What is Apolitical

The term apolitical has been linked to a word used in criminology: asocial. Theoretically they are the same, but man cannot live outside the State and the asocial who is not antisocial has been viewed with such suspicion that the Nazi regime criminalized people for being “asocial”. In the Dachau concentration camp, near Munich, there was a record of at least one person interned for the “criminal act” according to the laws of Nazi Germany, of being “asocial”.

The apolitical or apolitical, therefore, is the person who shows a clear lack of interest in matters related to ideologies or political positions. This, since he does not agree with any, shows a clear lack of interest that defines him as apolitical.

And it is that, sometimes, this term serves as a synonym for neutral, since the person could not agree with the available formations, for which reason it would be considered apolitical.

Not to be confused with nonpartisanship.

The various political formations seek to attract citizens in order to obtain the greatest possible number of votes. However, there is a sector of citizenship that decides not to participate in electoral processes. Usually, whoever adopts this posture is defined as apolitical. Apolitical

The causes of apoliticism

There is no single reason to explain this social trend . This is a phenomenon widely used and which is related to all types of system political, whether democratic or totalitarian.

There are individuals who do not vote in elections and who do not understand the political reality because they believe that no party adequately represents them.

Other people feel deeply disappointed in the political reality as a whole and consequently do not choose any option. In this collective, the use of some expressions is common: “all politicians are equal”, “I don’t believe in politics”, among others. Apolitical

In some cases, personal ideology does not fit into the system of parliamentary democracy. This is what happens among activists and militants of anarchist or anarcho-syndicalist ideology, who defend the free association of people outside conventional parties.

Some practice apoliticalism because they do not believe in the democratic model, as they consider it inefficient, demagogic or simply corrupt.

The apolitical’s thought may be related to markedly individualistic postures or else with a social current of contempt for everything related to politics. Apolitical

Sometimes the origin of this thought is based on positions of an economic nature. There are people whose only ideology is money and the decisions they make depend exclusively on their monetary interests.

A critique of apoliticalism

As Aristotle said, man is a political animal. This means that it is not possible to live outside the problems that affect society as a whole. Even if someone has no interest in public debates or politics, the decisions of government officials do have some influence on their daily lives.

Declaring yourself apolitical is like claiming that you are not interested in life in society. On the other hand, the decision not to vote may be based on well-founded reasons, but whoever opts for this decision will directly benefit the most voted political formation. Apolitical

Finally, the rejection of politics in any of its modalities very often presents a profound contradiction, since it makes no sense to define oneself as apolitical and at the same time criticize political decisions.

When an individual doesn’t want to know anything about a subject, it doesn’t seem reasonable to criticize him.

These concepts tend to be confused a lot, although they are not synonymous to consider them that way. 

To get an idea and show their differences, we must take into account the following:

The apolitical is that person who shows a clear disinterest, or apathy, for politics, as well as everything related to it.

On the other hand, the non-partisan, who is not apolitical, is the person who shows a clear disinterest in the political formations that are in the government and opposition. The non-partisan does not belong to any formation, and shows disinterest in them, but not in politics and related matters.

Being apolitical can be a very profitable option, many famous people were; as is the case of Salvador Dalí. However, in the same way, it could bring serious negative consequences.

In this sense, we must know that politics is what dictates our future. Understood as the institutionalist economists understood it , norms and regulations govern the relations between the different socioeconomic agents . In this way, if you do not participate in political life, the decisions that they apply, affecting us directly, will not be supported by the citizenry. In this way, breaching the democratic system.

For this reason, the lack of interest in politics could lead us to more authoritarian scenarios. And it is that, to have a true democracy, civil society must show its opinion through its right to vote, as well as other elements included in the constitution, to decide on its future, and that of its descendants.