‘Kitchen-Table’ Is a Type of Politics

2025 · VOA Learning English

This speaker is a general-american model. Each line below can be recorded and scored against it.

Transcript

1. And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning

   0.8s–14.1sPractise this

2. English. On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language.

   13.8s–24.8sPractise this

3. We give examples and notes on usage. Today we talk about different kinds of politics.

   24.8s–34.1sPractise this

4. We start with kitchen-table politics The kitchen is often considered the hub, or center, of the home.

   34.3s–44.3sPractise this

5. It is where we gather to not only share a meal but to talk about the events of the day.

   44.4s–51.4sPractise this

6. We often discuss issues of importance with our family and friends around the dining room table.

   52.0s–60.0sPractise this

7. So, kitchen-table issues are those that affect individuals and their families daily. A family might discuss these issues at the kitchen table during mealtimes.

   60.6s–75.0sPractise this

8. Rising gas and food prices are two good examples of kitchen-table politics. These issues affect decisions we make day to day.

   75.2s–87.5sPractise this

9. They are sometimes also called dinner -table politics. Or we could describe them as bread-and-butter issues.

   87.6s–97.6sPractise this

10. Merriam Webster dictionary defines bread-and-butter issues as “being as basic as the earning of one's livelihood

    98.0s–107.4sPractise this

11. The online Cambridge Dictionary defines a bread-and-butter issue as “a subject or problem that relates directly to most people's needs and interests.”

    107.7s–121.4sPractise this

12. For example, affordable food prices and availability of good healthcare are the kinds of bread-and-butter political issues that people vote on.

    121.5s–134.9sPractise this

13. The noun bread and butter means a way of making a living. For example, for a creative writer, her ideas are her bread and butter.

    135.0s–146.8sPractise this

14. So, bread-and-butter political issues deal with our ability to provide for the needs of ourselves and our families. Next, let’s talk about green politics

    146.8s–161.8sPractise this

15. These political issues deal with caring for the natural environment.

    162.1s–167.4sPractise this

16. Green politics can cover ideas such as environmental sustainability recycling and threats to wildlife.

    167.5s–177.8sPractise this

17. The natural world is central to green politics. Identity politics is more personal.

    178.2s–187.5sPractise this

18. This term means that a person’s political views are formed by their experiences and understanding of themselves.

    187.6s–197.1sPractise this

19. Things like gender age, social and economic position, and religious belief can inform identity politics.

    197.2s–207.8sPractise this

20. Finally, we come to gotcha politics This type of politics is centered on damaging opponents through public accusations of wrongdoing or misbehavior.

    208.8s–223.4sPractise this

21. Gotcha politics often involves investigation into the private lives, past and present, of politicians in search of negative information.

    223.8s–235.8sPractise this

22. In gotcha politics, “Gotcha” is short for “I got you,” meaning, “I caught you!” And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories

    235.9s–247.0sPractise this