Political concern exists but is silenced by informal etiquette in group contexts.
Evidence
The people I met did sound as if they cared about politics, but only in some contexts and not others. They did not just think everything was fine as it was, but there were too few contexts in which they could openly discuss their discontent. Most of the time, intimate, late night, moonlit conversations were the only places other than interviews where that kind of discussion could happen. In group contexts, such discussion was almost always considered inappropriate and out of place; informal etiquette made some political intuitions speakable, and others beyond the pale of reasonable, polite discussion. — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 97
Categorization
- XREF: Directly echoes the ‘close to home’ work of avoiding politics theme and the public/private split the reader is researching. — connects to: Public speaking contexts actively shrink citizens’ circles of concern — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 93; Etiquette-based political silence can conceal racist views from public scrutiny — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 295; People voice political opinions privately but suppress them in group settings. (+9 more)
Broader Connections
- People voice political opinions privately but suppress them in group settings.
#corroborates(0.95) - Volunteers suppress principled political talk because it seems unseemly
#exemplifies(0.92) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 276 - Etiquette-based political silence can conceal racist views from public scrutiny
#expands(0.90) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 295 - Volunteer groups suppress political talk even though members privately care
#exemplifies(0.88) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 192 - Political disengagement is socially produced in conversation, not just held in beliefs
#expands(0.85) — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”, 30 - Volunteers silence political discussion to preserve their can-do optimism
#exemplifies(0.85) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 204 - Political expression is switched on and off by group context rather than individual belief
#expands(0.80) — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”, 97 - Activists suppress their systemic political analyses when speaking publicly.
#exemplifies(0.80) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 88 - Political silence often masks latent resentment that erupts when opportunity arises.
#expands(0.75) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 1634 - Volunteers suppress political talk because it would sink their feeling of empowerment
#qualifies(0.75)