Throughout this past week, I’ve been thinking much about how America was founded. There’s plenty of articles written lately on patriotism, on liberty. From Time Magazine’s cover piece to essays on Washington, Franklin, Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison.
If you read the great documents such as the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Federalist Papers, you get a sense that these men were perhaps America’s real “Greatest Generation”. They not only understood the beauty of the philosophies of Locke and Voltaire and Rousseau, but were able to translate them into action, establishing a new nation based upon freedom and liberty.
They were also amongst the most elite of their time. The wealthiest, the most educated, the most “connected”.
A study put out this week by George Washington University’s Henry Farrell, John Sides, and Eric Lawrence bring out to the surface an issue that I think is problematic for American politics and culture: the polarization of the political blogosphere. This had become more evident over the past few years as the country’s political dialogue has grown ever more coarse.
The study finds that those that participate in the political blogosphere are more likely to be further to the right or further to the left, more rigid in their beliefs, less likely to engage in discussions across political ideologies and (as I have personally discovered in my own involvement on blogs) less tolerant opposing views.
I find this troublesome because their study also shows that those whose views are more tolerant, less rigid, and less idealogical are less likely to be politically involved as those who take an active participation in the blogosphere. That’s not good. Here’s why…
Solving Issues Becomes More Difficult
National Security. Iraq. Health care. Social Security. Competitiveness. Climate Change. All important vital issues. All issues that on some level, effect practically each and every one of us. Problems that need to be addressed and solved.
In the current political environment, it seems that most major issues have become a hot potato, a semi-equivalent of abortion. Question the legitimacy of going into Iraq? Many in the GOP said that was traitorous. Re-examine Social Security and take a look at personal accounts? That’s a complete betrayal of our elderly.
These types of charges are often fortified in the blogosphere. In fact, they electrify the blogosphere. We can’t solve issues if we can’t address them.
Never a Consensus, Always a Battle
Solving complex issues is often done by consensus. It occurs when everyone swallows their pride a bit and gives in on key points for the greater good of passing meaningful legislation. The reason we can’t solve issues is because we can’t address them. We can’t address them because we seem to now have two opposing sides who would rather not have consensus.
If bloggers never take time to engage the other side, it will only serve to increase the desire engage in battle and not develop consensuses that are often so important to solve our challenges.
The Battle Becomes the Cause
At times now I think that both sides are more interested in entering political battles in order to trash the other side rather than address the issues they’re trying to supposedly solve. This essentially makes solving the problems we face TWO challenges away. The first is trying to overcome the lack of desire to reach consensus, the second is the stronger desire to bash the other side rather than even think of trying to reach a consensus.
It Will Increase Bigotry and Prejudice
A segregated blogosphere is a prejudiced blogosphere. It’s not just race, it’s about being anti- the other side. It’s not about just those on the left being discriminated. It’s everyone.
We Won’t Learn From One Another
Will a lefty be willing to learn how the surge is working in some areas of Afghanistan? Will a righty be willing to examine how discrimination still hurts minorities? I doubt it. Not when leading voices out there are the Malkins and the Kos’.
It Will Decrease Citizen Involvement
I’ve constantly heard people get disgusted about political discussion around elections because both sides continually trash one another. It’s getting worse with bloggers as they treat rumors as truth.
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