Political criticism (also referred to as
political commentary or
political discussion) is criticism that is specific of or relevant to
politicsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic and religious institutions...
, including policies, politicians,
political partiesPolitical Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
, and types of
governmentA government is the body within a community, political entity or organization which has the authority to make and enforce rules, laws and regulations.....
.
There is great controversy over the relevance and importance of political criticism in civilizations, particularly democratic societies.
Those who contend that it is of vast importance assert that political discussion creates and promotes the variety of opinions necessary for a true democracy.
Political criticism (also referred to as
political commentary or
political discussion) is criticism that is specific of or relevant to
politicsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic and religious institutions...
, including policies, politicians,
political partiesPolitical Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
, and types of
governmentA government is the body within a community, political entity or organization which has the authority to make and enforce rules, laws and regulations.....
.
Controversy
There is great controversy over the relevance and importance of political criticism in civilizations, particularly democratic societies.
Those who contend that it is of vast importance assert that political discussion creates and promotes the variety of opinions necessary for a true democracy. The American constitution is often pointed to as support for the belief, ensuring for all peoples under its administration such maxims as free speech.
Critics of this philosophy affirm instead that the general public (and, on a more individual basis, the "Average Joe") lacks the resources and capability to conceive opinions that are educated enough to be taken seriously. Thus, the abundance and fervent promotion of such opinions merely confuses and complicates political matters that, given an appropriate amount of factual education, are either easily understood or should be discussed only by those with sufficient
intelligenceIntelligence is an umbrella term used to describe a property of the mind that encompasses many related abilities, such as the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn. There are several ways to define intelligence...
to do the matter justice.
Methods
There are many methods used throughout history of promoting political opinions, and with the development of new technologies new ways have materialized both in recent and ancient history. Some of the most common include the following:
Books
Throughout history one of the most influential methods (arguably
the most influential method) of promoting political opinions has been literary. This peculiar pattern of books influencing the thinking of the masses, reinstated with such books as the Bible,
Uncle Tom's CabinUncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the United States, so much in the latter case that the novel intensified the...
, the
Qur'anThe Qur’an is the central religious text of Islam...
, The Diary of Anne Frank, 1984 and many others, has been attributed to many of the characteristics of
writingWriting is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and the recording of language via a non-textual medium such as magnetic tape audio.In Eurasia writing began as a...
. While it has been proven that a well-written book can indeed appeal to one's intellect with reasoning and ideas sprung from
common senseCommon sense , based on a strict construction of the term, consists of what people in common would agree on: that which they "sense" as their common natural understanding...
, the drive of
literatureLiterature is the art of written works. Literally translated, the word means "acquaintance with letters" , and therefore the academic study of literature is known as Letters...
and writing is most commonly considered to be derivative of the emotional impact of the text, guiding people to think a certain way by making them feel a certain way. This often has great political consequences, most particularly when the subject of the emotional reaction is a plea for moral justice, as can be seen (to use America as an example once more) in the aftermath of the publication of
Uncle Tom's CabinUncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the United States, so much in the latter case that the novel intensified the...
concerning American views about
slaverySlavery is a form of forced labor in which people are considered to be the property of others. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation...
. It is from this correlation between books and politics that the phrase, "
the pen is mightier than the sword"The pen is mightier than the sword" is a metonymic adage coined by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 for his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy. The play was about Cardinal Richelieu, though in the author's words "license with dates and details.....
", derives.
Television and films
Since their development in this past century, both
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
and films have often had far-reaching political effects throughout the world. Influential films and television events include
Countdown with Keith OlbermannCountdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program
on MSNBC which airs live at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and reruns at 10 p.m., 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on weekdays...
,
Citizen KaneCitizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, and the first feature film directed by Orson Welles. It was nominated for Academy Awards in nine categories, but won only for Best Original Screenplay by Herman Mankiewicz and Welles...
, the works of
Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder Walter Elias...
, and such political
satireSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
as that found in
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
. Like literature (see above), a movie or television event has the capacity to have emotional impact on its viewers, making it an invaluable tool for politics. This attribute is noticed and used frequently by politicians and ordinary citizens alike; political
propagandaPropaganda is communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience...
on the screen now has an effect on everything from a nation's outlook on its economy to the smallest of elections and political decisions.
Political cartoons
Political cartoons (also known as "editorial cartoons") are infamous for their ability to promote political views through satirical means. With cartoons the fight for the minds of the public is not a
verbalVerbal may mean:*Non-finite verb, a verb form that functions both as a verb and as another lexical category.*A word or group of words that functions as a verb by serving as the head of a verb phrase...
but a visual one, and leaving strong impressions with the use of powerful symbols or metaphors in order to communicate the artist's messages.
News Media
Since many people know only a very little about their civilization and its present state except for what is told to them by
the mediaThe news media refers to the section of the mass media that focuses on presenting current news to the public.These include print media ; broadcast media , and increasingly Internet-based media .The term news trade refers to the concept of the news media as a business...
, the potential for influence is extremely high with the publication of newspapers, news broadcasts, etc. Any bias in these mediums alters people's impressions of current events into different understandings and opinions than those that may have been chosen with more accurate information.
Internet
With the recent invention of the
InternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, political criticism has been greatly extended to anyone with a connection to the
World Wide WebThe World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. With a web browser, one can view Web pages that may contain text, images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them using hyperlinks...
. In a few decades already this has revolutionized politics to the extent that the public now has a virtually unlimited education quite literally at its fingertips, allowing people to choose with less work what aspects of current politics they wish to research.
The many means of exchanging ideas, including blogs and internet forums, has extended the political debate to anyone that cares to contribute. This ability and speed that which ideas can flow has literally changed the way that
political partiesPolitical Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
stay connected to constituents.
External links