I listened to this podcast on the Hidden Brain by Shankar Vendantam on how people engage in politics. Is it to enact change, or as a hobby like following a sport team?
https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/
Interesting thoughts and they make some good points that we can all see in our lives and our communities, including this one.
If there is anyone who would like to listen tot he podcast and discuss the issues, this thread is opened for discussion of it.
https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/
Interesting thoughts and they make some good points that we can all see in our lives and our communities, including this one.
"The way that people are doing politics is much more similar to a hobby than to what I think of as politics, which is, you know, acquiring power," says Eitan Hersh, a professor of political science at Tufts University. He says many Americans are engaging in what he calls "political hobbyism."
"What they're actually doing is not participating themselves in any active way. They're really just following the news."
This news increasingly comes from cable TV and social media, and the stories that get our attention are usually national stories, not local ones. Scandals and entertainment are also more appealing than discussions of policy or even what's happening in our own neighborhoods.
"What news do political junkies demand? Outrage and gossip. Why? Because it's alluring. What news do we avoid? Local news. Why? It's boring," Hersh writes in his book, Politics is for Power
This week on Hidden Brain, we explore the paradox of our passion for politics: we're more informed than ever, but many of us are also less politically active. Why do we see politics as something that happens on Capitol Hill, and not in our neighborhoods? How do we re-frame politics from a form of entertainment to a vehicle for change in our lives? Hersh suggests that the solutions may be less daunting than we think.
If there is anyone who would like to listen tot he podcast and discuss the issues, this thread is opened for discussion of it.