The Greeks believed it was imperative to participate in ‘the polis’ or what we know now to be ‘politics.’ In fact, the modern word ‘idiot’ takes its root from the Greek ‘idios’ – a person who did not participate in the activities of the ‘polis’. Nevertheless, this belief was not accompanied by the belief that everyone should take part. Even in Ancient Greece, political participation was limited.
Like Ancient Greece, political participation in Britain has historically been concentrated in the hands of a few, leading the masses to be sidelined when it came to political discussion. The vivacious coffeehouses which emerged across Europe as hubs of political and philosophical debate around the 18th century catered to a clientele of educated elite, whilst the Reform Acts of the 19th century initially enfranchised primarily the middle classes, leaving a large stratum of the population excluded.
As well as most of the population being traditionally sidelined from politics, our emphasis on etiquette and manners has led to the phenomenon of politics being an unpolite topic. This can be traced back to the Victorians, with novels such as Mrs Beeton’s The Book of Household Management discouraging the discussion of discursive topics at dinner.
At the same time, our liberal philosophical tradition, with political thinkers such as John Locke, Michael Oakeshott and John Stuart Mill, emphasised the values of privacy and individual liberty, whilst literary figures such as George Orwell explored the pervasive impact of governmental control on ideas. It is no wonder then that the emphasis on privacy and liberty extended to freedom to withhold one’s political views.
Combining this cultural phenomenon with two divisive world wars and the polarisation of the Thatcherite era, it has become a cultural norm in modern Britain that talking about politics can cause confrontation, and therefore in true British fashion, should be avoided.
This was something many of us grew up hearing, and yet our generation may be one of the most political yet, with over 70% of Gen Z involved in a social or political cause.
However, we are also one of the most politically sceptical, with the University of Cambridge finding that trust in democratic institutions was declining the most amongst 18–34-year-olds. This is reflected in the relatively low voter turnout, with less than half of 18–24-year-olds having voted in the last election.
One way to explain this juxtaposition is to reframe what it means to be ‘politically active’. Our generation may be one of the most sceptical, but we are also the first generation to have had a steady flow of endless information reeling throughout our lives, provided for us by new technology. We live in what has been described as a ‘low-growth, low interest, high-asset price world’ and far from being ignorant to the woes of the world we have become critically aware of them. Perhaps it’s not that we’re more critical of government institutions than previous generations but that we’re more aware of their shortcomings, through the never-ending refreshing screens of information that captivate our daily lives. Ipsos, for instance, found that we are more political than the previous generation, but this is mostly because we are a product of a more politicised time.
Social media seems to have created an alternative means of participating politically when trust in political institutions is low, creating a civic platform which in some ways resembles that of the Greek political forum. Everyone can express their views in a unilateral way, converse and debate with each other, and just as the Greeks chose who to believe based on oratory power; Social Media users often rely on the most clever and quick argument rather than the most truthful, evident by the influx of fake news stories and false narratives the internet propagates.
Regardless of the challenges social media poses in the spread of truth, the evolution towards more open discourse on politics can only be a good thing, as the taboo surrounding politics loses its grip on British society and more open dialogue takes its place.
Politics after all remains something which includes all of us and permeates every layer of society.
It’s not polite to talk politics.
The Greeks believed it was imperative to participate in ‘the polis’ or what we know now to be ‘politics.’ In fact, the modern word ‘idiot’ takes its root from the Greek ‘idios’ – a person who did not participate in the activities of the ‘polis’. Nevertheless, this belief was not accompanied by the belief that everyone should take part. Even in Ancient Greece, political participation was limited.
Like Ancient Greece, political participation in Britain has historically been concentrated in the hands of a few, leading the masses to be sidelined when it came to political discussion. The vivacious coffeehouses which emerged across Europe as hubs of political and philosophical debate around the 18th century catered to a clientele of educated elite, whilst the Reform Acts of the 19th century initially enfranchised primarily the middle classes, leaving a large stratum of the population excluded.
As well as most of the population being traditionally sidelined from politics, our emphasis on etiquette and manners has led to the phenomenon of politics being an unpolite topic. This can be traced back to the Victorians, with novels such as Mrs Beeton’s The Book of Household Management discouraging the discussion of discursive topics at dinner.
At the same time, our liberal philosophical tradition, with political thinkers such as John Locke, Michael Oakeshott and John Stuart Mill, emphasised the values of privacy and individual liberty, whilst literary figures such as George Orwell explored the pervasive impact of governmental control on ideas. It is no wonder then that the emphasis on privacy and liberty extended to freedom to withhold one’s political views.
Combining this cultural phenomenon with two divisive world wars and the polarisation of the Thatcherite era, it has become a cultural norm in modern Britain that talking about politics can cause confrontation, and therefore in true British fashion, should be avoided.
This was something many of us grew up hearing, and yet our generation may be one of the most political yet, with over 70% of Gen Z involved in a social or political cause.
However, we are also one of the most politically sceptical, with the University of Cambridge finding that trust in democratic institutions was declining the most amongst 18–34-year-olds. This is reflected in the relatively low voter turnout, with less than half of 18–24-year-olds having voted in the last election.
One way to explain this juxtaposition is to reframe what it means to be ‘politically active’. Our generation may be one of the most sceptical, but we are also the first generation to have had a steady flow of endless information reeling throughout our lives, provided for us by new technology. We live in what has been described as a ‘low-growth, low interest, high-asset price world’ and far from being ignorant to the woes of the world we have become critically aware of them. Perhaps it’s not that we’re more critical of government institutions than previous generations but that we’re more aware of their shortcomings, through the never-ending refreshing screens of information that captivate our daily lives. Ipsos, for instance, found that we are more political than the previous generation, but this is mostly because we are a product of a more politicised time.
Social media seems to have created an alternative means of participating politically when trust in political institutions is low, creating a civic platform which in some ways resembles that of the Greek political forum. Everyone can express their views in a unilateral way, converse and debate with each other, and just as the Greeks chose who to believe based on oratory power; Social Media users often rely on the most clever and quick argument rather than the most truthful, evident by the influx of fake news stories and false narratives the internet propagates.
Regardless of the challenges social media poses in the spread of truth, the evolution towards more open discourse on politics can only be a good thing, as the taboo surrounding politics loses its grip on British society and more open dialogue takes its place.
Politics after all remains something which includes all of us and permeates every layer of society.
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