Everything is Political

Everything is Political was originally published by Jennifer Liles on “Out of My Mind” oomm.live, which became “Jenni’s Space”, jennisspace.com, a website that no longer exists. Slightly edited for clarity

Everything is Political:

My friend Kate Johnston has a friend that challenges her introductory college classes to find a subject that has no political implications. The idea made me grin.

The definition of “political” I’m working from comes from Merriam-Webster, definition 1B of the definitions it lists:

Therefore, I immediately stole the idea and asked my friends on Facebook to give me ideas for “difficult” subjects to link to politics. This video covers three of them: chocolate, dog toenail clippers, and yarn.

“of, relating to, or concerned with the making as distinguished from the administration of governmental policy”

In this sense, some government, at some level, has impacted the services you provide and receive, the goods you provide and receive, and the choices you make and have made for you. While you’re reading this, try to find exceptions to this rule.

A Deeper Dive:

I covered three topics in the Everything is Political video: chocolate
dog toe-nail clippers yarn

Frankly, I didn’t need to go that deep. Off the top of my head, I could think of at least a half dozen ways, that political policies affect those three subjects. I present you with those “off my head” analyses:

Chocolate:

Many countries regulate chocolate. It is regulated as to the amount of cocoa that must be present, how it can be processed, and how it is labeled. In addition, chocolate is largely produced by at least exploited labor. Actual slaves arguably produce some (much?) of the chocolate the west eats.
Chocolate production reflects the entire history of colonialism, slavery, and exploitation of brown and Black people largely for the benefit of white people. I’m sure with half a minute’s thought, you could think of other political implications of chocolate.

For example, go look up Hershey’s WWII history. I’m sure you can think of other examples. Looking at this in 2024, chocolate’s political implications are back in the news as Americans begin to realize that Trump tariffs are likely to greatly increase the price of our favorite candies.

Dog toe-nail clippers:

Of all animals on earth, we love our dogs the most. Tens of thousands of years ago, the first Neandertal woman built a campfire and offered her scraps to a half-grown wolf pup. Ever since, domesticated dogs have worked and played beside us, slept in our beds, and have been buried in our graves. In the last 200 years, humans have created more dog breeds than in the 20,000 years of domestication prior.

As our lives have changed, so have our dogs’ lives. From homeowner associations (HOAs) to Federal governments, humans have passed laws to make humans safe from dogs and dogs safe from humans. Because of these laws, dogs live most of their lives indoors, on soft carpeted floors. In turn, because of this change in lifestyle we needed to develop a tool that keeps the toenails trimmed that nature used to care for.

Because of capitalism, it wouldn’t do to use a tool designed for humans. As a result, we buy dog toe-nail clippers in a rainbow of colors and a slew of styles. All of these to pamper humanity’s oldest friend, all impacted by policies humans made to protect their animal companions. What other laws and regulations affect our relationships with dogs?

Yarn:

I cheated with this one, as I’m very familiar with the history of yarn. I’ve been an avid knitter for twenty-five years now. I’ve been reading knitting magazines and books that whole time. Humans make yarn from a variety of materials. We make it from animal matter (wool, silk, mohair, etc.) vegetable matter (linen and cotton and other fibers), and synthetic stuff (acrylic and other blends). Laws govern how the animals from which fibers are shorn and gathered are treated. Laws decide how plants are grown and harvested and prepared. And laws decide how the ingredients of a blended yarn are defined.

We use yarn in knitting and crocheting and other crafts. These crafts have historically been social crafts conducted largely by women. Intelligent women knitters have used their crafts to change the world. For example, women in India knitted and crocheted blankets for elephants affected by global warming.

Women around the world have knitted sweaters for birds rescued from oil spills. Most recently, In 2017, hand-knit “pussy hats” (so named because they had “cat ears” and knitters love a good innuendo pun) proliferated at rallies to protest the policies of Donald J. Trump.
Can you think of other ways we regulate yarns and the crafts that depend on them?

A Challenge:

Everything is political. Name a service, a good, or a choice that humans can (or can’t) make that they think isn’t political. It probably is. Further, the conversation about this stimulates critical thinking, an important life skill. Thank you for watching and reading and listening. And thank you for thinking.

Another Thought:

While everything is political, it’s fair to say that some things shouldn’t be political. Human rights sit at the center of this category. While it’s legitimate to use political discourse and laws to figure out how to navigate the places where human rights come into conflict with one another, the idea that “some folks don’t deserve rights” is outside the realm of politics. At the point where we deny human rights, we’ve moved into autocracy.

Thank you.

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