Book Review: Politics is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change by Eitan Hersh

Abstract

What does politics mean to you? Is it spending hours consuming news and arguing with people on the internet about social issues? Or is it about gaining power, multiplying your vote, and making a real change in your community? To Eitan Hersh (2020:3), “participating in politics by obsessive news-following and online ‘slacktivism’” is not politics, but what he considers as political hobbyism. In his book Politics is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change, Hersh argues that politics should be about seeking power and influence to make meaningful change, rather than for expressing one’s values and for one’s self-gratification. Hersh shows an alternative way to do politics.