Americans hate politics. Or at least, that’s how it seems. A Pew Research Center study from last fall found that over half of Americans (55%) are “always” angry at politics in our country. And further, when asked “What word would you use to describe U.S. politics?” some of the most popular responses were “divisive” “chaos” and “s–t.”
This shouldn’t come as a surprise—we’ve all had our experiences with holiday dinners devolving into some heated political debate between family members. But are our divisive Thanksgiving meals truly a result of ideological differences? Or is our polarization merely an illusion utilized as a strategy by politicians and parties to gain power?
This might come across as a naïve take by some 18-year-old college kid, but I truly believe that Americans are more alike than we are different. At the end of the day we all want a roof over our heads, food on our table, and a good future for our children. But—and this is now the cynic talking—playing on our commonalities doesn’t win elections.
Divide to Conquer
When you turn on the TV, what do you see? Pundits and cable news anchors having substantive policy discussions? No. You see heated debates, name-calling, and disagreement at all costs—in short, anger. This reinforces the perception that we ought to be angry and divided.
Anger is powerful. It motivates people to vote in a way that other emotions don’t. Perhaps cynically, political parties use this knowledge to their advantage. They know that Americans vote against parties and candidates, not for them. This was critically evident in 2020 when many people voted for Biden, not because of a love for Biden’s proposed policies, but rather as a vote against Trump.
This same story plays out in Congress. Republicans and Democrats understand that demonizing the other party provides a significantly higher return on investment than touting their own policies does. That’s why Republicans scare the public into thinking that Democrats are coming for their guns. Similarly, Democrats warn the public that Republicans want to tell women what they can and can’t do with their bodies. To both parties it’s irrelevant whether their statements are true, they only care about getting people to go out and vote.
Their infatuation with division stems from a love of power. In the end, the perception that the other side wants to take something from you is a powerful enough motivation to go out and vote. Even worse, it consistently convinces us that we are intensely divided.
Washington is Oblivious
When your social justice warrior cousin and MAGA uncle begin bickering over the turkey on Thanksgiving, their conversation may seem eerily reminiscent—if not identical—to the fights that break out on Capitol Hill. However, our disconnect with our elected officials couldn’t be starker.
Despite efforts to convince us of the contrary, Americans agree on a whole lot of issues. For example, two-thirds of Americans support stricter gun control legislation. And nearly two-thirds believe that abortion should be legal in ‘all’ or ‘almost all’ cases. You’d expect that if politicians acted on the people’s wishes, we would have reform on these issues. But we don’t. This chasm between the public’s desires and Congress’ actions is the reason that 85% of Americans don’t believe that politicians care about what they think. This disconnect fuels the flames of polarization and is what gave rise to the current populist movement in the US led by Donald Trump.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The view that ‘America is polarized’ is a half-truth. Our leaders are polarized. As a result, they try to convince us that we are too. And it works. Those deeply involved in politics have the least accurate views of the other side’s beliefs (see Fig. 1).
If we allow our leaders to dictate what we believe about our fellow Americans, our perceived polarization will continue to rise. However, there is a different path. One in which we recognize that we share more in common than we first might think. We don’t have to bend to the will of those in power. We can engage with others, actually understand where people are coming from, and leave identity politics and preconceived notions at the door.
As Americans, we have a choice. We can either let illusions that divide us dictate our lives or we can engage with others and find the commonalities that politicians are so terrified we’ll discover.
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