Polite Politics

This title was first published in 2000: This book contributes to social movement theory and to an understanding of Hong Kong politics through analysis of an urban housing protest movement. The theoretical approach adopted is a multi-level one, and seeks to show the influence of the political context, the resources available to the groups concerned, the actors’ interpretations of their situation and their strategy preferences. This approach fills a gap in social movement theory because most theoretical frameworks focus on a single level of analysis. The book also aims to help researchers in the field to re-examine the current development of social movement theories and to learn the specific trajectory of urban social movements in Hong Kong.

This is a fresh examination of the letters exchanged between Cicero and his correspondents, during the final decades of the Roman Republic. Drawing upon sociolinguistic theories of politeness, it explores the distinctive conventions of epistolary courtesy that shaped formal interaction among men of the Roman elite.

Tea Sets and Tyranny offers a political history of politeness in early America, from its origins in the late seventeenth century to its remaking in the age of the Revolution.

An analysis of a Hong Kong urban housing protest movement, exploring the relevance of political context, the resources available to the groups concerned, the actors' interpretations of their situation and their strategy preferences. The book contributes to both social movement theory and the understanding of Hong Kong politics.

A brilliant condemnation of political hobbyism—treating politics like entertainment—and a call to arms for well-meaning, well-informed citizens who consume political news, but do not take political action. Who is to blame for our broken politics? The uncomfortable answer to this question starts with ordinary citizens with good intentions. We vote (sometimes) and occasionally sign a petition or attend a rally. But we mainly “engage” by consuming politics as if it’s a sport or a hobby. We soak in daily political gossip and eat up statistics about who’s up and who’s down. We tweet and post and share. We crave outrage. The hours we spend on politics are used mainly as pastime. Instead, we should be spending the same number of hours building political organizations, implementing a long-term vision for our city or town, and getting to know our neighbors, whose votes will be needed for solving hard problems. We could be accumulating power so that when there are opportunities to make a difference—to lobby, to advocate, to mobilize—we will be ready. But most of us who are spending time on politics today are focused inward, choosing roles and activities designed for our short-term pleasure. We are repelled by the slow-and-steady activities that characterize service to the common good. In Politics Is for Power, pioneering and brilliant data analyst Eitan Hersh shows us a way toward more effective political participation. Aided by political theory, history, cutting-edge social science, as well as remarkable stories of ordinary citizens who got off their couches and took political power seriously, this book shows us how to channel our energy away from political hobbyism and toward empowering our values.

History has shown us that the power of political speech can be put to both positive and manipulative ends - while rhetoric is a powerful tool for those who seek to persuade others to adopt their views, it can also be employed to foment factionalism and undermine the very basis of a democratic society. In this unique study, Marc Hanvelt shows how eighteenth-century philosopher David Hume confronted questions about the negative moral and political effects of rhetoric, and how he differentiated between manipulative and non-manipulative political speech. Drawing on Hume's philosophical, historical, and popular writings, The Politics of Eloquence presents an understanding of rhetoric that can be properly ascribed to this important thinker, an understanding hitherto overlooked in the scholarly literature. Offering an original approach to thinking about political rhetoric – an essential element of democratic politics – Hanvelt makes important contributions to both Hume scholarship and to broader areas in political theory and philosophy.

Diploma Thesis from the year 2021 in the subject Communications - Media and Politics, Politic Communications, grade: 9.33, , language: English, abstract: The study focuses on communicative behaviour in Political Discourse, having in view the presence of elements of politeness and impoliteness. Political settings consist of rich and interesting elements of politeness and impoliteness. In order to achieve certain goals, politicians use politeness strategies. Nevertheless, impoliteness is salient when it occurs. In analyzing the data, some elements that trigger impoliteness will be followed. Studies on politeness and impoliteness have acquired great popularity over the past few decades. However, they mostly emphasize the informal aspects of language. Politeness is conceptualized as strategic conflict avoidance. On the contrary, impoliteness is regarded as a violation of politic behaviour. Politeness and impoliteness are basic to any form of communication. The concepts of politeness and impoliteness play an important role in all kinds of discourses. One is Political Discourse.

Bill Maher is on the forefront of the new wave of comedians who influence and shape political debate through their comedy. He is best known not just for being funny, but for advocating truth over sensitivity and taking on the political establishment. Maher first came to national attention as the host of the hit ABC-TV program Politically Incorrect, where he offered a combustible mixture of irreverence and acerbic humor that helped him to garner a loyal following, as well as a reputation for being a controversial bad boy. Bill Maher's popular new HBO television show, Real Time, has put Maher more front and center than ever before. Particularly one regular segment on the show, entitled "New Rules," has been a hit with his ever-growing legion of fans. It is the part of the show during which Maher takes serious aim, bringing all of his intelligence, incisiveness, wit, and his signature exasperation to bear on topics ranging from cell phones ("I don't need my cell phone to take pictures or access the Internet. I just need it to make a phone call. From everywhere! Not just the places it likes!") to fast food ("No McDonald's in hospitals. I'm not kidding!) to the conservative agenda ("Stop claiming it's an agenda. It's not an agenda. It's a random collection of laws that your corporate donors paid you to pass."). His bestselling book, New Rules, brings these brilliantly conceived riffs and rants to the written page. This new edition of the book, in paperback for the first time, also features some brand-new material.

What is the spirit of our age, and what are the consequences of that spirit? THE POLITE SOCIETY pursues these questions, urging readers to ignore politics in its infamous, decadent sense and focus instead on how we might still work together to flourish together. "Seamlessly the beautiful poems of Ross White's THE POLITE SOCIETY traverse the page, but then, reading, you are struck by the sense of language as suddenly all the more mysterious--language, that is, as the ultimate system, frighteningly capable of both negotiation and song. If 'the system' threatens an all-encompassing politics, which it might, resistance is found in ourselves, our own imaginations. These poems are the proof."--Sally Keith Poetry.