Political Culture and Socialization

Read this article on the sources of our political socialization. Before you begin reading, make a short list of five beliefs you hold about politics. These may be specific opinions about a policy or general beliefs about how politics works. What sources of political socialization have influenced the beliefs you listed?

Preamble

Americans have strong positive feelings about the country's flag. Government leaders and candidates giving speeches often are flanked by the Stars and Stripes; flags appear in ceremonies honoring police officers, firefighters, and military personnel; and American embassies, military bases, and ships abroad are depicted with flags flying. The flag is displayed prominently in television, print, and online advertisements for many different products; car showrooms are draped with flags; clothing manufacturers present models wearing the latest fashions against American flag backdrops; and flags appear in ads for food, furniture, toys, and electronic gadgets.

Immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there was a huge increase in the sale and display of the American flag. Nowhere was the trend more apparent than on television news broadcasts: news anchors wore American flag lapel pins and background visuals featured themes such as "America Fights Back," wrapped in the flag's color scheme of red, white, and blue.

People are the most politically impressionable during the period from their mid-teens through their mid-twenties when their views are not set, and they are open to new experiences. College allows students to encounter people with diverse views and provides opportunities for political engagement. Young people may join a cause because it hits close to home. After the media publicized the case of a student who committed suicide after his roommate allegedly posted highly personal videos of him on the Internet, students around the country became involved in anti-bullying initiatives.

Significant events in adults' lives can radically alter their political perspectives, especially as they take on new roles, such as worker, spouse, parent, homeowner, and retiree. This type of transition is illustrated by 1960s student protestors against the Vietnam War. Protestors held views different from their peers; they were less trusting of government officials but more efficacious in that they believed they could change the political system. However, the political views of some of the most strident activists changed after they entered the job market and started families. Some became government officials, lawyers, and business executives – the very types of people they had opposed when they were younger.

Figure 6.8

Figure 6.8 Student activists in the 1960s protested against US involvement in the Vietnam War. Some activists developed more favorable attitudes toward the government as they matured, had families, and became homeowners.


Even people who have been politically inactive their entire lives can become motivated to participate as senior citizens. They may find themselves in need of health care and other benefits, and they have more time for involvement. Organizations such as the Gray Panthers provide a pathway for senior citizens to get involved in politics.

Creative Commons License This text was adapted by Saylor Academy under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work's original creator or licensor.