Charlene Gibbs

COMM 3440

9-2-03

Why Americans Hate Politics

There is an adage, cited by many in informal discussion, that Americans hate politics. This cliché of U.S. democracy fails in many regards to be a sound argument: it is oversimplified and overstated. To make one generalization regarding the American voter, or non-voter as it is often practiced in the United States, is as complex a task as organizing an effective international government. There are as many interest groups as there are people, and there are as many dissatisfied citizens as there are contradicting issues. The failure of many citizens to participate in America’s representative government stems not from righteous anger; rather, it is a matter of convenience and self-interest. Prior (2002) believes the low political involvement of Americans is due more to “lives to live and many more important things to think about” as opposed to a direct disdain for politics (p. 523). If a disinterest by the American citizen is observed toward government happenings, politic-hate cannot comprehensively explain the causes and consequences of this condition. This observation is better explained in light of the excessive value given individualism in the United States; the resultant self-interest creates an inactive populace, further deterred by a complicated election procedure, low consequences for nonparticipation, and satisfaction with present conditions.

The elevation of individualism in American culture allows citizens to place matters of personal interest above the collective perpetuation of society. This places political awareness as a low priority for those citizens not directly involved with government business (Hadley, 1987). As a result, political participation occurs only when an issue arises of personal interest to a citizen. Research by Prior (2002) demonstrates this individualistic approach to political involvement through analyses of political knowledge following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. An interest in self-preservation motivated citizens to become more politically knowledgeable following the attacks. CNN, Cable News Network, experienced an increase of 680% in website traffic on September 11 and 12 (Prior, p. 524). This demonstrates the willingness of media to meet citizens where self-interest meets politics.

According to Beavers (2002), the excessive attention placed on individualism by the media is directly correlated to a decrease in voter turnout (p. 214). Low voter turnout has often been cited as support for the mistaken cliché assuming Americans hate politics. This is demonstrated among democracies worldwide by the categorization of the United States as ranking second from last regarding turnout rates (Wattenberg, 2002). Passive self-interest, however, continues to provide a better explanation for the low-turnout phenomenon than a disgust for politics. The election procedure is a complicated and confusing process in its most basic form. Roelofs (1998) attributes the failure of the common American citizen to participate in government to a paradoxical political system, further complicated by the paradoxical worldviews each citizen carries with her or his vote. The election process is further complicated by legal policies concerning physical restrictions. In 18% of nonvoter populations, citizens are prevented from voting due to a recent move, being out of town, or ill health (Hadley, 1987, p. 83). Those who cite Americans hating politics as reasoning for low voter turnout fail to consider this statistic. Wattenberg cites the United States’ complicated registration procedures, including voting on a weekday, as causes of low political interest (p. 19). Many citizens, therefore, do not refrain from voting due to an intrinsic disgust for politics; rather, they would not be inconvenienced by the complications inherent in American politics.

Low voter turnout could also be attributed to the low consequences for nonparticipation. The social idealism of many citizens finds its effectiveness in volunteerism and other civic groups (Roelofs, 1998), which could fulfill the need for societal involvement outside direct political means. With the numerous more immediate issues at the civic level, the rationale of citizens recognizes little personal benefits from political involvement on the national level (Prior, 2002). Research following the September 11 attacks indicates that political knowledge will increase when the potential negative consequences for nonparticipation are high (Prior). Accordingly, the average American citizen knew much more about terrorism, homeland security, and Afghanistan following September 11, 2001 than previous to the attacks (Prior). In this case, the danger of being uninformed outweighed the seeming irrelevant place of politics in one’s life. The ignorance of U.S. citizens regarding politics could be cited as defense for an America that hates politics, yet it more accurately explains the necessary sorting of information by each citizen, according to immediate, personal relevance. According to Hadley (1987), the consequences for most citizens regarding political detachment are not substantial enough to motivate involvement: “[citizens] see no connection between the political system and their personal happiness and success” (p. 68).

Finally, the inherent self-interest of American culture perpetrates a populace that will be politically inactive if satisfied with the present conditions. The factors affecting low citizen participation in government, which are cited as support for political antipathy, could infer quite the opposite; many Americans might avoid political involvement because they are satisfied with present conditions. According to Shafer (2002), the post-WW II economic growth formed a larger middle class that was more affluent and better educated. Hadley (1987) recognizes this faction as “the positive apathetics” (p. 68). They compose 35% of nonvoters and are characterized as educated, materially-affluent, and content (Hadley). This section of American population could hardly be classified as hating politics. More accurately, they are disinterested due to satisfaction with the present conditions. For this reason, they shift their attention and energy to more immediate gratifications. S.L. Beavers (2002) believes prime-time television could draw this populace back to an interest in politics. She cites The West Wing, a television drama of presidential life in the White House, as a potential introduction for many Americans, particularly students, to more active political thought against the present trend of contented apathy.

Due to the high priority given individualism in America, political inactivity is widespread. It is too simple and narrow-minded a generalization to conclude Americans hate politics from the failure of citizens to participate in government. The apparent disinterest of Americans in government transactions is not a result of political disgust; moreover, Americans choose not to participate due to the complexity of the election procedure, low consequences for nonparticipation, and satisfaction with present conditions.

References

Beavers, S. L. (2002, June). “The West Wing as a pedagogical tool.” Political Science & Politics, 35, 213-216.

Hadley, A. T. (1987). The empty polling booth. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Prior, M. (2002, Sept). “Political knowledge after September 11.” Political Science & Politics, 35, 523-529.

Roelofs, H. M. (1998). The poverty of American politics: A theoretical interpretation. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Shafer, B. E. (2002). The state of American politics. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Wattenberg, M. P. (2002). Where have all the voters gone? Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.