Political Discourse- Who wants it??

Most of the articles we read for this week at least mentioned briefly the idea that people refrain from political debate because they are afraid to upset people who have differing views. The realm of politics is no longer 'dinner conversation.' If democracy is founded upon the principles of deliberation and debate, why do so many people refrain from entering into political discourse with their neighbors, family friends, etc... ? I grew up knowing what families I could expect my parents to talk politics with and what families they would avoid talking politics with at all cost. Yet the most interesting debates are those in which both parties hold different view points. Only in these conversations do people get to challenge their ideas in the context of what is best for the entire community as a whole.

In our democracy, these most interesting debates are held at the governmental level, not within the home or within the community. Like Hibbing suggests, politics is a 'dirty' subject, avoided by everyday people who can easily find others who agree with their view points. Because debate is not happening between neighbors, extended family members..etc, people become isolated from the idea that political debate is key to political participation. This 'dirty job' is left for politicians to battle over. In my opinion, this is one reason politicians have such a bad reputation- they are the people who 'so rudely' enter into political debate at the dinner table.