Exacerbated by the previous two elections, the two most prominent political ideologies in America are (allegedly) becoming more divided and rivalrous than ever. Or are they? Stephanie Pappas, a Senior Writer with the Huffington Post, says not so fast (link). According to Pappas, a new study done by PLOS ONE (link) asserts that, "Everyone, including political moderates, overestimates the gap between liberal and conservative morals..." Not only do people overestimate their political opponents, they over-exaggerate their own values and beliefs. For example, Pappas states how liberals and moderates who participated in the online survey believed that conservatives barely cared, if at all, about "harm/care and fairness/reciprocity," while the conservative respondents showed this was not the case.
So, what is making us feel like our nation is being pulled apart? It may be partially due to the fact that the last two elections have been such "high-octane" events. It could possibly be a result of the national media employing increasingly divisive headlines and diction in order to grab their viewers' attention. Whether it is because of the media, Bush, or Obama, America has been bombarded with polarizing appeals to ethos and pathos over the past seven or eight years that has left it seemingly more divided than before. The state of political culture in America is at a low-point, and until we realize how petty most of our differences actually are, things are only going to continue to get worse.
I can't help but wonder if, as you point out, these feelings aren't the result of more divisive strategies on the part of the media. Afterall, sensation sells news. In an age where we've seen the rapid decline of print journalism and a proliferation of digital media, one can't help but wonder if different media outlets aren't getting desperate to ensure their survival and thus upping their rhetorical tactics accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI agree with yours and Dr. Melzow's point. The differences in political ideologies are, in my opinion, likely not any further apart than they were before. The "hatred" and "division" that was apparently so prevalent in the last election is probably the same as it always is. Media just makes it seem like a bigger deal than usual; that's how the information age works. For example, I'm sure a large amount of people always want to secede when the other side whens a presidential election, however now we have http://petitions.whitehouse.gov/ to record those kinds of things.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I agree with you in that writing has taken such a back seat in many young people's lives in the recent years. Writing is such a necessary skill to have in so many fields, not to mention in life itself. I believe it is our duty to keep up with our writing and not fall behind in such a crucial area.
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