It's a guy thing.

For guys, politics is a way to show off how tough they are, how they aren't going to put up with no BS from nobody. It's a way to show off their erudition about world and domestic affairs, pontificate on their moral superiority, exhibit their skill in debate and their physical and moral courage and high ethical standards (by trashing everyone else's). And they can do this in an arena where they are never actually called on to back up their assertions with actions because its all about what someone a thousand miles away is doing. It's all talk, guy talk--trash talk disguised to sound like patriotism, civic virtue and profound philosophical analysis.

Now don't get me wrong, politics is serious, deadly serious, business, probably the most serious business there is. It is about how power and wealth is distributed and partitioned in a society, and it's about the conflict and trade of nations and history; and it's all about our freedom and our livelihoods and our security and our justice. But talking about politics is like talking about sports instead of playing them: lots of sound and fury, signifying nothing. To merely argue about it without actually becoming involved in some meaningful fashion is a lot like being a pro wrestling fan. At best, it is a harmless perversion. At worst, it can lead to dissension and violence.