Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewDo tv shows like The Daily Show and online phenomena like The Obama Girl dumb down political conversations, or do they invite young adults to join the discussion? Exploring several developments at the intersection of politics and entertainment, this lively book provides great fodder for debating this topic, and college students especially will find it a compelling read. -- Lynn Schofield Clark, author of From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural
As young citizens demonstrate a renewed engagement with the political world, the need for scholarly investigations into the popular avenues through which such engagements are encouraged and facilitated couldn’t be greater. Kelso and Cogan move us beyond debates of legitimacy for such pop cultural forums, and instead provide an assemblage of thoughtful scholars who smartly interrogate the myriad mediated means through which young people encounter politics. Students will enjoy this book because it takes them, their media, and their politics seriously. -- Jeffrey P. Jones, author of Entertaining Politics: New Political Television and Civic Culture
An intriguing and insightful journey through the emerging forms of civic discourse. Well grounded in recent scholarship on political communication. . . .This volume provides an excellent starting point for informed discussion and future research. Highly recommended. * CHOICE, May 2009 *
Popular culture and political culture are all too often segregated and compartmentalized, when in fact they are altogether interdependent, and at times uniquely synergistic. Kelso and Cogan bridge a longstanding chasm in the scholarly literature with this groundbreaking anthology. -- Lance A. Strate, President of the Media Ecology Association
Table of Contents1 Contents Chapter 2 Foreword Chapter 3 Introduction. At the Intersection of Politics and Popular Culture: Over Two Hundred Years of Great Entertainment Part 4 I. Setting the Stage Chapter 5 1. Different Experiences of Young Adults and Other Adults in Mediated Campaigns Chapter 6 2. Links, Chicks, Blogs, Banners: Using the Internet for Youth Voter Mobilization Part 7 II. The Performance Chapter 8 3. Rock the Vote: An Insider's Account of the 2004 Campaign Strategy Chapter 9 4. "Comic Elections and Real News?" The Daily Show, Satire, Public Discourse, and the New Voter Chapter 10 5. Lessons in Appealing to the Young Non-Voter: Michael Moore's Slackers Uprising Tour Chapter 11 6. Screening Abu Ghraib, Reelecting the President: The Symbolic Politics of Torture in Fiction Film and Television, 2003-2005 Chapter 12 7. Cast a Vote: Yo: Targeting the Hip-Hop Generation through Popular Culture Part 13 III. Evaluating the Show Chapter 14 8. Soft News and Young Voters: Why They Tune into It and What They Get Out of It Chapter 15 9. Thin Democracy/Thick Citizenry: Interactive Media and its Lessons for Young Citizens/Consumers Chapter 16 10. Just Don't to Vote or Die, Bitch! A Giant Douche, a Turd Sandwich, Hardcore Puppet Sex, and the Reinvention of Political (Un)Involvement Chapter 17 Index Chapter 18 About the Contributors
