Volunteers deliberately shrink concerns into unpolitical tasks to sustain a message of hope
Evidence
Volunteers were poised to combat the specter of futility and to convince all newcomers that ‘‘You really can make a difference!’’ and that ‘‘Everyone has something to offer,’’ as they often put it. They hoped to communicate that message through the very act of volunteering; and tried not to pay attention to problems that might undermine that message of hope. So, they tried hard not to care about issues that would require too much talking to solve, and tried to shrink their concerns into tasks that they could define as unpolitical, unconnected to the wider world. These citizens thought they could inspire feelings of empowerment within that small circle of concern; and they implicitly believed that helping people feel empowered was, in itself, doing something good for the community. — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 191
Categorization
- QUESTION: Does this small-circle empowerment actually produce durable solidarity, or only momentary good feeling? Is the empowerment felt by volunteers, or projected onto newcomers?
- XREF: connects to: Volunteers silence political problems to keep the empowering feeling alive — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 182; Volunteers spontaneously raised environmental and racial concerns rather than avoiding them — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”: The work of avoiding…, 64; Volunteers suppress political talk because it would sink their feeling of empowerment (+5 more)
Broader Connections
- Volunteers themselves restrict political talk to preserve their civic faith
#expands(0.95) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 192 - Volunteers silence political discussion to preserve their can-do optimism
#expands(0.90) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 204 - Volunteers spontaneously raised environmental and racial concerns rather than avoiding them
#contradicts(0.85) — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”, 64 - Volunteers suppress political talk because it would sink their feeling of empowerment
#expands(0.80) - Volunteers acknowledge social problems only after they are already solved.
#expands(0.75) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 256 - Volunteers suppress principled political talk because it seems unseemly
#qualifies(0.72) — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics, 276