Polarized America: We are all part of the problem
This column believes that all of us are responsible for the increasing polarization of our society. The situation is very serious. According to a Pew Research Center survey “Partisan animosity has increased substantially… since 1994. ‘Ideological silos’ are now common on both the left and right. People with down-the-line ideological positions … say that most of their close friends share their political views. Liberals and conservatives disagree over where they want to live, the kind of people they want to live around and even whom they would welcome into their families.” In recent years responsibility for making polarization worse falls heavily on the inflammatory rhetoric and insurrectionist activities of former president Donald Trump. However liberal/progressive Democrats must share responsibility.
Here are some of the things I have seen, heard and/or felt while living in Hampshire county that contribute to a polarized society:
1. Attacking a religious faith or its adherents for the teachings of their church. For example the Catholic Church has been attacked for its views on abortion. For many liberals abortion is about a woman’s control over her own body. For many conservatives abortion is about killing babies. The fact that an opinion is based on a religious belief does not make it less legitimate. Adherents to every faith have every right to organize advocacy groups and to vote according to their faith based beliefs. No religion should be relegated to rituals and teachings unconnected with contemporary events.
In a similar vein, evangelical churches and their adherents have been
attacked because a majority of evangelicals support Donald Trump
It is worth mentioning that many liberal faith communities have taken public stands on public policy based on their faith. Those who believe otherwise have the same rights.
One additional thing to consider: Attacking a person’s conservative understanding of their faith creates a fertile recruiting group for Trumpism.
2. Vilifying people who want secure borders . Many people believe that there is a difference between legal and illegal, limited and unlimited immigration. They believe every country, including our own, has the right to decide who crosses over its borders. Calling such people anti-immigrant and bigots is simply name calling that closes down the possibility of civil discussion. It is also important to remember that a shared sense of national boundaries is one element needed for national cohesion.
3. Assuming that people have a certain moral or behavioral character because of race, gender or age.
For example, many liberals blame Whites in general because a largely White society has oppressed Black people for generations. Apparently individual behavior is of no consequence.
According to some liberals, you may gain partial expiation if you condemn yourself for benefiting from “White privilege”.
It is true our country still doesn’t provide equal opportunity for all. That said, what most White people have achieved is the result of hard work, not privilege. Denying that a person’s achievements are the result of their own efforts is probably untrue and intensely alienating.
According to one definition , “toxic masculinity refers to the notion that some people’s idea of ‘manliness’ perpetuates domination, homophobia, and aggression” . There are women who have those characteristics and a majority of men don’t. Conflating toxicity with masculinity is an attack on half of our country’s population based on gender. Being both White and male can make someone an automatic target for double condemnation .
4. Calling core institutions of our republic illegitimate undermines the every foundation of the imperfect but still wonderful constitutional republic in which we live. The principles of the Declaration and Constitution are guiding lights for the best of what America is. Both documents have been trashed by many liberals because they were written by White men who held others in slavery. The Senate is deemed undemocratic because each state, no matter how large or small, gets two senators. The House of Representatives is deemed unrepresentative because of gerrymandering . Supreme Court decisions are invalid because the Court has been packed with conservative judges.
Trump’s “ Stop the Steal” movement and contempt for democratic norms lay the foundation for an autocratic government. De-legitimizing our founding documents and core governmental institutions risks a similar outcome.
5. I have frequently heard condescending attitudes towards people with less formal education and/or different cultural tastes. Loving opera and parsing poems doesn’t make a person better than anyone else. Many people who have experienced condescension from liberal /progressive Democrats have become Trump Republicans.
All of us love our country. Let’s not do anything that will rip it apart. Also ,let’s not antagonize so many of our fellow Americans that Donald Trump is elected president again.