By Marley Brennan
Executive Opinion Editor
Opinion Editor
American politics has experienced an extreme uptick in controversies since the January 6 riot, with false news contributing to increased polarization. Republicans and Democrats have moved further in opposite ideological directions, becoming increasingly distanced from one another on the political spectrum.
As the gap between the political parties grows, more researchers have traced its causes back decades. Between 1972 and 2023, the political parties—Republicans and Democrats—have become increasingly separated, with Republicans in particular moving further right, according to Pew Research Center. As these two groups grow further apart, finding a middle ground has become almost impossible. This polarization will cause America’s reputation to be tainted, allowing it to become more vulnerable to foreign threats, further extremism in political parties, and even more false news being spread across the internet and infiltrating televised political debates.
In George Washington’s farewell address, he explored his concerns regarding sectionalism and the dangers of political parties. From Washington’s perspective, political parties will eventually lead to despotism, distracting the nation from its true duties and creating unprecedented political jealousies and violence. In this case, foreign nations may acknowledge America’s weaknesses and polarization, and in turn, impose their will upon the states. Even over 250 years ago, a vital leader to the country could recognize the dangers that our country is still facing.
The extremism in political parties has caused a major divide in the country, which will continue to grow unless the nation as a whole acknowledges and addresses its dangers. According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, extreme political divides have infiltrated and affected government decisions, debates, and behavioral standards across the country.
Furthermore, an “us versus them” mentality is causing a groupthink phenomenon to occur. Groupthink is a psychological term that defines people who make decisions based on their loyalty to a group, discouraging individual thought and encouraging conformity. This is dangerous in politics because it can decrease the diversity of ideals within a party, leading to extremism.
According to the New York Times, the first Republican presidential debate, which occurred this August, only streamed on two platforms: Fox News and Rumble. Usually, more news stations broadcast debates of all parties and comment on them based on their individual views. The fact that some news stations with predominantly Democratic views did not even air the debate reveals the state of increasing polarization within the U.S. The same goes for Republicans who selectively respond to facts and ideas that confirm their beliefs.
The press has a responsibility to cover events where watchers can form their own opinions based on these facts. If the facts are not presented accurately on all sides, one cannot effectively craft an informed opinion. This leads to further reliance on groupthink to form beliefs.
However, according to DividedWeFall.org, social media has become such a popular and essential way of campaigning that polarization is inevitable. Because platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook allow for easy access to false news and provide a way for candidates of opposing parties to attack each other’s political and social views, it has further polarized the Democrats and Republicans in the United States.
In all, it is incredibly clear that political polarization in America is ever increasing and is seemingly unstoppable. For this reason, it is imperative that individual citizens engage in discourse outside of their political parties in an attempt to understand the views of those who hold different opinions and maintain respect for opposing parties.
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