Introduction

Politics is a controversial topic to discuss, especially the aim is to write a post that is palatable to everyone. King’s Scholarship does look at politics, afterall historically, the scholars may move on to expand the British Empire as governors and at the present prestigious schools would probably like their alumni to be in position of power, such as Prime Ministers or leaders in their respective industries. We are people in a society and politics will impact our everyday lives from the news, social media, environment, food, views etc.

Disclaimer, I am not a politician, what I write reflects my views.

Be more Gaussian and “Normal”.

Gaussian is a normal distribution, or a bell curve, which suggests that there is a good idea in the middle that most people may find acceptable, and there are people are at the extreme ends, really like it or really dislike it. I like this shape because everyone can have a different view, and the shape of the curve can be flatter (more generic) or sharper (more controversial). Your views and ideas, can be anywhere on the curve relative to other people’s view. This is my mathematical way of explaining the importance of respecting other people’s views and trying to understand them from their point of view. I am not presenting any strong opinion so hopefully that will be acceptable to most (i.e. in the middle of the bell curve) but in fact to some, it could be at either the ends of their curve, some people will really dislike my view (I might as well not write anything), some people will like my view (It is good to leave space for everything to put their views forward, no matter what).

Do not deal in absolutes.

In the internet age, it is dangerous to provide a strong political view because ideas are so polarised and divisive. If you are in one camp, you must reject the other. Unfortunately, political stances are also associative, if you have this political belief then you are assigned to a group of people. Inspiration from a Galaxy far far away, “Only a Sith deals in absolute”, said a Jedi Master. The media portrayed the Sith as bad influencers (likely), but every story can have many sides and DisneyPlus only shows one side. I don’t agree with the Sith, because they are solely focused on the domination of the galaxy, clearly forgotten about the more important things in life, like raising the standard of living or public healthcare, but instead Sith kept saying destroy this and destroy that. I am a maker, a content maker so clearly I am not compatible with Sith ideologies. I also disagree with the Jedi Order as they use lightsabers to maintain order, which is harsh. The Jedi Order is pretty merciless, one does not help one of the member’s mother to escape slavery is a harsh example of their true selflessness. Perhaps, selflessness to an extreme is not ideal. In addition, the lack of transparency within the Jedi Council on the career progression of a Jedi, which would raise alarm bells in any organisations. Promotion seems to depend on the subjected opinions of a few key individuals. One should not easily accept the emotional argument (see Episode 31 for types of argument) of a little cute green guy nor his reputational argument of having lived hundreds of years. I am concerned by his logical argument as he admits that he does not sense or see a lot of things, yet lacks the curiosity to research and find out that the really bad chancellor was in front of him all along. Yoda was very reactive. A background check and a limited chancellor terms are just a couple of ideas that would have avoided such drama. Ultimately, a distribution of power may keep the galaxy more balanced and ordered. Everyone listens to Yoda perhaps due to emotional attachment of being cute and green, alignment to the Jedi Order, reputational argument of a long life. and his use of a strange language structure (see episode 32 for Language structure), which also highlights how Boris with his messy appearance and his use of language gathered sufficient support to become Prime Minister of the UK. Not to mention, he was very reactive to each controversy. Life imitates art. I know it is just a story. (Boris or Star Wars)

I recommend that when you receive information start from focusing on the logical side: is there an agenda? Are they trying to use emotional or reputation arguments to win you? Are there any logical reasoning behind their arguments? When it is your turn to give information, target your audience and maximise the emotional argument, the reputational argument, perhaps logic reasoning becomes “just good to have’s” or even irrelevant. This is a Sith level of scheming. Boris is a good politician in the sense that he achieved his goal of being a Prime Minister. What does that mean?

Kings Scholarship preparation and tips.

Boris was a King’s Scholar. (I won’t write anymore on that)

There was a question on the writing about the differences of the architecture of famous political buildings in the world. For example, size of the estate can project wealth and power. The building can be quite accessible by the public, with space to gather and protest or if there is a wall to prevent outsiders entering. Are the rooms distributed? Like is there one special room for one special person?

Reading books that will help. “Animal Farm” and “1984” pop up in my mind. The book review template in Episode 24 can be useful to deep dive into real life. The origins story of George Orwell will be worth researching further. I think Politics and Ethics are all interlinked.

In Summary

Politics impacts our everyday life. The development of the individual’s view is important. The media around us are created by others, which makes it difficult to be independent. It is important to understand the arguments and make an informed decision.

My conclusion of the Clone Wars is that it is probably better to be a neutral system. However, as individuals, we are caught in the large game of politics. I hope politics can be more Normally distributed (spectrum to be more agreeable with more people) and spare more than just thoughts or claps for those who are in more need.