In the forum post I allude to in the comic Divide By Zero, I get accused of politicizing the cosplay scene when all anyone wants to do is ‘have fun’ — but apparently everyone’s idea of fun is bashing other people while furthering their own agendas for supremacy.

Now, I like to think that cosplayers aren’t dense or stupid. (If you disagree, bear with me, I like my rose-tinted glasses.) So how can people who are deeply immersed in the backbiting and name-calling that pervades local cosplay claim that everyone is one big happy cosplaying family?

I only realized what the reason was after I participated in my brother’s election campaign back in our hometown and discovered that party unity is a pleasant facade, loyalty is a handicap, and everyone covers up selfish, short-sighted agendas with high-minded ideals. Often the people who are the most vocal critics of politics are the people most interested in obtaining power through its use.

It was that point that I realized that every time you seek to gain something through your interaction with society, be it companionship, affirmation, power, information, or financial gain, you are engaged in politics. That’s every single time you go out to meet people. Even otaku.

Politics is like masturbation. Everybody does it. Nobody likes to admit doing it.

Which is too bad. Politics is a dirty word in our country because our politicians are dirty. Politicians can be statesmen, they can be paragons, they can be revolutionaries, too, but they’re so rare these days that they’re shining exceptions to the unspoken rule. Society can be changed for the better with enlightened leaders. It’s just much, much easier to maintain and take advantage of the status quo. All you have to do is look after yourself.

Genghis Khan said, “It is not sufficient that I succeed; all others must fail.” Well, he would know, right? I mean he conquered an empire three times the size of Alexander the Great’s, and could dance a mean troika while singing in gibberish.

So how does this relate to me, you might ask? Well, do you want to be liked? Do you like snickering to your friends about the exaggerated facial features of other people? Are you trying to get your beloved’s friends to put in a good word for you? Are you trying to guilt-trip your friend into treating you out to dinner? Are you convinced that your little clique of a subculture is better than everyone else’s and therefore gives you the right to publicly humiliate them? Have you ever tried to pass off responsibility for your own mistakes on someone else to avoid reproach?

Congratulations. No matter how you gussy it up, the precise word for the activity that you are engaged in is POLITICS.

Wankers.