Greg Munford

The Past Month’s Parade of Polarization

We, as Americans, cherish the freedom and right to disagree—which we do, often deeply about important issues that need resolution. But polarization undermines that freedom by tightening prejudices rather than opening thought, thus diminishing the chances for finding resolutions and moving forward. So while polarization may feel like a righteous champion of freedom and right, it is in fact just the opposite—a stick jammed in the spokes of the democratic discourse of freedom. Here are some of the common ways it does it:

SEDUCES with loaded, heated language and childish name-calling that appeals more to emotion that reason.
BLINKERS by using cherry-picked facts, and ignoring or mocking opposing arguments and evidence rather than actually addressing them.
TRIVIALIZES by focusing on “straw-man” issues whose value in re-enforcing biases is clearly greater than their substance.
BULLIES by making you feel like a dupe or a traitor if you even listen to the other side.
FLATTERS with language and a tone that makes you feel like an insider, who, of course, agrees with them because you “get it” … just like they do.
FRIGHTENS by portraying the other side as not just wrong, but a dangerous, evil enemy, replete with wicked hidden agendas.
“CLANS,” that is, plays the “us vs. them” identity politics game of associating the other view with groups or people (implicitly) “inferior” to “us.”
“TRIBES” by using the knowing winks and nods of sarcasm, coded language, words in quotes (suggesting they’re misleading) and innuendo which you, as a member of the tribe, of course, will understand without explanation or justification.

This week . . . as we celebrate Memorial Day, we review the past month’s parade of polarization. And what an informative month it was. We learned that Republicans/conservatives are sadists, scam artists, liars, whiners, hypocrites, and crackpots who want a police state and use deeply twisted logic and parliamentary shenanigans to get their way. And that Democrats/liberals are deviants, pervs and liars (also) who are prone to sexual abuse, want to jail anyone who opposes them, create racism, destroy home values, and eat their own. But mostly what we learned is that serious discussion of the serious conflicts over the serious problems we face as a nation all take second place to the counterproductive, self-serving game of labeling the “other” as the enemy. Can there be a greater desecration of the memory of those who served and sacrificed at the hands of true enemies of America than this?

When reading these examples, check the above list and ask yourself: regardless of whether you agree or disagree, is this really advancing an intelligent resolution through the persuasive, rational arguments of advocacy…or simply fueling the fire of conflict through the divisive, emotional manipulations of polarization?

Here are the polarizing headlines featured in the month of May, from the left and right: