CMNS 323W Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Jack Layton, Voter Suppression, Neoliberalism

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Communication
• Course: CMNS 323W
• Professor: Jody Baker

Document Summary

Voters are seen by consultants as not as citizens but political consumers. Seen in education as well: seen as consumers rather than students. Same with politics: political consumer instead of citizen, we are spectators, not participants. Language used to describe politics in general (media, everyday lives, conversation) more and more resemble marketing discourse. Policies begin to resemble branding operations: rather than actual governance; all the energy goes into branding, selling, and promoting rather than actual governance. E(cid:373)otio(cid:374)s do(cid:374)"t for(cid:272)e us to a(cid:272)t i(cid:374) irratio(cid:374)al (cid:449)ays: extends to emotions in politics. Inspirational passion behind jack layton and barack obama. Emotion in politics does not need to be divorced entirely. What"s at stake is our e(cid:272)o(cid:374)o(cid:373)y, (cid:449)ealth, e(cid:374)(cid:448)iro(cid:374)(cid:373)e(cid:374)t, (cid:449)ell-being, children, etc: always a place for emotion in politics, need to bring rational thought to politicians. Conforming from public good into private exchange = neoliberal system. Evidence based policy and practice, rational thinking gets smothered over by vague emotionality, affect, etc.