Apoliticism

History

During classical antiquity, the Epicureans assumed disengagement from the life of the city as a doctrinal position. Seeking pleasure in the absence of suffering for the body and trouble for the soul, they saw political activity as a source of unnecessary stress that would not lead to these ends. However, they were not strictly apolitical and participated when political activity would bring them pleasure or aid in the avoidance of their suffering.

Christianity

The Protestant Anabaptists adopted apolitical beliefs and practices: Anabaptist radicalism resulted in a sharp separation of Christian communities from the state. With the progression of time, peace church traditions and evangelical social reformism have led to greater engagement. More ascetic traditions have tended to adopt a minimalistic approach to political engagement, personal salvation and church mission being preoccupations instead.

Civil society

Sir Robert Peel inspired the Peelian principles by which law enforcement by police in England was civilian rather than an instrument of the state in contrast to the basis of gendarmerie model of policing. In 1984 this was brought into question at the Battle of Orgreave. File:Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Bt by John Linnell.jpg|Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Bt by John Linnell File:Day 93 - Miner's strike 1984 (13557357163).jpg|West Midland Police Officers at Orgreave. File:Day 150 - West Midlands Police - Handsworth riots (1985) (14515731673).jpg|A "long shield" Police Support Unit, equipped with protective riot gear and acrylic shield. "Short shield" units were equipped with smaller, round shields which afforded greater mobility (1985).

Reithian principles were directly the basis for the establishment of the public corporation, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and early pioneer in broadcasting with an emphasis on impartiality. Lord reith.jpg|John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, 1934 Bbc broadcasting house front.jpg|Original BBC Broadcasting House File:BBC Bias Brainwashes the Country (52716899706).jpg|Protest against BBC bias over Boris Johnsons role in the Ukraine war, 2022 File:BBC Russian Service 2022.svg|BBC Russian Service In its 2007 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Report the House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee concluded that "the development of a partnership with the international arm of a Russian state broadcasting network puts the BBC World Service's reputation for editorial independence at risk".

Criticisms

Apoliticism as an ideology is criticised for its claim that it is possible to remain impartial. The Italian Communist Antonio Gramsci argues that by ignoring the political nature of everyday life, "neutral" individuals make a choice to ignore oppressive regimes and practises, which manifests as an acceptance and passive approval of them. The following instance is indicative of this rhetoric: "all men are political beings […] Every man, in as much as he is active, i.e. living, contributes to modifying the social environment in which he develops (to modifying certain of its characteristics or to preserving others); in other words, he tends to establish 'norms', rules of living and behaviour."

—Antonio Gramsci Selections from Prison Notebooks: State and Civil Society 1971 Another example of this is the political slogan: The personal is political. The phrase was popularised by radical feminist Carol Hanisch in her essay of the same name, which analyses the ways in which the personal problems of women are actually political ones.

References

References

1. (1984). "Politics and administration: Woodrow Wilson and American public administration". Dekker.
2. "Apolitical".
3. (24 Nov 2009). "Iraq war inquiry: Sir John Chilcot vows to 'get to the heart' of decision to go to war". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
4. "Collins: Apolitical".
5. Wilson, Catherine. (2015). "Epicureanism: a very short introduction". Oxford University Press.
6. Warren, James. (2009). "The Cambridge Companion to Epicureanism". Cambridge University Press.
7. "The Anabaptists: Did You Know?".
8. (2024). "Evaluating Tactics for Public Order Policing in the United Kingdom: Examining the Police Deployment at Orgreave During the Miners’ Strike of 1984". Springer Nature Switzerland.
9. (1985). "An Introduction". Journal of Law and Society.
10. (12 May 2016). "A truly impartial BBC? John Whittingdale would be the first to complain". The Guardian.
11. [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmfaff.htm 2007 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Annual Report], the House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee, November 2007
12. Gramsci, Antonio. (1971). "Selections from the Prison Notebooks". International Publishers.
13. Hanisch, Carol. (2006). "The Personal Is Political: The Women's Liberation Movement classic with a new explanatory introduction".