Synopsis
Dinner Table Politics: The Myths That Make Us Stupid
Michael K. Alex
Do you avoid talking politics at social gatherings or the family dinner table because it is so painful? Have you stopped watching or reading the news because it seems pointless? Although you recognize that our world faces many serious problems, do you find politics too boring to take an interest or get involved? Are you sick of the heavily scripted political talk we are served daily in lieu of authentic ideas or debate? Does the fact that apathy and mental vacancy are celebrated as virtues make you angry? Are you concerned that self-interest and moral indignation trump finding solutions to eminently solvable political problems? Do you wonder: how did we all get to be so damned stupid? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then Dinner Table Politics is a book that you should read, talk about and put on the menu at your own dinner table. Dinner Table Politics: The Myths That Make Us Stupid makes an impassioned case for improving the quality, content and form of political talk in everyday life. It argues that the questions posed above share a common answer: the power to address political dysfunction lies within the grasp of non-expert, non-academic, non-professionally political people in everyday situations. Dinner Table Politics exposes the extent to which self-interested elites – and unthinking everyday actors – have created a political culture that is increasingly apathetic, illiterate, uncritical and, ironically, proudly apolitical. It shows how ordinary people too often voluntarily accept the politics of stupidity by transmitting and reinforcing the various myths that make us stupid. This irreverent book illustrates how the ability to make political change rests as much in the how people think and talk – or fail to talk – about politics every day. It argues that this popular power is every bit as influential as that which lies in the hands of the powerful elites typically blamed for political problems or credited for solutions. Dinner Table Politics is an antidote to politics as usual. It is equal parts self-help guide to achieving political competence, media literacy, and taking control of one’s own political education. It provides a scathing critique of various myths that help maintain status quo stupidities. At turns humorous, incredulous and impassioned, Dinner Table Politics provides a thought-provoking and intellectually satisfying ‘meal’ for those starving for political sustenance. It is an indispensable tool for the politically dissatisfied, discouraged and disengaged. Dinner is being served – come and get it!