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Essay On Alienation In Politics

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Essay On Alienation In Politics
Alienation of citizens in politics is measured by the comparison of indifference vs. activism in American political systems and culture. While a slim number of citizens vote in every election and pay attention to their state policies and officials, there is a large number of citizens displaying indifference about politics, who do not even vote at all. These citizens who do not care to participate in or pay attention to politics may be consciously choosing this path on their own, or they may have fallen into a feeling of alienation by the system. Either way, in his article, Harwood discusses how many citizens of 1996 are disconnected from government.
As stated by Harwood, American citizen participation in government has waxed and waned throughout …show more content…
This is because they have greater tools to access information at a quicker pace, as well as access to a plethora of perspectives. In the past, there was reading the newspaper, listening to the radio, and watching television news stations, and while these things still exist today, I believe that it is safe to say that there is no more widely used resource than the internet. The web is something that has advanced drastically over the turn of the new century, and I believe that in regards to American political culture it is a fantastic tool. People of all ages have rapid, easy access to worldwide news at all times of the day. Everything a citizen reads in a newspaper multiplied by one hundred can be found online. Not only is faster access to information a plus, but the internet also gives people so many perspectives on the issues in comparison to news stations or newspaper articles. Literally anyone with a keyboard, monitor, and an internet connection has the power and right to express their viewpoint on a certain topic and create thought-provoking discussion, compared to just hearing a story from one article or news station and talking about it with local friends and community members. So with all the news and political-stance information that the internet has given citizens of the 21st century, I believe today we are more connected than ever, thus
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