Are there politics in the world of purebred dogs?
In order to answer that question, we should first look at the definition of politics. According to Merriam-Webster online:
Pronunciation: 'pä-l&-"tiks
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Etymology: Greek politika, from neuter plural of politikos political
1 a : the art or science of government b : the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy c : the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government
2 : political actions, practices, or policies
3 a : political affairs or business; especially : competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership (as in a government) b : political life especially as a principal activity or profession c : political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices
4 : the political opinions or sympathies of a person
5 a : the total complex of relations between people living in society b : relations or conduct in a particular area of experience especially as seen or dealt with from a political point of view <office politics> <ethnic politics>
By viewing the entry at www.thesaurus.com , we gain additional information and synonyms:
Main Entry: Politics
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: Government
Synonyms: backroom*, bossism, campaigning, civics, domestic affairs, electioneering, foreign affairs, government, government policy, internal affairs, jungle*, legislature, political science, polity, smoke-filled room*, statecraft, statesmanship, stumping, zoo*
Wikipedia.com provides the description that offers the most clarity:
Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. Although the term is generally applied to behavior within governments, politics is observed in all human (and many non-human) group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious institutions.
Therefore, we have answered the age old question: Are there politics in the world of purebred dogs? YES!
References:
Politics. Reference.com . Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Politics (accessed: December 30, 2006).
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/politics politics. www.Thesaurus.com . Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/politics (accessed: December 30, 2006).