Mosh the Polls

Youth Voters, Popular Culture, and Democratic Engagement

Contributions by Marco Calavita, Xiaoxia Cao, Brandy Chappell, Brian Cogan, Michael J. Grabowski, Robert J. Klotz, Marc Leverette, Shawn McIntosh, Aaron Teeter, Laura Tropp Edited by Tony Kelso, Brian Cogan author of Deconstructing South Park: Critical Examinations of Animated Tran

Publication date:

26 September 2008

Length of book:

272 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

Dimensions:

241x162mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780739122303

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.

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

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.