As we know, the answer to headline questions is "no" by default. But okay; I'm willing to listen.
It’s no secret that Americans are more politically polarized today than we’ve ever been. Do you even remember a time when we weren’t this way?
The only time I recall was the few months after September 11, 2001 – 24 years ago now. For a short but beautiful time, Americans really were united.
No.
We thought we were united. But it turned out that we were all mad for different reasons. One side was sad about the loss of life. The other seemed to be, but was really just pissed that someone caught us with our pants down.
Our representatives in Congress came together to proclaim their commitment to working across the aisle and backed it up with some major bipartisan laws.
Yeah. Really, really bad ones.
We Americans have settled ourselves neatly into political tribes that don’t work together, don’t listen to each other, and often despise one another.
Or both. I can despise both.
Many people have been hurt by our current level of polarization, and there’s worse pain to come if things continue this way.
If you haven't noticed, there's worse pain to come regardless.
Anyway, the article goes into this "depolarization challenge," and I have no need to reproduce it here.
At this point you might be thinking, “but why do I need to change? It’s those other people who are causing all the problems!”
I can understand that thinking. There are certainly things I've given up on because we'd all have to do it, and that ain't gonna happen. But when you think harder, for stuff like what's in this article anyway, maybe you come to the conclusion that it's easier to change yourself than it is to change other people.
Some people are not ready to step outside their comfort zone and change their mindset in this way. But those who do will be rewarded with a stronger sense of community, a more functional civic society, less heartache, better relationships, and a country that they can be proud of. And maybe, if enough of us do it over a period of time, our government can become less polarized too.
