Cynicism towards politics, how to get past it?

dulpit

I'm living in Cork and was talking to somebody about the local elections the other day. Within a relatively small area there is a trans woman running for the Soc Dems, somebody with an obviously Ukrainian name running for Fianna Fail and a black person running for the Greens. I hadn't thought much of this at all, but the person i spoke with was saying the only reason that parties were running these candidates was for the "woke vote".

I said that they might just be running because they want to represent their areas, but the person I spoke to was so cynical about politics, politicians and political parties that they couldn't even acknowledge that as a possibility.

This cynicism is obviously always there, but how do we get past it? No matter what I suggested about the issue, the person I spoke with was having none of it, so I dropped it. It's quite depressing really...

Brussels Sprout

It really is depressing isn't it. The CA forum is particularly bad for it. Everytime I see someone use the expression "gravy train" a small part of me dies.

I don't have any answers really. You're never going to convince people like that. They've crossed the threshold from skepticism to cynicism. I understand how easily that can happen too. The housing and homeless crises go hand in hand. We have hospital A&Es that look like warzones and city and town centres full of vacant properties. Meanwhile we have migrants being stuff into tiny villages, typically only benefiting some well placed inside who owns a local hotel. There are also plenty of examples of politicians who are self serving and purely out for themselves.

I choose to believe that most of them are in it for the right reasons though. It's a dogs life, especially for women. The level of abuse they get now is disgusting. I wouldn't do it for twice the salary that they get.

Just on those particular examples, I'm also in Cork. That trans person is running in Cork city North West ward. That includes Blackpool, Knocknaheeny, Gurranabraher and Faranree. Not much of a woke vote there. The Irish People party have a poster on Cathedral Road that's literally the dictionary definition of "Ethnocide". I'm just pleasantly surprised that none of that Soc Dem candidate's posters seem to have been defaced.

The "black guy" is running in Cork South East ward. That's definitely a more middle class ward but he used work as a postman in the area. Not exactly fresh off the boat.