At such events he saw his presence as being that of a participant rather than merely a passive spectator.

Many others, though, had little grasp of the details of a case and allowed the defendant to remain a passive spectator.

We need to create systems that move people from being passive spectators to becoming active participants in small-group life.

The rest of us are reduced to passive spectators rather than active political agents.

Back in the real world of politics, most people are now too often sidelined as passive spectators to those debates.