Civics at the Cineplex: How Americans Learn Democracy at the Movies A Theoretical Construct

Abstract

American attitudes and preferences about their democratic institutions often arise from cultural socialization, including and especially American feature films. I outline my theories that explain how the stories, images and characters of these films create and validate central elements of political ideology in the minds of voters. I rely on my original film taxonomy and my years of teaching film and politics. My taxonomy categorizes familiar titles such as A Face in the Crowd, but it also includes Watchmen (2009) and early Westerns and the animated Despicable Me. Reading the Constitution may be a dull, labored chore for most Americans, especially undergraduates. However, James Cameron’s extravagant three-dimensional version of Avatar is a sensual feast that exhibits vital political lessons. Understanding the value of American films in political socialization is an occasion to measure independent judgment and the level of sophistication of the American viewer-voter.