I hate when people start off an idea with a definition, but I have to because it is the premise of this idea. Political atheism (according to Urban Dictionary): A person or persons who has disbelief in the ruling of a dominating government with morals of any kind. Those who have the belief that everything is produced by politics or the media doesn't hold truth of any kind. He/she whom holds their own belief in what is right or wrong not based on what is fed to them by what the general public allows themselves to be brainwashed with.
OK, that's out of the way. One of the problems with politics in general is the violation of the first principles of philosophy. Certain political rhetoric works off a false premise that you can arbitrary place and say it's correct. For the past few months, I've been going through my political adolescence and started questioning where these flags have been planted. It's not a novel idea, but I'm the only one who can articulate my own ideas. Yours may be different and that's OK.
Perhaps it's always been there for a while, but exposure to alternative media does make you question the things you've held dear for years. Either they can change or solidify your ideas. Some people go as far as political nihilism and I'll describe that population soon. Our political alignment begins begins at birth. Our parents, friends and schools are determined by our own socio-economics and past experience of our parents. How many times have you heard "I vote X because my parents vote X?" That group of people have a hard time leaving that mindset. This process is called political socialization - the process by which people learn political attitudes, values and behavior (Burnham, 1983).
Another group, is the political nihilists. These are the downtrodden. Guys that have a difficult time finding meaningful employment to gain a level of relative affluence. This does not include those receiving government assistance because they will not vote on their own ideas, but as political pawns for those who subsidize their lifestyle. This group also includes the super cynic or jaded because they feel their vote doesn't count.
The farce that is the right/left paradigm ranks up there with the biggest trick since the devil convinced Christians that it didn't exist. The rulers have changed, swinging like a pendulum right and left, but the same political agenda has been in motion since the turn of the 20th century. It's been described as neo-conservatism. The deindustrialization, the pandering to corporations and globalization process have been turned up slowly as we don't notice.
Thankfully, through the growth of alternative media, people can see what's behind the curtain and don't have to feel alone as we enter our political adolescence and period of political atheism. The purpose of this is to deprogram the propaganda we've been taught and to listen to all sides of the conversation and maybe piece together your idea, your thesis that have the potential to enrich our lives and take another step to our own self-actualization and human potential. As equally as important, that we don't slip into a state of political nihilism.
To surrender is death and death is for pussies.
