 or 3 dogs I have to look it up but I know it is rather ridiculous. I also have heard of communities trying to ban ownership of pitbulls.

a very small pebble

Dogs:

How about the lavish treatment of pets at the hands of people who could care less about their fellow man? My grandmother fed her dog sirloin steaks...surely a family could better use such largesse? Why are we so compassionate towards animals, and not to each other?

Dogs:

Animal testing...they are still used in some countries to test products on...is this right?

Abandonment of dogs: people who tire of their pets often drop them off in the countryside to 'set them free', not wanting to know that they'll probably get shot by a farmer, or eaten by a coyote. They cause problems with livestock or become feral and dangerous. Politics: responsibilities of pet owners.

Dogs as meals: in the Philippines, dogs are a yummy BBQ treat. Yet in the West, we are horrified by the idea. Difference in viewpoints.

A little pebble:
On whose side of the border does it lay?:)

Does it contain a valuable mineral? Does that pebble belong to the person who found it, or the nation it was found in?

Environment: if every tourist was allowed a pebble from our tourist spots, would they be able to remove a mountain? Should anything be removed from protected sites?

A little pebble:
On whose side of the border does it lay?:)

Does it contain a valuable mineral? Does that pebble belong to the person who found it, or the nation it was found in?

Environement: if every tourist was allowed a pebble from our tourist spots, would they be able to remove a mountain? Should anything be removed from protected sites?
Oooh, very good!

OK, how about a star in another galaxy?

Oooh, very good!

OK, how about a star in another galaxy?

Who gets to name it? Who will 'lay claim' to it? How was that star created (by God or the Big Bang?).

Who gets to name it? Who will 'lay claim' to it? How was that star created (by God or the Big Bang?).
Damn you're good :D

How about.......a family photo?

Scam-Baiting is fun..... www.419eater.com

Go slap a mugu today!!

Damn you're good :D

How about.......a family photo?
Is this a 'traditional' nuclear family photo? A single mother or single father family? Inter-racial adoptions? Gay adoptive parents, or children conceived by artificial insemination? Extended family?

Is this a 'traditional' nuclear family photo? A single mother or single father family? Inter-racial adoptions? Gay adoptive parents, or children conceived by artificial insemination? Extended family?
LOL, I give up! I give up!

LOL, I give up! I give up!
It's kind of sad isn't it...anything can be used for political purposes.

And don't give up! This is fun!

And don't give up! This is fun!

try a glass of water

try a glass of water
First the water:

Is the water polluted? Who has the responsibility for ensuring it is safe? The government or corporations doing the polluting?

Was the water free or for sale? Who is profiting from the sale of water?

Who is doing the drinking? Westerners waste more water per capita than entire villages in some countries.

(as a side note, it is suggested that future wars will be fought over control over water, not oil, since water is a dwindling resource (potable water anyway) and is more necessary to life than oil)


Now the glass:

Is this a disposable, non-biodegradable cup? Or it is sturdy, recyclable plastic or glass?

taking a nap on the grass and cola preference.

Is there anything that is non-political? Probably not.

Are there things that *should* be? Absolutely.

moustaches & sideburns

taking a nap on the grass and cola preference.

Nap on the grass:

In many cities, green space is rare, and therefore much prized. It is often illegal to walk on, or sleep on the grass, because there is so little of it, and because of the amount of pedestrians in the city, allowing foot traffic would kill off the grass. Thus literally millions are denied any visceral contact with nature.

Are you napping instead of working? Lazy poor person!

Are you napping because you are homeless? Lazy poor person!

Are you napping because you are drunk? Lazy poor person!

Are you napping in the countryside? Get off my private property before I shoot you!

Cola Preference:

Coca Cola and Pepsi have duked it out for decades over their share of the market. Now they are targeting the developing world, marketing their wares as a 'sophisticated' soft drink. In areas where there is no potable water, colas use the polluted waters available too them, without warning the drinkers of the dangers inherent in this.

Colas are also a major contributor to childhood obesity and diabetes. High sugar content and addictive caffeine work together to 'hook' kids, and colas are marketed to that age group in order to create life-long consumers of the product. Support for one or the other makes no difference (including no name brand colas).

Coca cola and Pepsi also have incredible lobbying power. Are you aware of a scheme hatched by Coca Cola about 6 years ago to create a logo on the moon visible from earth? Luckily this plan was nipped in the bud, as no nation can lay claim to the moon.

moustaches & sideburns

Facial hair can be required for religious reasons. Sikhs, for example, are not supposed to cut their head hair, nor their facial hair. For safety reasons, some Sikhs have been asked to shave or cut their hair, even though it goes against their religious principles. It's a touchy issue.

Moustaches specifically:
In India, the caste system (which is weakening, but still very much present), only the upper castes are allowed to wear mustaches that curl upwards. Lower castes must have mustaches that point humbly down, or shave them all together.

As well, long hair both on the head, and on the face, of men, has often been seen as a rebellion (as in the U.S during the 60s) against the order of society. They are discouraged in the military for this reason, or regulated to polite neatness.

Facial hair can be required for religious reasons. Sikhs, for example, are not supposed to cut their head hair, nor their facial hair. For safety reasons, some Sikhs have been asked to shave or cut their hair, even though it goes against their religious principles. It's a touchy issue.

Moustaches specifically:
In India, the caste system (which is weakening, but still very much present), only the upper castes are allowed to wear mustaches that curl upwards. Lower castes must have mustaches that point humbly down, or shave them all together.
religious & unwritten rules <-> political????

religious & unwritten rules <-> political????
What is more political than religion? And tradition? These are the things that influence political decisions! So a Sikh doesn't want to shave his beard or cut his hair. Forcing him to do so denigrates his religion. Allowing him to keep it, despite safety restrictions creates problems with those restrictions, as others will be asking to keep their beards too. Unwritten rules are often the most unbending. The rules of caste are mostly unwritten, but are iron clad. You can not step out of the norms proscribed to you by your birth into a certain caste.

a toenail.

a toenail.
A toenail:

(I'll admit, that one is a bit harder, but I'll give it a shot.)

Is it a woman's toenail or a man's? According to cultural norms, it will look different depending on the gender of the bearer. A woman is expected to have neat, trimmed (and often painted) nails, while a man can sport scary-looking growths and get away with it. How is this political? Gender issues.

Also, is this toenail out for the world to see? Is the person wearing open-toed shoes? You are not allowed to wear open-toed shoes in certain jobs for safety or sanitary reasons, and doing so would be a deliberate political statement that you do not agree with those rules.

Does the toenail belong to someone who can not afford shoes? Issue: poverty.

Whew...that one was tough...

nostrils

nostrils
You seem fixated on body parts...

Piercings, which have become fairly common, are still symbols of a youth's rebellion against societal norms. However, piercing of the nostrils goes a bit deeper, and becomes a culturally sensitive issue.

In many cultures, piercing the nose is a symbol of beauty, as well as social class, and not a rebellious touch. When piercings first became popular in the West, it offended many groups because it took the 'exotic' aspect of another's culture, without necessarily guaranteeing understanding on a wider level. The almost out of fashion practice of hennaed hands also did this...taking the religious significance out of the adornment.

Nostrils are also quite political in the sense of the other alterations so popular on them...nose jobs. Nose jobs that are purely cosmetic have become very popular, and even teenagers are getting these operations. First, should teens be allowed to permanently change a body feature, on a body that is still growing and altering? Should any public funds cover a cosmetic surgery, even if it is done to make a down syndrome child look more 'normal'?

My Alto Sax reed

after you're done with that one

1+1=2

pubes

My Alto Sax reed

after you're done with that one

1+1=2
This is getting tough! (Or I'm running out of BS)

Most reeds are manufactured now, in large quantities, and have put traditional reed makers out of work. Politics? Automisation, and the loss of jobs.

1+1 = 2
This reminds me of 1984...who says that 1+1=2? The numerals we use to create this equation are a human-made system, and therefore artificial. If we could create a system to prove that 1+1 does NOT equal 2, would it be equally valid? This particular system is base 10, but there are other number systems that are base 3, base 6 or base whatever you want that would not necessarily make this equation true. As well, this system replaced the Roman numerals used in Europe for centuries, and yet few people are aware that it began in India, and was then introduced by Arab scholars to Europe. We use European digits 0123456789, which are present in Arab script, but the place holding system of numbers (which we use) was developed around the sixth century. It didn't get used by Europeans until around the 1200s. Politics: skewed histories (most kids don't learn the origin of our number system) and cross-cultural enrichment (particularly from the Arab world, which no one wants to remember right now).

pubes
To shave or not to shave? Some feminists say, if men don't have to, why should we? In Europe, pubes are not such a big hang up...and Europeans tend not to be a sexually repressed as North Americans. In the U.S, pubes must not be shown on public daytime tv. In Brazil, they're everywhere! During Carnival, they showing on people you don't want to see them on! Politics: attitudes towards sex and sexuality

remote controls

remote controls
What? Something that isn't a body part? Okay, this has got to be the last one, and then I'm gone for the weekend.

Remote controls:

First: LAZY ASS! Get your obese butt off the couch and flip change the channel yourself! Politics: health (and policies towards obesity)

Where was the control made? Most likely, these days, it was made in China, where Japan and Malaysia are increasingly outsourcing their production plants due to lower wages and lower labour standards. Much like what the U.S did, when it outsourced ITS plants to Japan and Malaysia:) The politics of labour are involved, as well as the politics of trade liberalisation. The drive for cheaper, mass produced products at the expense of labour rights and a living wage are huge political issues.

Is that remote control made out of bio-degradable plastic? Likely not, and since so much of our technology is made to be disposable (buy a new computer every couple of years, etc), it is really incredible that we aren't making the components to act that way. That control, once it breaks, will sit in a landfill in the same condition until your grandchildren's grandchildren have grandchildren.

What? Something that isn't a body part?
Technically it isn't, but it's on my body a lot

A single snowflake

Remote controls:

There has been an interesting change of the household. For instance, pre-remote times showed families would spend more time together and there was this "rotation" of family members changing the channel. You only watched a certain show only because you knew what was on. Now, people watch TV "just because." Possession of the device means that you have a choice to make every second. If you don't like it, change it. Researchers believe it is because of the remote that our attention spans are exponentially diminishing.