4th of July Thoughts: Polarization Revisited… Again

 

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     My distaste for US politics reached a peak on January 6, 2021 (A Day that will live in Infamy).  I basically stopped watching the news that day.  I still read the Sunday New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.  I still listen to NPR on my drives to North Park.  But I don’t, I can’t watch Fox News or MSNBC as it just causes to much angst… too much consternation.  There are a scant few people I can even discuss these items as almost everyone either has an extreme view (I’d agree with You, But…) for which there is only venomous argument.  There is also another large segment of people who have just given up trying to make sense of it, have disengaged, and just don’t want to talk about

The sentiment against Trumpist Republicans is extreme with no compromise.  The vitriol against Biden and anyone that is tolerant or supportive of him is basically the same.  The hate is palpable.  There is unbelievable and bizarre “fact checking” on both sides.  Conspiracy theories abound and no one admits to Confirmation Bias… including me. 

Some of the issues facing us are rooted in core beliefs for which compromise seems impossible.  Nothing is more visceral than the recent focus on abortion due to the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that became a ruling that overturned Roe vs Wade.  Abortion is a fundamental, axiomatic, issue.  It is intertwined with long held religious beliefs.  It involves deciding when an embryo is considered a human life.  Is it at conception?  Is it at some point when the embryo looks human?  Do men have a say or is it the domain of the pregnant woman to decide? It is close to impossible to achieve compromise.  Impassioned people who believe that life begins at conception will never be swayed by those who fervently believe it is a woman’s right to choose.  Yet, we had abortions before Roe v Wade and will no doubt have them afterwards.  The only question is whether they are legal or illegal and the disproportionate impact on the poor.

A close second to abortion is the whole transgender issue.  It is also rooted in long held religious postulates versus new age beliefs.  Should we deny those born physically one gender but are hormonally or emotionally closer to the other gender from living the life in the gender they choose?  The debate here has painted us into a logical corner.  After years of women fighting for rights and equality, are we OK with men competing as women only to achieve more accolades?  What’s right?  What’s not?  It is not as simple as either of the extreme camps might advocate.

Consider the right to own guns.  Here is another polarizing issue.  There is a constitutional right to bear arms.  There is an epic gun violence problem.  No argument in either case.  This has been not resolved by extreme views.  It cannot be resolved by extreme views.  Of the three issues, this seems to me most easily resolved.  I believe we can preserve the spirit of the 2^nd Amendment while preventing the mass shootings our country is embarrassingly known for.

I could have easily included the racial tensions and immigration that also plague our country.  Those topics will have to be addressed in another post.

I think we need more discussion and definitely need more compromise at both the state and national levels.  Compromise is a word the is not used very often.  I wonder if our elected leaders are capable of compromise.   Some are certainly not.  They have achieved and maintain their office by refusing any compromise.  As a result, we have experienced more extreme swings to the right or left depending on which party occupies the White House and which has the majority in Congress.  Compromise is the act of thesis and antithesis to move forward with synthesis based on common truths.  The kinds of swings of policy we have expressed lately?  They are, to me, a system out of control.

As I always say, still ardently believe, we are better than this.