Why Politics is nasty.

So, I watched House of Cards lately. A television series about Frank Underwood and his political carrier. Frank ambition to get to the top and defend that position: as President of United States of America. Her wife, Claire, that so understand his ambition and support it, because she herself has the ambition to be the most powerful person in USA. Interestingly, the two of them have the relationship beyond husband and wife. They also partner in crime and so understand the basic nature of human: its beast and ugly side. Becoming Hypocrite is their art.
The first episode of this movie is really making the underline of Underwood character. In that episode, Frank faced with dying dog hit by car. The car and the driver got away. Telling his bodyguard to tell the dog owner, Frank alone with the crying dying pity dog. He said to the camera,"There are 2 kind of pain. Pain that make you stronger and this (pointing the dog) kind of paint that has no point. In this kind of situation, what really needed is person who can act."
Twisting the dog neck, Frank make the pain crying of the dog stop. Ruthless.

This TV series remind me of Machiavelli's Princes. Pragmatism. Ruler doesn't really need to be morally correct but he/she must know what he really want, and what every people around him want.

This premise, make people hate politics. Politics is nasty and show what really human nature can do to survive, do anything. The one that do anything make him the winner. But, it is practical. That's why Arya father's is dead in Game of Thrones as he didn't know what everyone around him want, and just focus on his own goal and authority as "prime minister" of the king. In short, just much like John Snow, his son by the way. "You know nothing" about politic.

Anyway as practical as it is, here is politic in your group class for you.

Everybody has the experience of doing group class and then do presentation in front of class or need to submit the group report or something. In that place, politic is happening.

As there are Budi that just want to be a free rider, there are Jono who so dilligent, and also Ani that micromanaging everyone. As not everybody has the same goal, the politic is happening as a dynamic, as Budi that as slacky as possible, while Ani go rampant on every little detail and stopping any possible progress on the job that need to be done.

So, a politician can also be useful in this case, note that he want to get the job done. He will approach Ani and the team to give a role which satisfied her need to micromanage but also benefited the team and also he can smooth talk Budi to get done his part, or change him for good by informing the teacher.

A politician is not always bad right?! But just be careful with their agenda.

And also, as politician is really know parties around desire, he know as flawed as the human. People that he need to move sometime has desire that unethical. As practical, that's not a problem for the politician. But not for the general public, or at least, the public order.

So, that's why usually politics is nasty.