Evaluating UK Politics is Funny

An Amateur Cartoonist's Take on Our Wonderfully Weird World... 

2 min read

The Beautiful Chaos of Modern Identity

Politics these days feels like watching an creative improv show, where everyone's shit at it and up the rules as they go along. I mean, honestly? Sometimes that's kind of fascinating.

Take the whole identity conversation we've been having in the western world in recent years. We've gone from 'you are what you are' to 'you are what you feel you are' to 'actually, maybe we're all just souls having a human experience?' It's like spiritualist social media, Reddit philosophy and pro mental wellness colliding: 'Your ancestors say don't forget to eat good mood food, it improves wellbeing making it a functional material remedy!' 

I overheard a local political community enthusiast talking about people's right to identify however they want. On TV last month, a news report said someone wanted to identify as a llama! Now, I'm not entirely sure that's practical for tax purposes, is it? Either way, there's something wonderfully human about our endless creativity; we are literally always reinventing ourselves! The only constant is change.

The Economics of Feeling Good

Then there's the de-growth movement, which basically says 'Hey, maybe we don't need to make everything bigger and better all the time.' It's like the economic equivalent of declutter your home show - does this GDP spark joy? I used to get wound up by this, but I am much better now. 

I understand why traditionalists fear progression and new ideas. What's tried and tested is valid. Sometimes it does feel like we're on a treadmill that keeps speeding up, and I'm quite the portly gentleman it's not my exercise! But then again, I really do like my smartphone and the fact that we can cure diseases that would have killed our grandparents, if they weren't already dead. Yes, growth offers us promises too. Maybe the trick isn't stopping growth, but growing in smarter directions? 

My Own Ridiculous Philosophy Experiment

Speaking of ridiculous directions, I had this thought experiment: What if we all just stopped using "I" and "you" and called everyone "XP" instead? Like, "XP thinks this is a good idea, what does XP think?" 

It would either be wonderfully zen or drive us all completely bonkers within a week. Probably both.

The Pronoun Adventure

The whole pronoun thing is genuinely interesting from purely a linguistic perspective. That really is before we dive into it. Language is always evolving - it always has, always will. 'You' used to be formal (like 'tu' vs 'vous' in French), and now it's just... you. 

Some of the newer identity categories do make me scowl at the ceiling as I scratch my gruff chin. I'm not totally savvy about what legal recognition looks like in practice for a degree educated unicorn who drives a ford puma. Would there be special parking spaces? Tax breaks? It should work out our legal system assumes everyone fits into a neat little box.

Finding the Middle Ground

Here's the thing - I'm probably what you'd call a social libertarian. In my mind people should be free to live their lives however makes them happy, as long as they're not hurting anyone else. I've lost track on these issues before, fallen into being the angry political prick. God help me. Want to identify as a dragon? Go for it. Want to use unusual pronouns? Sure, I'll do my best to remember them, just don't get upset with me if I drop the ball. 

But I also think we need to be practical. Society needs some shared frameworks to function. Admittedly, we need to be able to disagree without assuming the worst about each other. It's easily done! You tosser. 

The Real Challenge

The trickiest part isn't the policies or the pronouns - it's keeping a sense of humour about it all. Politics has turned so much more serious, so angry, so high-stakes! But maybe that's exactly when we need to step back and remember that we're all just humans trying to figure stuff out? 

We're living through a murky quagmire, an age to make the future cringe. The old certainties are dissolving and new ones aren't quite there yet. That's uncomfortable living, especially if you agree with people across the political spectrum, but can't ever seem to settle on anything grounded. Ignoring that, it is also sort of exciting. We get to participate in shaping what comes next no matter how politically inept we might be. 

My Conclusion... 

From now on I think I'm going to assume that most people, even when they're saying things that sound completely bonkers to me, are genuinely hoping to make the world better. That deserves respectful disagree at best, no demonizing. 

From now on, I will try to laugh at the stupid shit without laughing at people. Wish me luck.