Polarization

The entire United States seems to be in the middle of a mass communication problem. This is the primary result of a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center regarding where Americans are choosing to live and why. Apparently, "we the people" are so entrenched in our political biases and attitudes that not only do we not want to talk with those who look at the world differently, but we do not even want to live near them. For instance, the study found that people with a more liberal perspective tend to live in urban areas while those with a more conservative bent prefer living in more rural settings.


More to the point, the study also found the existence among citizens of a great degree of "ideological consistency" in which they are more entrenched in their political views than they were two decades ago. This has led to a widening of a partisan gap among both the people and the officials they elect to represent them. The unfortunate result is that with this gap has come a lack of meaningful interaction or dialog between persons who actually should be communicating. I speak not just of the members of Congress here but also us regular-folk as well. The day people stop talking is the day when the core foundation of their society begins to crumble. No one wants this to happen. 


The partisan gap must not be allowed to increase. Thus, the question becomes what to do about it. What can individual men and women as well as our elected representatives do to begin reversing this unhealthy trend? One step - a small one - in the right direction is for all of us to embrace the fact that differences of opinion are ok. Another is acknowledging the reality that we all have more in common than not. We should not give our differences any more power than they deserve. The fact is we all co-exist with a more positive attitude when we are focusing on our shared interests. This study by the Pew Research Center is a wake-up call. All of us need to dust off our communication skills and begin utilizing them to address our differences and shared interests. If not, the consequences could be quite severe.