Member-only story
How Do You Do Politics?
College exposes you to new ideas. Some of those ideas catch hold of you and your friends introduce you to a student group. You’re hooked by the meetings, conferences, and demonstrations in the middle of campus. By the time you graduate, you’ve sought out your club’s adult counterpart. A few years later, you apply for a job at a movement-connected magazine.
Are you a democratic socialist or a libertarian?
You’re a millionaire hedge fund investor. You see a sick and broken system all around you, so you set up a foundation and start writing checks to grassroots organizations. You take an interest in a few political candidates, start sending donations their way, and phone them up every so often to make sure they’re implementing the reforms you know are so badly needed.
Are you a conservative Christian or an environmentalist?
Even with food stamps and your Section 8 voucher, by the end of the month you have to choose between paying rent and eating. Your sink is broken and you tell your neighbor you don’t know what to do. She invites you to a meeting where, she says, people like you and her learn what it takes to change their lives for the better.
Are you joining a tenants union or a prosperity-gospel church?