With the rise of television, mass media became increasingly influential in shaping public opinion in the post-war period. Public intellectuals turned their attention to these outlets to communicate their messages on the idea of active citizenship and to promote a sense of collective responsibility. This stemmed from the belief that well-informed people were crucial elements of a properly working democracy. In a period when political debate – and society, as a whole – was being polarized by cold war confrontation into two antithetical visions, these public commentators and educators offered alternative images of participative democracy, which implied an active role for citizens and rebuffed ideological prejudices. The idea of active citizenship is as old as political thought itself, and it continues to resonate in political discourse today. However, it was in the early years of the Cold War that influential figures of the caliber of Bertrand Russell, Albert Schweitzer, Rachel Carson, Margaret Mead, George Orwell, and Alva Myrdal used a variety of media to promote their ideas on raising civil awareness, strengthening the basis of democracy, and safeguarding human rights. The former American first lady and U.S. representative at the U.N., Eleanor Roosevelt, also has a prominent place within this group due to her strenuous promotion of active citizenship and democracy through print media, radio and television from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 18:01:53 +0000
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