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Political polarization throughout the years
Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America
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Increasingly over the past two decades and in part thanks to the publication of James Davison Hunter’s book, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America, the idea of a culture war in American politics has been gaining attention. While the tension between conservatives and liberals is palpable, it’s intensity has proven hard to measure. However, it doesn’t seem that many Americans are polarized on the topic of polarization as most would agree that the culture war is real (Fiorina, 2005). This thinking is what prompted Morris Fiorina to write the book Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America. In it, Fiorina outlines an argument against the idea of a culture war by looking at party affiliation by states, how public opinion on hot button issues changed over time and various explanations for why Americans are so hung up on the topic of polarization. While Fiorina makes a good argument, the evidence supporting the culture war is too powerful to explain away. Fiorina had several rational explanations for why Americans believe that the culture war is real, the most poignant one Fiorina would claim that this is confusing positions with choices in that individuals are voting for candidates that are closest to them on an ideological spectrum (2005). Therefore, when an individual votes, they are not necessarily voting for a perfect representation of their views rather they are voting for the candidate that is most like them. This is a great rationalization as to how moderates would vote, however again the most partisan individuals are also the most engaged (Abromowitz and Saunders, 2008). Because the most polarized individuals are often the most politically active, they have the most influence on the government which results in the election of polarized candidates and
In this article “Culture War”, Morris Fiorina addresses the issue of the cultural divide between Democrats and Republicans in the political world we live in today, as the Republicans are discussed as the “red” states and Democrats are the “blue” states. The Culture War that Fiorina alludes to refer to a movement of standard economic struggles that have spiked up twentieth century politics. Fiorina will debunk the myth of polarized America by addressing each side of the red and blue states. “When George W. Bush took office, half the country cheered and the other half seethed.” This quotation reflects the so-called myth of the deep division of demographics within the red and the blue states. The main argument I will address and the argument that Fiorina is trying to get across is that America is not divided almost in half by blue and red states, but the typical American is in the
Finally, Leo makes the case that arguing is beneficial and can rescue us from “our own half-formed opinions.” John Leo has provided an excellent, if not equally sarcastic essay, on why he firmly believes debating is an important aspect of our daily lives. We use debating to help gain knowledge on new ideas, challenge existing ideas, engage with friends and fellow peers, and work out our half formed opinions. Throughout the essay, Leo uses a myriad of helpful quotes and examples to drive his point home. One of the most notable was a quote regarding President Ronald Reagan and then Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill. “Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan fought sharply during the day, but enjoyed having the occasional drink or two after
In Sinclair’s analysis, voters, political activists, and politicians all play significant roles in creating and enforcing the ideological gap between the two major parties in Congress. This trend of polarization is rooted in the electorate
Political Polarization is one of the most widely accepted causes of political gridlock, as the two sides continue to drift further and further apart. But why does the chasm keep growing? A few different theories call out the masses and the elites as being the principal actors in driving polarization. Fiorina says that the masses, or just average people, are not the ones that are polarizing. In fact she thinks that it is the elites who are driving polarization as they attempt to stay as far away
Americans have embraced debate since before we were a country. The idea that we would provide reasoned support for any position that we took is what made us different from the English king. Our love of debate came from the old country, and embedded itself in our culture as a defining value. Thus, it should not come as a surprise that the affinity for debate is still strong, and finds itself as a regular feature of the mainstream media. However, if Deborah Tannen of the New York Times is correct, our understanding of what it means to argue may be very different from what it once was; a “culture of critique” has developed within our media, and it relies on the exclusive opposition of two conflicting positions (Tannen). In her 1994 editorial, titled “The Triumph of the Yell”, Tannen claims that journalists, politicians and academics treat public discourse as an argument. Furthermore, she attempts to persuade her readers that this posturing of argument as a conflict leads to a battle, not a debate, and that we would be able to communicate the truth if this culture were not interfering. This paper will discuss the rhetorical strategies that Tannen utilizes, outline the support given in her editorial, and why her argument is less convincing than it should be.
But, it also speaks to the wider systematic polarization within the American political system. Political polarization in the United States is a result of cultural and geographical polarization. South V. North, Republican V. Democrat and is firmly rooted in regional history. The cowboy persona which some of these Presidents and politicians choose to adopt, is inherently linked to the physical geographical place from which they hail and the role that place has played in the unfolding of American history. It shapes the character of, (as of yet at least) “the man”, his administration and ultimately the policy of the country for at least four years. The image and persona adopted by these men is nurtured by the regional culture and history of the place that they reside and represent. It can be seen in every president from Kennedy to Reagan and Bush to Obama.
Whether political polarization is good or bad for the nation is still up for debate, but the general consensus is it exists due to a variety of reasons. From the construction of our Constitution, it is clear that the intent of our founding fathers was to create opposition in order to prevent tyranny from prevailing. Polarization is a result of the dividing of a nation into political parties. Though polarization has fluctuated throughout the years, it has caused a great deal of trouble in regards to passing legislation and has resulted in a gridlocked Congress. Even though some fear congressional polarization is destined to get worse, “it is mathematically impossible for congress to get much more polarized” than it is now.
middle of paper ... ... The culture war in America is always in view for the population. So much time is focused on the issue at hand instead of the actual progress being made. Moral differences between parties take preference over solving the issue.
The liberal tradition in America has found visible expression in a style of politics that has made it difficult to arrive at consensus and agreement. We do not all agree on what the American core value mean. The political process in the United States is essentially a liberal one because it is open to a multitude of interests, each lobbying for a position based on a particular ideological commitments. At the same time, the American political process is republican because it has established intermediaries that these competing ideologies have to go through. The modern conservative seeks to conserve the traditions of the past.
Culture is a behavior that consists of several critical elements, such as language, religion, race and ethnicity, clothing and politics. Culture is what one does in his/her daily life. In order to understand others, we must first keep in mind that every culture carries its own set of values and assumptions. Culture is an evolving, ever changing civilization, which includes several different groups people. For immigrants, America is a land of opportunity; for others it is just the best country in the world because of its economic success and/or its democratic political system. Americans usually value independence a lot, believe in equal opportunity, and have a direct communication style. In exploring the future American society, specifically regarding relationships among various communities of racial, ethnic, and others we are groping for an image. Some hold on to the notion of a melting pot, in which all groups would be assimilated into one homogeneous American amalgam. As I see it, the image of a mosaic, if properly understood, serves better than a melting pot.
Elazar, Daniel. "Explaining Policy Differences Using Political Culture." Reading. West Texas A&M University. Political Culture Handout. Dr. Dave Rausch, Teel Bivins Professor of Political Science. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. < http://www.wtamu.edu/~jrausch/polcul.html.>
On the spectrum of politics (or any other ideologically-based matter), personal opinions will inevitably vary from one extreme on the left to the opposite on the right. In a governing system such as that of the United States, where the population directly elects representatives to govern, the position a candidate holds on the spectrum pertaining to certain issues in relation to other candidates becomes increasingly important. Theoretically, two people coming from different backgrounds and different political parties should provide contrasting opinions on major issues, allowing an individual voter to clearly and easily see the difference between his options and choose which option would be best for himself and his country. According to the Median Value Theorem, however, in most cases, the candidate's personal views and priorities cannot be considered if a victorious election is the ultimate goal, leading to nearly identical candidates at the time of election. Although this theory contains flaws, both theoretically in the actual workings and ideologically in the results, it is still valid and important to today's political strategies.
Americans have become so engrossed with the rhetoric of political parties that many are unable have real discussions about “freedom, fairness, equality, opportunity, security, accountability.” (Lakoff p.177) The election of 1828 gave birth to the “professional politician” it demonstrated how “ambivalence” on issues, how image and the right language or narrative can influence voters. Partisanship did increase competition and empower voters to a greater degree, but it has also divided Americans and obstructed communication. As one historian declared the “old hickory” killed the ideal of nonpartisan leadership. (Parsons p.184) For better or for worse American politics were forever be changed in 1828.
Andrew Hartman’s A History of the Culture Wars: A War For the Soul of America was shockingly hard to digest due to harsh reality of the right and left controversy that we see in America politics today. Hartman focused this so called “culture war” throughout the sixties on issues like feminism, racial segregation which contradicted equality and separation of church/state in the educational system.
American essayist, best-selling author, and former managing editor for Time magazine, Nancy Gibbs, in her op-ed article, “Will the Nation Succeed After Charlottesville Where Donald Trump Failed?”, published on August 28th, 2017, addresses the topic of cultural violence in America and argues that this increasing divide between cultures and ideals will only continue to break apart this nation if individuals, and even the President, can’t stand up and defend those who are trying to make peace in a world of idealistic differences. She supports this claim first by presenting a question by former president, Barack Obama, upon entering his presidency in which introduces this not so far-fetched possibility of a culture war in the United States, second