Koffietijd als politiek podium

This master thesis researches the reception of popularized politics. In this thesis, the way women give meaning to the performances of politicians in the Dutch talk show Koffietijd is studied. Politicians use popular culture as a political stage in this case. Nowadays, politicians appear in popular culture in an attempt to win votes. Next to that, the focus has shifted from the political party towards the politician. These two developments: popularisation and personalisation, constitute celebrity politics. Critics of celebrity politics are afraid that politics will become about appearances, instead of content. Others celebrate celebrity politics, because they see its potential to appeal to citizens who were not politically interested before. The respondents think Koffietijd and politics don’t match. Koffietijd is cosy and pleasant, while politics is dull and important. Politics should be about political viewpoints, not the personalities of the politicians. The respondents judge the fragments of Koffietijd as irrelevant, because the fragments don’t contain any political content and only discuss the private life of the politicians. In some cases, this private life is interesting - when subjects close to the respondents are being discussed - but only in extreme cases it can be politically relevant. The women say that the hosts of Koffietijd don’t give the politicians enough room to be themselves. This authenticity, together with professionalism, is exactly what the women find most important in a politician. This research shows that popularized politics can play a role with regards to political content. At the same time, the focus is on the personality of the politicians, not their political viewpoints, which supports the more pessimistic view on popularized politics.