Why We are so Polarized
It seems undeniable that we, well the United States at least, seem to be pushing the limits of how far we can be polarized. With the election coming up in November, I worry that we will be pushing the limit even more, no matter who wins.
There are plenty of real, hard problems that face us as a country and as a world. With a population that seems ever split in half, it feels like it is becoming harder to move anything forward. There appears to be no semblance of dialogue anymore. It’s all; if you don’t agree with me, then you must be wrong.
How did we get to this point? Are people just dumber then they used to be? Did the internet and social media seem to do this to us? Have we let ourselves be manipulated into this? Is this the natural conclusion of a two-party system that appears ready to break itself apart.
I want to try and take an unbiased (as much as possible) look at why this is. Why people seem to think the way they do and why it appears to have accelerated so much. I have a stack of books I have wanted to read for a while around this idea. Some of the books on my list are about this topic specifically, some are just more basic psychology or sociology books. I will try to keep on this area through the election, sharing my thoughts and findings through the newsletter as I go. Maybe it will continue beyond then, we will see.
I also think an interesting side effect of our recent global crisis is that even in this divided time, I think it is more evident than ever that we are also very dependent on those around us, and our society is very intertwined. So as a balance to looking into what is causing the divide, I am hoping to find stories and ways in which we are connected as well. To add a little give and take.
I have a sort of loose outline of how I see this going, but if I know anything about myself, there are bound to be detours and tangents along the way. I also see a time when I may ask for your input, maybe with a poll, or a survey, or perhaps something more. I know I would love to hear your thoughts too. If you have any interesting articles or books about our divisiveness or our interconnectivity, or even stories or ideas, send them my way.
Like the newsletter in general, this is an experiment and a sort of living process; we will just see where it takes us. I would guess that this won’t be the only thing I write about, so now and then we will probably still see other random thoughts. This is also a good way for me to separate a little from the breaking news while taking a bigger view of our world’s issues. I have wanted to do this for a while, and by actually putting it out there, I think that means I have to do it… right?
Thanks for reading,
Mike