Who Teaches Politics Now? Universities, YouTube, and the Making of Common Sense

As unions, parties, and public institutions retreat from political education, platforms like YouTube increasingly colonize the space they leave behind. Individualistic explanations circulate widely and effortlessly, carried by algorithms designed to turn attention, outrage, and certainty into profit. Over time, inequality comes to be understood as the outcome of personal choices, while success reads as evidence of merit. Structural explanations, by contrast, are recast as ideological, excessive, or out of touch with ordinary life.

Rethinking Radicalization: American Parties and Movements in the 1960s and 1970s

Ultimately, this comparison problematizes the assumption that radicalization is inherently destructive and incompatible with American party politics. Hegemonic parties with robust resources can nurture radicals and substantively integrate their ideas, avoiding the process of dilution that is characteristic of the Democrats’ listless interest-group configuration.

Go to Top