What Do We Really Mean When We Say Everything Is Political?

Every utterance, even silence, has political weight. Whether or not we acknowledge it, politics is in our homes, communities, and everyday life.

- By MICHAEL ROY BROSAS

"It's not that deep" is usually a good way to dismiss attempts at political discourse. It's a definitive conversation-ender on seemingly trivial matters such as the harm of a "harmless" homophobic or rape joke. We can use it to entirely avoid conflict, especially in intimate circles like family reunions. At dinner tables, we eat peacefully by completely shutting down discussions on the necessity of boycotting union-busting corporations that sell us our condiments, or ignoring the transport strikes around us.

As peacekeeping as this aversion may seem, it is a symptom of a much larger problem. In a country like the Philippines—a nation shaped by colonization, dictatorship, and capitalism—nothing is truly just an opinion, just a choice, or just a joke. There's a reason why someone might feel entitled to jest about rape and then be surprised when there are consequences.

Every utterance, even silence, has political weight. Whether or not we acknowledge it, outside of our halls of Congress and ballot boxes, politics is in our homes, communities, and everyday life. It's inescapable.

LET PEOPLE LIVE
Politics is in our education system—in the books we are prescribed to read, the parts of our history that are omitted and taught, and the language we're encouraged to use. It's even in the efficiency, or lack thereof, of our public transportation system. Our roads, down to the bollards, are built on someone's decision, usually a politician and the business interests that were prioritized.