Originally Posted by chipcom
HH, nobody ever said that advocacy does not have a political aspect, I know that I have said that there is a difference between advocacy and POLITICS. Which is why I posted the definition of POLITICS. Riding my bike is not politics, though it might be advocacy. By riding my bike I am not engaged in the process or methods of making decisions for any group of people, but I may be setting an example for a group of people which could be a form of advocacy. In the same vein, Rosa Parks was not not engaged in the process or methods of making decisions for anybody by standing up for her rights as a human being.
Wow, Chipcom-Man, what a load of horse manure!
As much as I hate the prospect of debunking one of my heroes, it's gotta be done. Such a gigantic pile of cow patties can not be allowed to stand. (plus, I have a reputation as a pedantic twit to maintain).
Where to begin? Where to begin? Maybe with some definitions taken from the nearest Webster's Unabridged (if you're gonna be pedantic, ya gotta quote from Webster's
).
politician - a person engaged in politics:
frequently used in a derogatory sense (ouch!).
Only a politician would attempt to claim that what Rosa Parks did was not political (and I bet Chipcom-Man even typed that nonsense with a straight face). C-Man truly must be a politician (or, at least, a former one).
C-Man, it's hard to argue with your definition POLITICS: "the process and method of making decisions for groups. Although it is generally applied to governments..."
But ya messed up, dude. The question was not, "Is advocacy politics?" The question was, "Is advocacy political?" Do ya see a difference?
political - of or concerned with government, the state or politics.
Attempting to change laws, or draw attention to unjust laws (civil disobedience is one way), is political (although not necessarily politics). Attempting to change roads (the maintenance of which is generally a function of government) is political (although not necessarily politics). To the extent that they involve action by an organized group or the government, all of the following are political: changing society, saving the world, saving the environment, etc.
Originally Posted by chipcom
Advocacy can be political, but it can also be non-political, depending upon the advocate and their motives. If you choose to be political, that is your business, but some of us advocate for things just because we feel it is the right thing to do, not because we want to participate in the process of making decisions for others.
Huh? Chipcom-Man talks in riddles. If it does not affect others, what makes something "the right thing to do?" What are these mythical non-political aspects of advocacy to which you refer?
