Everybody knows : cynicism in America / William Chaloupka.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chaloupka, William, 1948-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public opinion--United States.

Public opinion.

Cynicism.

United States.

Cynicism--United States.

Physical Description:

xviii, 240 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, [1999]

Summary:

We are now living in the midst of the most cynical era in American history. Disaffection from government institutions is at an all-time high. Ordinary citizens perceive political leaders to be more manipulative and jaded than ever. Skepticism pervades our cultural and social attitudes and interactions, and is prominently featured in the films we see, the books we read, and the media we experience. In this biting and controversial analysis, William Chaloupka scrutinizes the cynicism that is our common condition, examining both its uses in the politics of backlash and resentment and its surprisingly positive aspects.

Everybody Knows traces cynicism from its classical origins but emphasizes its recent emergence in American culture and politics, following a trajectory from H. L. Mencken to Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton to Fargo. Cutting neatly across ideological divisions, Chaloupka discusses the ways in which cynicism is rooted in all democratic politics and analyzes the role of the media--in particular, television news, political ads and speeches, and books such as E. J. Dionne's Why Americans Hate Politics and William Bennett's The Book of Virtues--in dissecting and encouraging cynicism.

Chaloupka describes mass cynicism, which permeates popular culture; outsider cynicism, capable of cranky, even violent disruption; and the cynicism of those in power. He argues that those who issue broad pleas for civility or a renewal of community spirit usually misunderstand the cynicism they wish to treat. He also discusses the value of a cheeky, subversive "kynicism" to evoke the lively democratic practice American society must foster.

Contents:

1. Socrates

Gone Mad: Diogenes and the Cynical Tradition 3

2. The Values Remedy: Community, Civility, and Belief 15

3. Cynics-in-Power: Manipulations, Lies, and Empty Gestures 27

4. Wig Cynics: American Antipolitics and Its Uses 41

5. A Brief History of American Cynicism 57

6. Federalists and Liberals: Setting the Stage for Cynicism 71

7. Why Americans Hate Politics: The Cynicism Trap 85

8. Medium, Media, Mediate: Television and Cynicism 101

9. Bush, Burned: The Patterns of Televised Politics 115

10. The Uses of Backlash: Applied Cynicism 101 129

11. The Age of Resentment: Advanced Applied Cynicism 143

12. Marge the Stoic: The Coens' Fargo and Civic Solutions 157

13. "So What?": Another Side of Cynicism 171

14. Teachings of the Demonstration: Representation in the Streets 185

15. Politics after Cynicism 201

16. Solutions and Conclusions 213.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-236) and index.

ISBN:

081663310X

0816633118

OCLC:

41002766