Mosh the Polls: Youth Voters, Popular Culture, and Democratic Engagement

by Tony Kelso, Brian Cogan author of Deconstructing, Marco Calavita, Xiaoxia Cao, Brandy Chappell

Overview

This timely, highly readable edited collection undertakes an interdisciplinary analysis of the innovative ways in which both the political process and the entertainment industry appeal to voters under the age of 30 and how the intended audience receives these endeavors. Along the way, contributors shed light on the state of the modern American political system and its relationship to entertainment and popular culture. By integrating academic investigations with a 'real-world' point of view, the essays in this collection present information in an engaging, accessible manner that will show readers how the articulation of youth culture has influenced the political engagement of young voters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739122303
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	09/26/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Brian Cogan is associate professor in the Department of Communication Arts at Molloy College.

Tony Kelso is associate professor of mass communication at Iona College.

Table of Contents

1 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

Editorial Reviews

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

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 Reviews

Do 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

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

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.

May 2009 Choice

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.

May 2009 CHOICE

Do 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

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

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

From the Publisher

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.

May 2009 Choice Reviews