Daily: Why “Hobby Politics” is failing us all

The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Podmasters

News, Government, Politics, Society & Culture

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2021

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For many of us, politics is a hobby. We soak in the gossip, eat up the statistics and tweet our outrage when an unpopular decision is made. But if we want to make change, should we get off our sofas and start to mobilise? Tufts University politics professor and author of Politics Is for Power, Eitan Hersh tells Ros Taylor why we should stop treating politics like entertainment, and the steps we can take for more effective political participation. “For decades we’ve seen the decline of in-person civic participation.” “After the 2016 election students were in tears about the result, but they didn’t lift a finger during the campaign.” “If more people understood how power flowed in their community, they’d know what to do when there was conflict.” “White Americans are less likely to spend their political time on volunteering than minority communities.” “Well-educated people know that political engagement is something they should do, but they still don’t do it.” Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jelena Sofronijevic, Jacob Archbold and Nat Amos. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My name is Stan. I'm at. Nice to meet you. So you took up photography where? I've always loved
0:05.5	photography but I turn it into earning a living at 60. I enrolled on a day course.
0:11.8	Well college. I loved going to college. It's good you can retry. I'm enrolled on the day course. But college?
0:13.0	I loved going to college.
0:14.0	It's good you can retrain and do something.
0:16.0	Yeah, yeah.
0:17.0	Let's talk about working, learning, saving and making the most of living longer.
0:22.0	Phoenix Group is the UK's largest long-term savings and retirement business.
0:28.0	Search Phoenix Group living longer.
0:30.0	Pets brings so much joy.
0:32.0	From those happy greetings at the door to the warm cuddles on the sofa
0:36.7	so give a little love back with dental life from Purina a range of delicious chues made for dogs and tasty snacks for cats that help clean and support your pets, teeth and gums, essential for their overall well-being and a happy, healthy life. They give you plenty of smiles so
0:55.3	look after theirs with dental life. Pick up dental life in the pet food aisle. Hello and welcome to the bunker daily I'm Ros Taylor. I'm guessing that you like politics. If you didn't like it you probably
1:14.4	wouldn't be listening to this podcast. But are you actually interested in getting
1:17.8	involved in politics? Or are you what my guest today, Eiten Hirsch, calls a political hobbyist, someone who enjoys the spectacle
1:25.1	but wouldn't be seen dead out canvassing.
1:27.5	Eton is an associate professor at Tufts University in the US.
1:31.1	He specializes in civic participation and voting rights.
1:34.0	Welcome to the bunker item.
1:36.0	Thank you for having me.
1:38.0	Last year you published a book called Politics is for Power about why sitting at home watching TV and scrolling impotently through
1:45.1	Twitter was not really getting involved in politics.
	...

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