What is the meaning of “politics” in the 21st Century today?

Question

What is politics all about today?

What is the REAL reason people are going into politics today?

Is it TRULY to represent “their communities”, communities that live in a constant state of fear from the influence of the mass media reports?

Answer 1

Individual freedom is the dream of our age. It's what our leaders promise to give us, it defines how we think of ourselves and, repeatedly, we have gone to war to impose freedom around the world. But if you step back and look at what freedom actually means for us today, it's a strange and limited kind of freedom.

Politicians promised to liberate us from the old dead hand of bureaucracy, but they have created an evermore controlling system of social management, driven by targets and numbers. Governments committed to freedom of choice have presided over a rise in inequality and a dramatic collapse in social mobility. And abroad, in Iraq and Afghanistan, the attempt to enforce freedom has led to bloody mayhem and the rise of an authoritarian anti-democratic Islamism. This, in turn, has helped inspire terrorist attacks in Britain. In response, the Government has dismantled long-standing laws designed to protect our freedom.
The origins of our contemporary, narrow idea of freedom.
shows how a simplistic model of human beings as self-seeking, almost robotic, creatures led to today's idea of freedom. This model was derived from ideas and techniques developed by nuclear strategists during the Cold War to control the behaviour of the Soviet enemy.

Mathematicians such as John Nash developed paranoid game theories whose equations required people to be seen as selfish and isolated creatures, constantly monitoring each other suspiciously – always intent on their own advantage.

This model was then developed by genetic biologists, anthropologists, radical psychiatrists and free market economists, and has come to dominate both political thinking since the Seventies and the way people think about themselves as human beings.

However, within this simplistic idea lay the seeds of new forms of control. And what people have forgotten is that there are other ideas of freedom. We are, in a trap of our own making that controls us, deprives us of meaning and causes death and chaos abroad.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/noise/?id=trap

Answer 2

I think folks enter politics to make a difference but are human beings and become susceptible to all the lobbyists and special interest and soon become self serving. Some also suffer from a power trip and think they make decisions that are best for the communities or state, etc. that actually injure that area - most in politics forget to follow the will of the people.

Answer 3

I think people enter politics to genuinely represent their communities but that in no time at all it's all about the politics of spin and power for power sake. It certainly was for the last Conservative government and is the same for New Labour today.

Answer 4

I think and hope that most people go into politics with the dream of being a voice that is heard and wanting to make a difference, rather naive, but thank goodness people take the trouble.

Answer 5

No. Take the House and Senate, for instance. There are few other jobs that require you to only work 3 days a week, for a few months a year, and gives you the benefits those men and women receive. Oh, I almost forgot...you get to vote on when and how much of a raise you get too.

Answer 6

Yes - Politics is power struggle; all politicians are idealists. They believe in certain reforms and certain end outcomes, and they are willing to fight for them. The fact that there are certain established interests in the elite / in society that make it very hard to change certain things does not change their main aims, but it makes them end up saying & doing what they think they need to say instead of what they really wanted to say.

Answer 7

you need to know the origin of the politician. they are the ones with the gift of the (decietful) gab. in ancient times before it was called politics, an ancient politician that wanted to influance people would first wear fine clothes and give himself an air of importance, he would be charismatic and persuasive, he would have to invent a false God, of wood or stone then he would decieve the people and get them to bow to the statue, they were so evil they persuaded people to sacrifice there own children to death.To days politician has gone back to their original state of evil, and are engaged in corrupting the whole earth, like tony blair being anti family and giving his alegence to the homosexual. just like ancient
sodom he is of that ancient elk. they will bring terrable cosequences against our country, and guess what these ancient liars call themselves, "modernisers"

Answer 8

In the Philippines, politics is a big circus.

People join the bandwagon to earn fame, power, glory, and lotsa lotsa money!

Answer 9

Screw the public Iwant mine is the true creed of British politics today.

Answer 10

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:politics&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title