A folk theory that talk changes nothing underwrites civic apathy in volunteer groups

Evidence

Volunteers assumed that talking politics would not accomplish anything positive, it would only scare members away and undermine hope. The easy-seeming explanation of “self-interest” made apathy about un-doable problems seem self-evident, not in need of explanation or discussion. The explanation did not just appeal to the American tradition of individualism. It embodied individualism, as a practice and not just a set of beliefs, by allowing volunteers to assume that their goals were not a product of interaction and could not bene¢t from group discussion. Everyone was assumed always already to have personal opinions, before discussion or interaction. According to this folk theory of language, if all people are is naturally out for themselves, citizens don’t need to talk (they just need to act on their beliefs or interests), and democracy is working just ¢ne. — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”, 93

Categorization

• DEFINE: Identifies the operative folk theory of language and individualism-as-practice that structures volunteer avoidance of politics — a reusable analytical tool for the reader’s solidarity research.
• XREF: connects to: Volunteering correlates with political engagement, not alienation — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 432; Apparent civic apathy is effortful cultural labor, not genuine indifference — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”: The work of avoiding…, 169; The belief that talk matters is a precondition of participatory democracy — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”: The work of avoiding…, 138 (+6 more)

Related

• Volunteers themselves restrict political talk to preserve their civic faith (similarity 0.85)
• Apparent civic apathy is effortful cultural labor, not genuine indifference (similarity 0.84)
• Volunteers frame political talk as morally exclusionary of ordinary less-eloquent people. (similarity 0.84)
• The belief that talk matters is a precondition of participatory democracy (similarity 0.83)
• Volunteers silence political discussion to preserve their can-do optimism (similarity 0.83)
• Volunteers suppress political talk because it would sink their feeling of empowerment (similarity 0.82)
• Volunteer groups lack respect for open-ended discussion of unresolved issues (similarity 0.82)
• Volunteers welcomed structured political discussion despite avoiding it informally. (similarity 0.82)
• Believing public talk is powerless makes volunteers feel powerless. (similarity 0.82)
• Volunteers suppress principled political talk because it seems unseemly (similarity 0.81)
• Volunteers build egalitarian togetherness by suppressing distinctive principled talking (similarity 0.81)
• Political disengagement is socially produced in conversation, not just held in beliefs (similarity 0.81)
• Nina Eliasoph — Close to home The work of avoiding politics (similarity 0.81)
• Volunteers silence political problems to keep the empowering feeling alive (similarity 0.81)
• Civic talk is improvised practical etiquette, not systematic logic (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Volunteering correlates with political engagement, not alienation #contradicts (0.75) — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 432
• The belief that talk matters is a precondition of participatory democracy #expands (0.75) — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”, 138
• Apparent civic apathy is effortful cultural labor, not genuine indifference #complicates (0.70) — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”, 169
• Technocratic consciousness suppresses the communicative interest at the core of socialization #contradicts (0.70) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 2691