“Leave the politics out of it!” — a statement far easier said than done. In this day and age, everything can turn political, even having a vegan diet. In its simplest form, politics is about having a basic understanding of the world around you. It’s how individuals and groups make decisions, allocate resources and exercise power within a nation or community. 

But it’s not that simple anymore. What once was a tool to make decisions has turned into a game of power where the most powerful yell over each other and the rest suffer the consequences.

Daily headlines, sent straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest at and around USC.

Studies conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2020 showed a growing divide between Democrats and Republicans on various issues such as the economy, racial justice, climate change, law enforcement and international engagement. The deep divisions exposed during the 2020 presidential election further exacerbated this rift. Supporters of both major political parties now see their differences as extending beyond politics and policies. When did politics become so deeply personal?

Aristotle would roll over in his grave if he heard what modern-day politics has become. In his “Nicomachean Ethics” Aristotle wrote, “The end [or goal] of politics is the best of ends; and the main concern of politics is to engender a certain character in the citizens and to make them good and disposed to perform noble actions.”

In breaking the word down into its ancient Greek root “polis,” all politics means is a city-state. Now it feels like a cursed word more than anything else. We once lived in a time where Democrats, Republicans, centrists, you name it could sit at a table and make decisions. Albeit not all were the greatest decisions, but hindsight is 20/20 and at least decisions were being made. 

Even in 1787, at the very start of the United States when states’ delegates were immensely divided over the drafting of the Constitution, parties were able to come to a compromise for the betterment of their country. Members of Congress were able to put their differences aside to enact the Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Medicare and the creation of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. 

While state and federal discussions often revolve around divisive topics, politics was once a way to show commitment to prioritize unity and concentrate on shared objectives. In the process of demonizing politics, we’re destroying the one thing that brought us together in the first place. 

It seems everyone is involved in politics and has something to say these days, but nothing is getting done — because this isn’t politics, it’s political hobbyism. A term coined by political scientist Eitan Hersh, political hobbyism is a catchall phrase that describes the excessive consumption and engagement in political affairs for one’s personal emotional and intellectual gratification, rather than meaningful civic participation. 

With the advent of social media, politics and political hobbyism have become one in the same. But it’s vital that we remember that belonging to a different political party doesn’t warrant exemption from the same legal standards that apply to everyone. We are all allowed to have our own beliefs but politics should build communities up, not tear them down. Supporting one party shouldn’t mean wishing for the downfall of the other, because attacking the other party is the same thing as attacking yourself. 

Memphis Commercial Appeal writer David Waters stated, “Regardless [of] who’s driving, we’re all riding in the same car. If it crashes, we all get hurt. We’re all susceptible to the careless driving of unyielding partisans on the left and right.”

Before coming to USC, starting this column and pursuing a career in law, I hated politics. I found it parasitic, grabbing onto everything around me when all I wanted was to live my life and have others live theirs. 

Sixth-grade me saw the world through a much simpler lens. Some days, I wish I could go back to that, but most days, I don’t miss that naivete because politics is the society we live in and not knowing your reality is how you get tangled in a web of misinformation.

If you don’t like the car you’re in, you can leave, but you can’t grab the wheel as you please. We’ll all crash and burn — I mean, we already are. Even when the world is in flames, instead of trying to find a solution, we continue to point fingers and find blame. 

Helen Nguyen is a graduate student writing about law and social issues in her column, “Law & Disorder.” Her column, “Law and Disorder,” runs every other Wednesday.