Politically Homeless Or A Political Vagabond?

These days, you will not have to look too far to hear someone bemoaning the awful feeling of being politically homeless. As a matter of fact, this feeling is everywhere, it seems. There are those who have felt only recently slighted, recently unrepresented by their political party of choice. But among the politically homeless, there are also those who never felt represented, never felt trusting of any political party, political figure, or political movement. 

I liken myself less to politically homeless and more to a political vagabond. I guess, to me, it has a better ring to it. It is purposeful. It is no complaint—for me it is necessary. I take comfort in this fact. I rather like the idea of not requiring the warm shelter of political affiliation, the consensus of fellow teammates, the approval of a league of like minds, and the loving embrace of a political tribe—a tribe that will also put you on your back if you go against them. 

I find it all unnecessary. Yes, a vagabond. Shuffling through political movements of the day mostly with an apathetic attitude. Not giving any signs of loyalty to one party or the other. Free from all “isms”, “ologies”, and party affiliations. No manifestos to defend, no heads to hunt down. 

Honest, I have never voted in my life. I don’t necessarily intend to (although now in Brazil, where voting is mandatory, I must think of a way to get out of it soon). It is not that I could never find a politician worth voting for, I just dislike standing in lines. I have never heard or seen any of the hokey politicians talk like a human. There is little humanity in politics. Little human presence. The larger the constituency, the less humanity.

The most recent movements, which are largely social issues, are struck right down the middle by politics alone. Know what someone’s stance on an issue is? You can all but guess their stance on every other issue. By how they speak, how they dress, the pins on their lapel, whether or not they are still wearing a mask—What have we done?! At any rate, the planet is either getting warmer, the tides are either rising—or they are not. The planet will consult neither donkeys nor elephants about it.

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Black Lives Matter was a literal scam. The #Metoo movement probably had its moments, but certainly rocket-propelled itself to such excesses that the movement could not be said to obviously be a net positive. On the left, I don’t know if I see too many folks thinking of themselves through a postmodernist lens per se. I don’t think they think about it all that deeply.  

Much of the trans verbiage is social neuroticism and absurdist politico-entertainment. It does make me giggle, however. I don’t think men and women should use the same restrooms but that is a practical matter based on the necessity of our mutual attraction. I watch Trump talk and I feel myself wanting to like him. When he says something even slightly humble, I congratulate him first, and then, immediately after, myself. I am almost apathetic about him, too. So, I probably do not like him. But I have never been on the bandwagon of hating everything he says or does. Hate and love are both equally blinding. I think conservatism, naturally, has a bigger problem with hypocrisy. 

81 is not too old to be the President, but Joe Biden certainly is. Never thought 9/11 was an inside job. Don’t know a thing about Ukraine or Russia. Never been to Palestine or Israel. Don’t think I ever will. I would say that war is terrible, a stain on humanity, and I wish we could all just knock it off. I think it’s fine if gay people want to marry. I think people should be able to smoke pot or do just about any drug under the sun. But we are not there yet. The limits we have set with hard drugs are about right. I don’t like “god” talk in politics. There are too many gods and too many versions of that entity to know what anybody is talking about. 

There seem to be people who I vehemently disagree with on almost every issue, but somehow, I still manage to like them. On the contrary, I can also agree with you most of the time, and still find you annoying, obnoxious, or perhaps, even stupid. But stupidity is not a crime—most people can’t help it. 

I think your skin color, your education, and your financial status are the most boring things about you. I want to know your taste in music and whether or not you can take a joke. Even better if you can tell one, off the cuff. 

What is also boring is the way people have become political agents, subservient to a cause, a motion, a societal trend that their self and their politics are inextricably linked into a form of identity. This is political mascot-ism. You cannot separate the persona from the person nor the politics from the personality. 

So steeped in our own political dynamic, we are walking billboards, talking placards, political zombies of our former selves. One can care about a whole host of issues, but one ought to practice the art of indifference, occasionally, if for no other reason than as a form of personal meditation. I don’t think it is healthy to have an opinion on everything. Also, people should say “I don’t know” a lot more. For one, it is at least true most of the time, and also, ironically, it will make you sound like the smartest person in the room.

What we have fallen for, I believe is a pre-fix meal, where the political offerings are lined up, straight and narrow. As for movements and laws, best to choose the buffet. Every item is a la carte. What is fresh, looks good, feels right, go for it. 

I think political leanings are generally poor self-diagnosis. My instinct is that it is much harder to determine how liberal or conservative you are truly, granted the topics du jour are dictated by someone other than you, and their corresponding hierarchies are forever a mystery—though most likely dictated by the parties, based on the emotional value at the time. 

Politically homeless is a useful enough term, but there is something slightly weak in its phrasing. It is to suggest abandonment, a kinda moaning whine. I find it to be rather carping. Who has a wish to be homeless? I dislike adjectives in the negative. Why be homeless when you could be a vagabond, exploring all possibilities, having to answer to know one, able to make friends or break bread with those across the entire spectrum of attitudes?  

I will never be truly embraced by conservatives— I am no patriot, an atheist, and live a lifestyle that is probably a threat to the very idea of conservatism. I will never be truly embraced by liberals because I am still kinda of a cowboy type and still old-fashioned when it comes to much.

But I don’t need it—thank god, I don’t. It would be so less interesting of a life if I did. 

Judson Stacy Vereen is the author of American Pleasure, 62 Poems from Judson Vereen, and Like A Bird Knows To Sing. He is also a staff contributor to Wrong Speak, where he publishes a bi-monthly opinion column. His substack page Dispatches from Bohemian Splendor.

Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author's own.