Cultural Polarization
The Left Says
Greedy corporatists! They’ve misled the religious right and convinced them to vote against their own economic interests by equating unregulated business with social conservatism.
The Right Says
Bleeding-heart, snowflake liberals! They think that more government, and more taxes are the solution to every problem.
The Solution
Well for one, this website is a solution. Cultural Polarization is a key impetus in its creation. So start by focusing on practical solutions, rather than castigating those who are disagreeable in their disagreement. When we talk about what people on the Left and Right say, those things generally stem from some really fundamental world-views around the role of government, our duty to others, and the specific ethos in America that describes who we are, and what is important. Let’s look at these a little more deeply.
Role of Government
We would probably all agree with this little gem:
“…form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty… 1.”
In looking at this list, it’s pretty easy to see where we succeed, where we fail, and where different ‘sides’ put their emphasis. Is our Union growing more perfect? Doesn’t always seem like it, but that could just be growing pains.Has justice been established? Justice for some is not really Justice.
Is the domestic scene tranquil? Riots and general animosity would suggest otherwise, but we are not in armed revolt… oh, wait.
In terms of common defense, we do have the biggest military the world has ever seen, so that one is probably covered.
Do we promote the general Welfare? There’s a lot of debate about what that means, and how to go about it.
Are the Blessings of Liberty secure? They are more secure for more people than they have been in the past, but that doesn’t mean the job is done.
The Left Says
The role of government is defense. Abroad, that means working with our allies for mutual benefit. At home, it means protecting the common person from the predations of unsavory characters; be they individuals, or corporations. We recognize that the playing field (with regard to opportunity) is not level, so another function of government is to rectify those disparities that systemically benefit one segment of society. In order to do so, it only makes sense to tap into the resources of the benefitted groups to ameliorate the inequities. Lastly, government enshrines the notion of a common good. No serious person argues that public roads, libraries, fire departments, and NASA, and the national parks are bad ideas. We on the left just think that the same principle of supporting the common good applies to: Healthcare, food safety, vehicle safety, drug safety, worker safety, environmental protections, banking regulation, voting rights, civil rights, women’s rights, and endowments to the sciences and the arts, to name a few.The Right Says
The role of government really boils down to securing the “Blessings of Liberty.” Externally, this means we project force as a deterrent, and follow the path we know is right, regardless of the hand-wringing of other nations. Internally, government exists to maintain the civil society; punishment for criminals, allowing businesses to innovate, and for the protection of our basic rights (to speech, self-defense, religion, association, etc.). Liberals are good at attempting to address flaws in our system. We conservatives are good at reigning in those attempts and making sure they are on target, cost effective, and don’t trample other things of importance. Lastly, consider these two (often overlooked) articles from the Bill of Rights2:Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
This really shows the beauty of our founding documents. As much as they establish the Role of Government, they also explicitly limit that same government.
Common Ground
Not sure who said it, but Liberals are the gas, and Conservatives are the brakes. A car needs both. (actually, if you know who said this, originally, let us know, because we’d really like to put in a proper citation)It is possible to be both patriotic and environmentally responsible. It is possible to be both pro-gun and pro-choice. It is possible to have deep religious faith and, at the same time, be deeply tolerant of others. Reject the artificial dichotomies. Reject the headline hype that blows everything out of proportion. There is no such thing as a “culture war” in this country (although we do have the occasional culture skirmish). We all love this land and our neighbors, and there are some nuanced differences in our priorities.
The point of all of these solutions is to illustrate that neither side is always correct, and if we really want to fix things, we must step beyond the contrived notion of “hyper-polarization” that only benefits the media circus.
But how?
Understand that, in order to talk to someone in the other camp, we have to start with empathy and respect. Secondly, recognize that each of your beliefs are based on values, specifically your moral values, and that if you learn the language of their moral values, they will be able to hear you. To get you started, let’s encapsulate the basic premise of Moral Foundations Theory3:
The Left Values
Caring & Fairness. They want to prevent suffering, and are concerned with equality and discrimination. They want to foster compassion, nurturance, and social justice.The Right Values
Authority, Loyalty, & Sanctity. They are sensitive to the needs of their own group. They respect traditions, rank, and patriotism, and they want to protect what is pure and sacred.Now,
See how the "other side" has a valid perspective on the American dream, but also see that it is built on a different foundation than the things you hold dear. Your task is to learn to speak about your vision in terms that the other side can relate to. ...then rinse, and repeat.1 Preamble to the US Constitution.
2 The Bill of Rights: A Transcription.
3 Moral Foundations Theory, and Moral Reframing, plus a Ted Talk from the same guy (Robb Willer)
for further reading, check out Developmental Politics by Steve Mcintosh