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The Pros And Cons Of Polarization

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Long gone are the days of bipartisan cooperation and friendly political debate. Today we live in a nation of unprecedented polarization where issues like sexual assault have become divided down party lines. For my entire life, I have lived in California’s District 15, the most liberal district in the United States. Where I grew up, the word “Republican” is immediately associated with racism, misogyny and bigotry. While many enjoy the liberal bubble of the Bay Area, political debate is practically non-existent. This creates a dangerous situation in which groups of like-minded individuals live together to shield themselves from the “barbaric idiocy” of the opposing side without considering the merits of their arguments. When nearly everyone is in agreement over the disaster of the current administration and conservatism as a whole it is impossible to voice dissenting opinions without being ostracized. The danger of this polarization is further exacerbated by social media. …show more content…

Political discourse has been the hallmark of healthy democracies from ancient Athens to Revolutionary America. The creation of Twitter and Facebook have allowed millions of people to share their political opinions instantaneously with their followers and debate these opinions in an unmoderated environment. However, this creates a dangerous situation of polarization and misunderstanding. In order to avoid a collective hive-mind of uncriticized conformity within political parties, it is necessary to use social media, not as a soapbox to demonize the opposing party, but instead as a medium for intelligent political discourse between both sides of the isle. By staying true to one’s values and treating others with respect, social media can be an avenue for cooperation rather than a wall dividing

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Politics. What does it do to us and our views of people? In “Divided We Now Stand,” Susan Page, the current Washington Bureau Chief for USA today, explains just that. She spends the article giving readers studies and insights as to how people oppose simply because the party says to oppose, and she shows us how people feel about opposing parties and treat them as a result of partisan views. In this article, Page has many good points and strategies, but her argument could be improved.

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With this affecting the democratic participation, it affected the relevance of ideas in the “Post-Trump Era” as well. While Klein's book was published during the Trump presidency, its relevance extends beyond any single administration. The underlying trends and dynamics he identifies have deeper roots and will likely persist beyond any particular political moment. As the nation grapples with the aftermath of the Trump era and seeks to heal its divisions, Klein's analysis offers valuable guidance for navigating the path forward. The text, "Why We Are Polarized" remains highly relevant in today's political landscape and education, providing essential insights into the underlying causes and consequences of political polarization.

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I believe that political polarization is very damaging to our society. As stated in the text book, polarization can lead to no middle ground for Americans. Having people who support a certain political party so strongly can prevent there to ever be a compromise. Tom Davis and Martin Frost, both former US Congressmen have even suggested a law requiring states to appoint representatives that are non-partisan in the hopes of diluting the polarization in Congress in 2008. They believe that too much polarization in Congress is because of the popularity of primary election for the government.

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“So the part of the problem is not just the rhetoric. It's the fact that we're so polarized in what we've done to each other as parties over the last thirty years in redistricting that it's very, very hard to overcome your own constituencies and move to the middle” (Howard Dean). Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized American a book written by Morris P. Fiorina gives readers statistics, graphs, and surveys to support his argument that the United States of America is non-polarized. According to Fiorina, Americans can only choose between the alternatives offered by the parties (267).

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Elizabeth Kolbert brings about an argument about polarization, as well as how information is misleadingly presented and misinterpreted on the internet. Koblert explains about internet misinformation, explaining how different authors and researchers have supported the idea of the World Wide Web being a base for unreasoned ideas. I agree with Kolbert’s idea on current interne situation because, as a result of the internet and the propaganda in it, there have been several political upheavals and social status conflicts. World Wide Web is described to be a platform for rumors, misinformed and unreasoned opinions. Elizabeth Kolbert notes that, the information presented in the websites is enough reasons for someone to sit in a nice restaurant and

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Polarization in America “[I] warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally”(George Washington). In 1796 our first president of the United States gave his farewell address. In his speech, he warns us of several different things that we, the American people, should not involve ourselves in. The first thing he advises us is the dangers of political parties.

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In “Political Polarization: Challenges, Opportunities, and Hope for Consumer Welfare, Marketers, and Public Policy”, Weber and the other authors state that “Political polarization is a marked political division in the population, characterized by multiple manifestations” (Weber para.1). An example of when the parties of American politics were extremely polarized was right before and during the Civil War era. Today, experts are noticing that the two major parties are becoming very polarized. Pew Research Center has conducted many studies and has shown that from 1994 to 2014, more Republicans have moved farther to the right while more Democrats have moved farther left. The article also stated that the two parties have grown more disdain for each other with negative views of each party rising (Geiger).

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Although social media can be powerful for voicing opinions and thoughts to a wide variety of people within minutes, it does not involve strong-tie connections and therefore results with less participates interested in the commitment and high risks necessary to catalyze a

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During the 1860s, competition favored the Republicans with a level reaching over 20. However, in 2010, competition significantly diminished, reaching around two (Hopkins and Sides 2015, 77). Overall, Democrats and Republican elites influence the amounts of polarization in America, driven by their differing political ideologies and a hunger for greater political

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In the article “Eating too much added sugar may be killing you”, Nanci Hellmich explicates that if people continue to overconsumption of added sugars the risk of different diseases become more apparent. Hellmich announces how that “added sugar increases risk of death from heart disease”. She supports her claim by listing some harmful medical effects, then uses quotes from different companies and associations such as American Heart Associations, and finally uses comparisons to convey her point. Hellmich writes it in an informative yet persuasive tone for her inquiring audience. The tone is in informative because Hellmich gives different types of sources and statistics which make it informative so its approach would be directed towards inquisitive people who want to learn more about too much added sugar.

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There is a general belief among social media detractors that this form of communication is dehumanizing. People who spend all of their time updating their social media platforms with 140 characters of thought will fail to recognize the nuance of a real issue. It is common for a person with a potentially controversial stance to be completely dehumanized by social media lynch mobs, who do not care about the nuances of his message, rather, simply want his/her life destroyed for daring to oppose the mainstream narrative. Whether the goals of this opposition are good or bad, their message is often contained within a social media bubble where the nuances are completely missed. This leads to arguments on social media that completely miss people’s real points and instead engage in fallacious arguments that wander off topic (Miller,

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It may just point to a broader trend of Americans removing "any trace of the "constant clashing of opinions" from daily life.” Furthermore, as Senior Brookings Fellows Thomas Mann and William Galston wrote, “Because people increasingly prefer to live near others who share their cultural and political preferences, they are voting with their feet and sorting themselves geographically. … Many more states and counties are dominated by one-party supermajorities than in the past. Contrary to widespread belief, reducing the gerrymandering of congressional districts would make only a small dent in the problem.”

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Introduction Plato, a famous Greek philosopher wrote the Allegory of the Cave. He tried to answer some of the profound questions which arose about the nature of reality. He tells the story of 'Allegory of the Cave' as a conversation between his mentor, Socrates (Plato’s mentor), who inspired many of Plato's philosophical theories, and one of Socrates' students, Glaucon (Plato’s older brother). He uses an allegory as a short informative story, to illustrate 'forms' and the 'cave,' in his main work, The Republic (which first appeared around 380 BC). It is one of the most perceptive attempts to explain the nature of reality.

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This, in turn, does the opposite of what social media were intended to do. Instead of allowing the expression of unaltered and original ideas, it is a platform of suppressed individualism which only encourages mainstream concepts. Conformity is seen everywhere, society encourages it. Social Media, News Broadcasters, and the FCC are all examples of underlying ways the top one percent can monitor and manipulate the ways people live their lives. Most people are controlled by others around them; posts on social media

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In order to use social media in an effective and responsible manner, one must professionally voice their opinions by using various methods and prevent the amount of misinformation from being rapidly spread. In today’s society, social media is a powerful tool for one to express their opinion. From reviews of a certain product to interpreting a movie’s plot, social media gives the average individual the ability to voice their opinion in which can be heard by millions of users. It is important for one to do this, especially on a platform with a diverse audience, because it assists in informing and persuading others to read and consider viewpoints that differ from their own.

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