My Definition of Politics

I must admit that I am nervous about writing a blog.  I have never felt like one of those super cool, trendy people who can sit down at their computer and tap out a blog fully of witty things to say for the whole world to read.  But this will be my attempt, so here we go…

I am currently in my first semester of graduate school, pursuing my master’s degree in Art History and Visual Studies.  I am extremely interested in Visual Studies and so I decided to take a course called Visual Culture of Politics.  I am very excited about the course and one of our assignments is to create a blog where we can write about and reflect on the things that relate to the class.  My mind was running a mile a minute with blog ideas during the first class.  I feel like there are just endless blog topics that relate to visual culture of politics, especially with this year being an election year.  Some of blogs are going to be direct and respond to specific assignments, while others may just have a movie review or an image that I feel represents this idea of the visual culture of politics.   

For our first blog entry, we were told to write about our own personal definition of politics.  To me, everything is political and the term does not have to only relate to the government.  After spending four years in a sorority, the politics surrounding elections is what immediately comes to my mind when I see or hear the world politics.  Obviously there is more to the word than just why someone should be elected to rush chair or social chair of Gamma Phi Beta.  In my eyes, the world politics is really an all-encompassing term for the activities that occur within any organization, specifically the government for this blog.  Whether it is the student government of a university, the government of the United States of America, or the exchange between the governments of multiple countries, politics describes the actions and practices behind those organizations. 

By my definition, the world politics describes how the government as a whole chooses to governs itself and also how each individual side guides themselves, as well as their followers, into believing and upholding certain thoughts, ideals, and practices.  The politics and beliefs of a certain group is what defines them and allows for others to stand behind them or oppose them. 

I think that politics can be very dirty and very much dominated by money.  Politics are a way in which government officials in public offices manipulate the public to believe certain things in order to achieve what they define as “good” or “right”.  It encompasses anything from campaigning tactics to how a bill gets passed.  When I think of politics, I think of campaign strategies, like ads for television, and how there are negative and positive ads.  I think of how an image can be used to paint an individual in a certain light, so that the members of the opposing side look better.  Money is the backbone of politics because you need it in order to demonstrate your personal politics and gain supporters.  A perfect example of how money dominates politics is incumbents, people that are already in a political office that run again and win their elections.  Incumbents are able to win back their seats a majority of the time because of politics and the money behind said politics.  

Because we are in an election year, I feel like all facets of the media are dominated by politics.  I cannot turn on the television, radio, or even log onto Facebook without the politics of a certain party being pushed.  Just last night while I was on Facebook, a friend posted the picture to the right.  It is a photograph of a coffee cup with President Barack Obama’s birth certificate on it.  I think that this is a perfect image that illustrates my definition of politics.  The campaign advisors and supporters of Obama have had a coffee cup made with his birth certificate as a way to positively advertise for his re-election.  The image on the mug will squash any doubts that non-supporters and the Republicans may have of Obama’s citizenship.  The mug is illustrating the politics of the supporters for Obama in the Democratic party by saying that he is a true American and you should vote for him!  I mean, really, what is more American than drinking a hot cup of coffee out of your ceramic mug? The coffee cup gives voice to some of their political campaign ideals and the way that Obama’s followers have painted him, as an American family man.  The fact that his website is on the bottom, which will take you to the internet “headquarters” for his re-election is even more proof of the political motives behind having such things made.  When politicians have t-shirts, magnets, bumper sticks, coffee mugs, etc made that are in support of their ideals and campaign, it is a physical representation of their politics.  It is a way for them to show their beliefs and for their supporters to show that they too believe in, support, and practice the politics of that candidate.  These manifestations of their politics are constantly used on all levels and by every kind of government.