Everything you should stop saying to a politics student

Choosing to study politics, I prepared myself with mental gymnastics of all the things what to expect. The different way of thinking, the hotly debated topics that have no definitive answer, the intellectual jousting between two juggernauts of self-proclaimed righteousness, chatting a tonne of shit, and so on and on.

Strangely enough, it was not from my fellow political peers in which I received the most scrutiny, rather it was family, friends, and weird people I end up speaking to in the pub that had the most to say to me about my choice of degree. It gets repetitive and annoying and I try to steer away from the subject stereotypes of Geography students colouring in maps, Chemistry students who have no social life and are crazy, or Sport science students who are so full of themselves they almost become a black hole.

No, I stay away from that. And this is why you should stop saying these things to politics students.

So what is your opinion on *insert any contentious subject here*?

 As much I like to think I am correct all the time like the next man, I am not some philosopher-king of knowledge that you can soundbite. I had a situation when I was chatting to a bloke and as soon as I told him I studied politics he started interrogating me about Trident, a bit full on when you’re just trying to chill. Unfortunately we don’t always have the answers and its annoying explaining yourself all the time. We do this in our seminars.

You must be pretty boring.

A completely sober me enjoying shisha

A stereotype that is wrongly accredited to politics students. Ok some may have the social skills of a dead snail, but as a whole most of us are passionate individuals who debate hard and party harder

Who do you support/vote for?

Politics in my eyes is as personal as someone’s religion. Some people prefer not to disclose their chosen creed and so asking someone is quite a personal subject. It is also because nine out of ten times when I answer it starts a flame war for why you disagree with me. Please change the subject.

I’m not racist but…

Ahhh, takes me back to an incident I had in my local cocktail bar. Three drunk men started to chat to me in the toilets (behave) asking who I am and what I do. Upon telling them I study politics it seemed to be their queue to start telling me their affiliations to far right groups, confessing to me like I am some sort of political priest all of their racist sins. I switch off all the time.

What is the point of studying politics? Nothing will change

Protests are our way of getting our voices heard

Well my ignorant friend… that is something I wish address. Political education is vital for anyone to try and bring about a real change in the world. We try to pursue knowledge so we can better understand this part of our lives that many think that they already do. So many ignorant people attempt to push their way of thinking where their ideas can be debunked using a few specially selected questions. In short, we want to better the world.

Disagreeing with everything someone says because they are located differently on the political spectrum

Us politics students are guilty of this too. It is so annoying when two people who have decided to partition themselves by joining Labour or UKIP and believe that they have to be against everything the other says. It is annoying and counter-productive, please actually listen to what the other person is saying and you will be surprised with what you learn.

I read up somewhere that….

Again, similar to the “I’m not racist” issue, where someone has copy and pasted knowledge and word vomit it everywhere hoping that it makes sense. Telling me that you read from your Britain First email that 80% of immigrants are smuggling weapons in the country will mean that I once again, switch off. Do some research.

Opinion about Cameron?

When someone sings David Cameron’s praises…

I am a student, I am not going to sing his praises.

So you want to be a MP?

Many MPs have backgrounds in medicine, business, law etc. and pick up studying politics through experience. Equally, I know people with backgrounds in politics who have gone onto journalism, law, PR, and many other things. Many students, upon learning how strange and bizarre the current system is, are turned off it and wish to pursue a different career rather than politics.

Oh, politics is easy…

Minimum reading…..

Listen mate, for us politics is extremely annoying. Studying maths and science means that you have an answer at the end of your questions. We do not have that luxury. Politics is borderline paranoia and having an existential crisis  in equal measure because we cannot agree what the answer is to anything. What is human nature? Is conservatism a ideology? What truly is neo-liberalism? No one can for sure answer these questions.

Politics doesn’t pay well, what is the point of doing it?

Politics falls into that weird category of fields where people pursuing greatness within it really want to change the world. Politics students are extremely passionate about what they study and even though we bitch and moan with how long it is we really enjoy it. For some, money is irrelevant.