I Didn't Care About Politics
A friend wrote something recently that has stuck with me. His post talks about why we can’t be apolitical as Pasifika people in tech because while we’re busy “not caring,” algorithms are profiling our families at WINZ. Facial recognition systems can’t tell our aunties apart from someone on a watchlist. The systems being built today will affect our communities whether we’re paying attention or not.
He’s right.
I didn’t care about politics, until politics didn’t care about me.
Politics felt abstract, distant, something that happened to other people. It didn’t “affect” me.
Until the funding for my tertiary scholarship was cut. Until I got passed over for opportunities despite my qualifications. Until I became a father and the age for free ECE subsidy was raised from two to three years of age.
What were once abstract policy discussions and decisions became personal.
The Paradox of Experience
I grew up watching family navigate systems that seemed stacked against them. WINZ, healthcare, housing. I saw the statistics about Pasifika unemployment, incarceration rates, health outcomes. I was aware these things existed but clearly I didn’t care enough to take any meaningful action. It was just background noise. Someone else’s problem.
When I was living rent free, why care about housing policy? When I was young and fit, why did healthcare reform matter? When I was employed, why worry about benefit cuts? When I was single, why care about childcare benefits?
That’s the paradox. It’s difficult to truly care about what doesn’t affect you. But by the time it affects you? The damage is done. Policies are written. Systems are deployed. Algorithms are running.
The Endless Cycle
Working with high school students at Pasifika Tech Education Charity (PTEC) where I volunteer has taught me something. Spreading awareness is nearly impossible when students aren’t interested to begin with. It’s an uphill battle all the way. We’re talking about concrete, tangible skills. Coding, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure. Hands-on skills that they can use. Even these skills we’re offering, it’s proven difficult to break through.
Good luck trying to talk about politics. (To be fair, I haven’t tried yet.)
It’s an endless cycle. Us older (more experienced 🙂) folks telling younger folks to pay more attention. Young people nodding politely and going back to living their lives.
When It Finds You
One exercise at PTEC actually works. We divide students into groups and ask them to design an app or service that will help them personally or their community. That’s when things start clicking. Free WiFi finders because data is expensive. Health trackers to help a loved one. Budgeting apps because they’ve watched their parents struggle with finances.
The wheels start turning when the problem becomes personal.
Politics became personal for me when…
- I got pulled over by the police and racially profiled
- Student loan interest rates eating into my paycheck
- Choosing between saving KiwiSaver for retirement or a house deposit
- My kid being ineligible for Early Childhood Education (ECE) subsidy
I only cared about these when they started to affect me.
It’s Life
Maybe that’s my problem with the word “politics.” It gets a bad rep. We associate it with background noise on the TV when we were kids. The boring stuff adults talked about while we tuned out.
Instead of politics, how about we just call it… life.
My rent. My health. My family. My paycheck. My future. My life.
Whatever you call it, it affects us all one way or another.
Thanks for reading
GT
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