It’s no secret that polarization in America has risen to new heights, and too often the news can paint an awfully dark picture. Online and off, we tend to cluster with people like us, and to our detriment, social platforms echo our own views.
Either way, it is all too easy to drift into an echo chamber where our own ideas go unchallenged and other perspectives become distorted. These echo chambers can magnify differences, as noted in a recent study from Johns Hopkins University that shows nearly half of Americans view the opposing party as “downright evil.”
In the wake of rising political violence, we must reflect on why we buy so easily into strict partisanship. Perhaps the issue is not polarization but the way we treat politics like a game with winners and losers.
In sports, we wear jerseys, chant for our side and the loudest opposing fans leave a sour taste in our mouths (picture an away game at LSU or a cowbell-packed stadium).
Most importantly, great teams are based upon cooperation and good, old-fashioned teamwork. A Heisman-caliber player can always help, but having a stellar teammate does not guarantee you will win the game.
In politics, teams matter, but jerseys can trick us. People are complicated, and despite what media narratives may suggest, you cannot put half of America into a box. So, what can we do about it?
To get a clearer answer, I asked Professor Nathan Oakes, the director of education and student programs at the Center for Practical Ethics for his input.
“Find someone you like who disagrees with you and actually strive to talk politics with them,” Oakes said.
While his advice might sound simple, it is easier said than done. Regardless, as Oakes pointed out, “Nothing tethers you to reality like seeing the humanity in the other side.”
Having these conversations might be uncomfortable, but the best things in life never come easy.
Another factor in the hyperpolarization that plagues our country is the dynamic of distraction. A select few can rally the masses by exaggerating the relevance of otherwise inconsequential issues. Eardrum-shattering screams can drown out other voices, but their volume does not equal representation.
Mainstream media has a habit of spotlighting provocative but niche culture war topics, such as Hasbro’s decision to drop the “Mr.” from the Mr. Potato Head toy.
Mainstream media platforms dedicate an outsized amount of coverage to issues that fire up viewers but are far less relevant than what truly affects all of us: national debt, inflation and energy, to name a few.
On campus, pretty much all of us want the same things, such as finding a good parking spot in the morning, getting to Chick-fil-A before the line is long and excelling in classes.
“If you put everyone’s beliefs, rather than their allegiances, on a line, you’d get a boring old bell curve,” Oakes said.
In other words, the middle ground is far broader than it seems.
Looking for a place to learn how to best understand where someone is coming from? I suggest taking a philosophy class, attending ethics events on campus or joining competitive debate. Immersing yourself in conversations outside of your comfort zone is integral to building bridges and breaking down barriers of misconception.
Rivalries in sports can be all in good fun, but in American politics, we are on the same team.
I encourage everyone who reads this to have a conversation with someone on the opposite side of the aisle. If you avoid the battle-hungry spectators and narrow in on the issues that really matter, I am confident you will discover, as I have, that America is not nearly as divided as we may believe.
Taylor Young is a second-year law student from Gulfport, Miss.
