Help! I am politically homeless
I Don’t Know Where I Stand Politically Anymore. Maybe You Can Help.
If you’re new here, welcome. This isn’t a political blog. My intention is to explore the social narrative with a bias toward radical empathy. But politics inevitably creeps in—it’s embedded in our cultural DNA now. I also talk about spirituality and my Quaker journey, though I’m not remotely dogmatic.
What Is Radical Empathy?
It’s the active, intentional practice of trying to understand another person’s experience—especially when it’s very different from your own. Not just to sympathize, but to challenge your assumptions, to listen without defensiveness, and to stay open even when it’s uncomfortable.
That takes vulnerability. It takes humility. It means sitting in uncertainty and sometimes questioning the beliefs of your own social group. It can feel isolating—friends get alienated when I don’t echo their biases, and I feel alienated when friendship seems contingent on intellectual conformity.
But I won’t take the bait. This constant churn of divisive hot takes keeps us conquerable and distracted, cut off from real thinking and real lives. That’s a deal-breaker for me.
Yes, I have like-minded friends all over the country—but on the day-to-day, I feel like I’m standing in the middle of the road while two hot-rod bandwagons rev their engines, eager to drag race straight into hell. They can’t seem to pause long enough to learn from each other. In this narrative, everyone loses. And if love is the answer, it seems the price of getting over oneself is just too high. I don’t get it.
My Two Political Selves
So now I find myself with this strange political duality:
I have two sets of beliefs.
One is romantic—what an ideal society could look like.
The other is pragmatic—what we must do now to make things better for everyone.
Romantic Ideology: Gandhian Anarchism
I’m a left-wing anarchist. Or, as someone from India once told me, a Gandhian anarchist. I believe in decentralization. There are too many people in this country to live under one centralized rule and still expect joy, creativity, or mental diversity to flourish.
That kind of conformity turns us into cattle. It’s industrial farming for humans. No thank you. I refuse to be a battery pack for the ruling class.
What is Gandhian anarchism?
It’s the marriage of Gandhi’s principles—nonviolence, moral discipline, self-rule—with anarchist ideals: decentralized power, mutual aid, voluntary cooperation.
This path is designed to lift people up through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—not just out of survival mode, but into enlightenment. It’s also called enlightened anarchy
Core Tenets:
Nonviolence (Ahimsa) – Not just a tactic, but a lifestyle. In Quaker speak, we live in a way that prevents the occasion of war—starting with interpersonal communication.
Swaraj (Self-rule) – Personal and community autonomy, not just independence from colonial powers.
Decentralization – No centralized state, just small, self-governing communities.
Moral & Spiritual Integrity – Instead of rejecting all authority, it embraces inner discipline and ethical restraint. Quakers seek direct revelation from God to help achieve this.
Constructive Program – It’s not just resistance. It’s building parallel systems: food, clothing, education, justice.
A Gandhian anarchist doesn’t rage against the machine—they quietly opt out. Live simply. Grow your own food. Weave your own cloth. Create justice outside the state.
This aligns closely with Quaker values. It’s my ideal society.
But Here’s the Real World
And while I think Gandhian anarchism can work in the U.S.—I’m not fully committed. I love my husband, my dogs, my quiet life. I’m not ready to go fully off-grid. But here is a resource if you want to start looking for an intentional community to live in — This is also an option if you are unhoused.
So I turn to my working political ideology—what feels necessary and possible right now.
Working Ideology:
Decentralization
I believe in self-governing communities where people can choose their own norms—liberal or conservative. That way, everyone’s working voluntarily toward a shared vision. If their vision changes, they can move elsewhere. The role of the federal government? To protect the autonomy of these communities.
Resolve the wedge issues
We need to compromise on the divisive topics and move on. These issues are like raw meat tossed into a dogfight—deliberate distractions that keep us fighting. Let’s settle them, amend them, and put them to bed.
Equity for all—case by case
I mean all. Including groups left out of the “protected class” framework: Appalachian subsistence farmers, Cajuns, and others whose cultures have been exploited, mocked, and suppressed. There’s been no meaningful reparations—just token acknowledgments.
I fear even saying this will get me branded as something I’m not. But this isn’t white supremacy. This is empathy. These communities are being strategically fentanylized, atomized, and erased when they can’t be exploited. They matter, too.
Propaganda, Panic, and the False Binary
The propaganda machine is relentless. Fear-mongering. Social media radicalization. Intellectual dishonesty. Capitalism feeds off our adrenalized nervous systems.
If you dare to think like a radical empathizer—exploring curious rabbit holes and alternative narratives—you’ll often find a quieter, saner perspective. But it takes centering yourself. You have to stop scanning every conversation for threats.
Still, it’s hard. Propaganda is everywhere. It’s Ubiquitous. It’s in us all like PFAS.
Last night I wondered if I was a centrist, so I looked it up on YouTube and found a wall of anti-centrist content. Apparently, centrism “doesn’t exist” and is “just right-wing in disguise.” That’s gaslighting.
If we can accept someone’s pronouns without question, why can’t we accept their political label? If I say I’m a centrist, then centrism exists.
Beware of the Alt-Right Pipeline!
Now there’s this trend of influencers posting videos about how to spot someone in the “alt-right pipeline.” And who are these dangerous suspects? Crunchy people. Label-checkers. Divine feminine types. Cottagecore fans.
In other words: People who used to be coded liberal. But now, that aesthetic is being rebranded as suspicious. Dangerous, even.
The irony? These videos are pure indoctrination. They say, “Dress like us. Speak like us. Or else.” As if nuance no longer exists. As if individuality is threatening.
That’s cult behavior.
And when I call it out, I get dogpiled with the same copy-paste comments. It’s frustrating but by no means winning me over. I must already be the enemy, so farewell.
Divine Femininity and the Unspoken Rule
Here’s another thing: Why is it okay—even empowering—for a trans woman to celebrate her femininity, but wrong for a cis woman to do the same? That’s an unspoken rule. And I don’t buy it.
On the Fence? Or just not on Defence?
The bullying has to stop. The coercion. The intellectual hazing.
Centrists get called “fence-sitters,” “lazy,” “superior.” But some aren’t not on the fence, but operating a drone. Trying to get the big picture.
That’s not laziness. That’s actually doing the work.
We desperately need a strong center of shared values. Right now, we’re just a doughnut with no center—and a steady diet of nothing but doughnuts? That’ll kill you.
Where’s My Political Home?
I don’t know. I wish I did.
Most people outside the extremes are either underground or off-the-rails. I just want my doughnut hole—a clear, compassionate center.
So maybe that makes me a centrist.
But there’s a chance I’m a libertarian.
What do you think?