What’s going on in America? We’re tearing each other apart. It seems like we can’t have a civil conversation with one another about anything. Under any circumstances. Ever.
It seems like we only hear the loudest, angriest voices. Nuance and complexity have vanished from the conversation. Which sucks because the real world is nuanced and complex.
The country is a shouting match, and it’s having devastating consequences for our country.
We’re more divided as a country than at any time since the Civil War, by far the bloodiest war in American history. The warnings of another civil war get louder every day.
Call it polarization if you want, but the bottom line is we’re divided and angry as a country, and it’s leading to widespread frustration, despair, apathy, and despondency and is the main driver of the gridlock in Washington.
This “us against them,” “either with us or against us,” the other side is the devil/Hitler” is just a huge impediment to any kind of progress.
But given human nature and the goals of the media and their owners, it’s not surprising to be where we are.
This page explores the division the US is facing, explores why it’s a problem, and what is making polarization worse.
It also looks at some of the goals we want in terms of making the dialogue across the country more constructive.
More importantly, we identify strategies that are happening or could happen that would help reduce the division we’re facing as a country.
First, let’s quickly look at why extreme division is such a problem.
The Problem With Societal Division And Polarization
The biggest problem with societal division and polarization is that it breeds contempt and hatred. When we’re constantly pitted against each other, it becomes very difficult to have a civil conversation about anything. We see the other side as the enemy, and we stop trying to understand their point of view. We become Extrepublicrats, defined by our hatred of the other party.
Complexity and “shades of grey” go out the window.
This only leads to more anger and division, and it’s a vicious cycle.
What is Societal Division and Polarization and How it Affects Our Country
Before we can start to address polarization, we should know what it means. So, what is societal division and polarization? Simply put, it is the splitting of a society into two or more opposing groups. This can manifest in many different ways, but it typically leads to a great deal of hostility and anger between the groups.
In the US, it’s just the two groups, liberals v conservations/democrats v republicans.
The History of Division and Polarization in America
America was founded on the idea of unity and coming together as one people. Just about all of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants. While many descendants were brought here as slaves, many others came here seeking a better life.
They chose to aim for the American Dream. A place where with hard work you could provide for your family, and see your children have a better life than you.
But America today is presented to us as a divided country. We’re no longer united behind common ideals, but instead, we’re pitted against each other. We’re fixated on our differences (inconsequential as they may be) rather than the wide range of goals and ideals we all agree on.
This division leads to anger, hatred, and misunderstanding.
In a country that was founded on coming together, (sorry CRT fans) it’s hard to believe we’ve become so divided.
It’s time for us to get past our differences and come together and start working towards a common goal: fixing America.
Causes of Division and Polarization in America
There is no “one” cause of polarization. Myriad factors contribute to the problem, including economic incentives, media coverage, and the political system.
Like all the biggest problems, it’s not just one thing, it’s a bunch of things that keep the anger train running faster and faster and faster.
Fear And Anger Rule The Day
The media and politicians work together to create a sense of fear and anger among the public. While this may seem counterintuitive, there are several reasons why these groups want to keep us in a state of constant outrage.
Fear and anger are highly motivating emotions. By keeping people in a state of fear and anger, politicians can mobilize their base and encourage people to vote, donate, and get involved in political campaigns. Similarly, the media can use sensationalistic news coverage to attract and keep more viewers and readers, driving up their ratings and revenue.
Fear and anger can be used to manipulate public opinion. By portraying certain groups or individuals as threats, politicians can shape public opinion and rally support for their policies. Similarly, the media can use fear and anger to influence public opinion, shaping the way people think about certain issues and events.
Fear and anger distract the public from other issues. By focusing on sensationalistic news coverage or divisive political rhetoric, politicians can deflect attention away from the real issues that impact reality. Similarly, the media can use sensationalism to distract people from other important news stories or events.
The Media Is An Arm Of The Political Class
The media and politicians work together to create as much fear and anger as they possibly can. Politicians use sensationalistic language or dog-whistle politics to appeal to certain groups, while the media amplifies these messages through their coverage.
Have you watched or seen a political speech lately? Notice how much of it is spent demonizing the other side, and how little is spent on anything of substance?
The media focuses on sensationalistic stories or controversial events and presents them as two distinct realities, while politicians use these issues to promote their agenda or rally support.
Demonization – Creating a fear of “the Other”
By portraying those with different views as enemies or traitors, politicians mobilize their base and create an us-versus-them mentality.
Humans evolved to be highly social creatures who rely on group membership for survival and reproduction. In modern societies, evolutionary tendencies can lead to negative outcomes such as polarization and tribalism.
Tribalism is the tendency of humans to form strong social bonds with others who share similar beliefs, values, or attitudes, which can lead to the formation of distinct cultural groups or “tribes.”
When people become too focused on their own group identity and see other groups as threats, it can lead to conflict, prejudice, and discrimination. The fear of “the other” is the fear of people who are perceived to be different from oneself, such as people from other cultures, races, or religions.
Describing the other side as less-than-human can have devastating consequences. By comparing Jews to rats, the Nazis were able to portray them as vermin, pests, and disease carriers. This dehumanizing language helped to justify the inhumane treatment of Jews, such as forced relocation to ghettos, concentration camps, and ultimately, the mass extermination in gas chambers during the Holocaust.
Dehumanizing the enemy has played a key role in many of the most atrocious acts committed by humans.
By using fear and anger to motivate, manipulate, and distract the public, the political class and their media puppets shape public opinion, drive up ratings and revenue, and advance their agendas.
It is important to recognize the role of fear and anger in the political process and to work towards a more constructive and inclusive political culture.
Polarization Leads To More Polarization
One of the most intractable aspects of the problem is that social and political division often becomes a vicious cycle, where polarization leads to more polarization. In other words, as people become more polarized, they are more likely to engage in behaviors that increase polarization, creating a cycle that is difficult to break.
When people only engage with others who share their beliefs, they are more likely to become even more extreme in their views. In these echo chambers, people receive only one-sided information that reinforces their existing beliefs and biases.
Unfortunately, this cycle of polarization can be difficult to break. As people become more polarized, they tend to engage in behaviors that further reinforce their beliefs and create more polarization. However, breaking the cycle of polarization is crucial for the health of democracy and society.
The Media in General
The media in general is one of the main causes of division and polarization in America.
Today’s media is just an arm of the political parties. The political class and their lackeys in the media together drive anger and polarization to ever higher levels.
As media outlets become more polarized, they increasingly cater to their audiences by only presenting information that aligns with their beliefs. This leads to even greater polarization, as people become more entrenched in their beliefs and more resistant to opposing viewpoints.
The media just about always sensationalizes news stories and never provides a balanced perspective. Instead, they pit one side against the other. They appeal to our emotions to drive anger and outrage. The media is compromised and is actively harming the country. The fact that the media is owned by those who profit from polarization is a major impediment to promoting cooperation.
Until the mainstream media is reformed, or the majority of people stop tunning into the platforms that drive division at the cost of progress, we are going to have a hard time reducing polarization.
Cable News Specifically
Cable news is one of the most divisive forces in America – they are simply arms of the political party. They are not “news” outlets in terms of providing any kind of reporting in reality. They are propaganda arms of their respective political party, end of story.
Neither side provides an honest or balanced perspective. They focus on the most controversial topics presented in only one light. Making people angry is the primary business model of most news outlets. It’s a huge reason why everyone is so angry all the time.
I can’t believe the side I don’t like did that!
It’s Always The Incentives
The media incentives are not about educating us about the issues or moving us forward as a country. The media exists to make money and serve the interest of the owners. Driving anger and distrust serves both those purposes.
Keeping people informed about reality is not profitable.
To sell ads media needs to keep us watching. Arousing our emotions by pissing us off is the best way to keep us watching. And by highlighting distractions and obsessing over our differences, corporate owners keep us from focusing on the real issues that are driving so many of our problems.
Additionally, some media owners see their “news” arm as a marketing play. They can afford to break even, or lose money, so long as their larger empire is served. If a talking head sways an election that results in a big contract for an entirely different division, that is fine with them.
Social Media
By design, social media is quick and easy to digest. Social media algorithms and echo chambers create an environment where individuals are only exposed to opinions and viewpoints that align with their existing beliefs.
When people are only exposed to one side of the story, it makes it impossible to understand why a reasonable person might have a different opinion.
Memes that hit the emotions spread the fastest. Complexity and nuance do not play well with social media.
By trivializing the world around us, and reducing reality to soundbites and headlines, social media makes understanding the complex world we live in much more difficult.
Politics and Elections
The two political parties are in constant battle, never agreeing on anything in public (of course behind closed doors they agree to keep making their corporate owners wealthy and wealthier). When people are constantly being bombarded with the news of the latest fight between the Democrats and Republicans, it only leads to more division and anger.
Our “politics” is just a bunch of hypocritical, ignorant monsters (on both sides) pointing the finger at everyone else, denouncing anyone who dares not agree with 100 percent of what they (at least pretend to) believe as less than human.
Disingenuous Leaders
While there is a lot of our culture that drives polarization, much of the blame falls on the horrible leadership we’ve had for decades.
Partisanship is more important than compromise, so we have a system that primarily benefits the wealthy while making life for the middle class more and more difficult.
And it’s not just the president, all elected officials have been negligent in their efforts to bring the country together. The president is more like a lightning rod, they take all the blame, while behind them the monsters keep driving us into oblivion.1 It’s similar to the NFL, where Roger Goodell gets paid to be hated, while the owners keep printing money
Just about all our politicians use extreme rhetoric, demonize those who hold different opinions, and refuse to engage in constructive dialogue with those who have opposing views.
Their goal isn’t to help us. Their goal is to stay in power.
Politics is a self-selecting mechanism for giving more and more power to the worst kinds of people.
Disingenuous leaders say one thing and do another. And when people feel like they can’t trust their leaders, it only leads to more division and anger. Charles Barkley said it well:
Charles Barkley on lousy politicians
Language
Politicians often engage in dog-whistle politics, using coded language or symbolism to appeal to certain groups while sending a message that is often divisive or exclusionary. This type of messaging can drive political divisions and reinforce existing prejudices and stereotypes.
Our leaders refuse to engage in constructive dialogue with those who have opposing views. Rather than working to find common ground and compromise, politicians double down on their positions and refuse to consider alternative viewpoints.
They care about the tweets, not progress.
“Owning” the other side as a business model is fine for a blogger, not for elected officials.
Our lousy leaders make it all but impossible to find solutions to complex problems.
Eroding Trust
The behavior of our leaders has resulted in a complete lack of trust in government and public institutions. When politicians engage in divisive rhetoric and fail to deliver on their promises, it erodes public confidence in the political system and further entrenches political divisions.
The Election Process Generally
The election process is also a major cause of division and polarization in America. This is because the process is often unfair and biased. And when people feel like their voices are not being heard, it only leads to more division and anger.
For all that’s great about our political system, many aspects of it contribute to polarization.
The election system is broken and prevents voters from holding their elected representatives accountable for their horrible mismanagement.
The Primary System in Particular
The primary system is one of the most divisive forces in American politics. Primaries are dominated by party activists, who tend to be more extreme in their political views. This means candidates who are more extreme in their views are favored in primaries, leading to the selection of candidates who are less likely to reach out to voters with different views.
Additionally, the two-party system limits our choice. In many states, people who don’t want to be classified as belonging to another party and select “independent” don’t get to participate in the primary process, which is where a lot of the trouble is starting.
Reasonable people are at a huge disadvantage when trying to get the Democratic or Republican nomination.
Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering is another major reason the election system increases polarization. Gerrymandering (drawing district lines in a way that favors one political party over another) results in districts that are heavily skewed towards one party, leading to a lack of political competition and further polarization
The goal of the dishonest politicians who draw the lines is to create “safe” districts, where the party that holds the district is virtually guaranteed to win the election. Candidates from the dominant party only have to appeal to their base and can safely ignore the broader constituency.
When people feel like their voices are not being heard, it only leads to more division and anger. The problem of gerrymandering is not getting fixed because the corrupt leaders who run both the parties like things just like they are.
The current election system exacerbates political polarization. Gerrymandering, the primary process, negative campaigning, and a focus on winning at all costs all contribute to reduced competition, extreme candidates, and a lack of compromise.
To reduce polarization, we have to reform the election system, perhaps by implementing ranked-choice voting or other approaches that encourage greater political competition rather than posturing.
Political Ideology
In a two-party system like America’s the parties often have to take extreme positions to differentiate themselves from one another and appeal to their base.
One of the results of so much propaganda from the media and our elected leaders is that so many of us end up in boxes and we’re all but forced to go along with the political ideology of our party, whether or not it’s helpful for us as individuals. Issues like taxes, spending, government regulations, and on and on.
When our leaders and their media regurgitators refuse to even contemplate common ground, it only leads to more division and anger.
Even though we all know it’s ridiculous, the loudest voices unceasingly tell us there are two and only two diametrically opposed sides to every issue. We all have to fall under one of the two sides, and the opposing side is irredeemably and sub-human.
We need political leaders as well as media figures to fight back against this catastrophic narrative.
“We’re not blue states or red states, we’re the United States.”
I could have sworn I saw Obama say this, but the internet disagrees.
Negative ads
Rather than focusing on policy issues and presenting a positive vision for the future, politicians rely on attack ads and character assassinations.
By engaging in negative campaigning, they don’t tell us their ideas, they tell us how horrible the other person is.
This type of campaigning can be highly effective in rallying their base and energizing supporters, but it turns off moderate voters and entrenches divisions.
Identity politics
Many (most) of the media and political leaders want us to think of ourselves as members of just one group. Identity politics refers to the practice of basing political beliefs and affiliations on group identities, such as race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. When individuals begin to see themselves primarily as members of a particular group, they are less likely to engage with those outside of that group, leading to greater polarization.
Human Nature, Biology, and “The Truth”
Human nature and biology are also major causes of division and polarization in America.
Our biology is strong. We’ve been evolving for millions of years – the first homo sapiens date back about 200,000 years, and the first civilizations (we think) popped up just about 20,000 years ago. In such a short evolutionary time, we just haven’t evolved past the more primitive parts of our biological makeup.
Biologically, we’re still living in small tribes wandering around, ever-vigilant of being eaten by a tiger.
People are naturally inclined to group with people who are like them. And when people are only exposed to the opinions of those who are like them, it leads to more division and anger.
We experience “the other” like we would a tiger, or a tribe coming to take our food or threaten our fellow tribe members.
Cognitive Biases
Cognitive biases lead to people’s emotions taking over, and it clouds their judgment. And when people are clouded by their emotions, they don’t see the other side of the story.
Confirmation Bias
There are many biases, but perhaps the most relevant when it comes to polarization is confirmation bias. Psychologists tell us that our biology encourages us to dig our heels in and disregard anything that challenges our ego, our belief we’re “right” and the other side is “wrong.” It’s called confirmation bias.
“What the human being is best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact.”
– Warren Buffett.
“Confirmation bias explains why two people with opposing views on a topic can see the same evidence and come away feeling validated by it,” the folks at Farnam Street write.
Credit to fs.blog
Of course, the “truth” is usually in the middle, and there is normally something valid on both sides. When we’re calm and reasonable most of us understand that. But when we’re challenged, and made to feel insecure, our emotions take over, often without us realizing it. The reptilian brain kicks in and all we want to do is feel safe and protect our ego.
Echo chambers
So-called “echo chambers” exacerbate confirmation bias. An echo chamber is a situation where people only hear viewpoints that they agree with. They get their news from sources that tell them what they want to hear, and largely only interact with people who agree with them. Echo chambers cause beliefs to grow stronger and stronger, without opposing viewpoints.
We have access to so many different sources of information, but we often only pay attention to the ones that reaffirm our beliefs.
The “illusion of explanatory depth”
The illusion of explanatory depth is a cognitive bias that causes people to overestimate their understanding of complex topics. This is because people tend to only focus on the information that supports their beliefs, and they ignore all of the information that challenges their beliefs.
Race and Ethnicity
People are often divided on issues like affirmative action, immigration, and racial quotas. When times are tough people want a scapegoat. And it’s always easier to blame someone that looks different than you.
Going back to human nature, we instinctively want to protect “our” tribe, which historically has excluded those that look different.
Religion
Religion has a lot of positive aspects and helps a lot of people contribute to the world. America guarantees everyone the right to practice religion. But oftentimes religion, rather than promoting the themes of community, cooperation, respect, and mutual understanding all religions profess to cherish, is used as a wedge to tear us apart.
Despite the message of peace at the heart of all the main world religions, hypocritical leaders manipulate religion to drive polarization and push their agenda.
At its best, religion fosters tolerance, concern for fellow man, peace, and love. But at its worse, it can be used as cover to pursue some of the evilest humans are capable of.
Fear of “the other”
Humans evolved as tribal groups and it’s in our DNA to be suspicious of anyone different from us. Particularly when humans feel insecure or afraid, we look for someone to blame, and “the other” is an easy target. When we are afraid of those who are different from us, it leads to more division and anger.
Fear of the other is usually exploited by politicians to drive fear of other races and religions. And as it appeals to our biology it can be quite powerful.
Viewing those within your group as superior to those in other groups is not a good way to foster compromise.
It takes a lot of work to overcome these physiological forces.
But we’re better than apes. We can do it.
Economic Insecurity
At the end of the day, what is driving a lot of the division is anger at the status quo. People are struggling to pay the bills, find meaning, and ensure a better life for their children. And this is in large part an economic issue.
When times are good and people feel secure, they aren’t as angry. They aren’t as concerned with their problems and their causes.
When people feel like the system is unfair, it leads to anger and resentment. When people are angry and resentful, they are more likely to look for someone to blame.
The High Cost of Living
When we can’t afford the thing we need or want, we get angry. Many of us work hard every day but still can’t seem to afford so many of the good parts of life.
You can say people should live within their budget, and you might have a point, but the fact remains that when people’s desires aren’t met, they get pissed and look for someone to blame. And “the other” is an easy target.
Increasing prices and inflation don’t help matters.
Growing Inequality
The growing gap between the haves and haves is well documented. When people that are struggling to make ends meet see that some people have a lot while others have very little, it leads to anger and resentment. Historically, inequality has been incredibly destabilizing. Populists harness the anger which can lead to lawlessness, civil war, and authoritarianism.
Making ends meet is hard enough. But what pours salt in the wounds is seeing so many others making so much more money. In contrast to blue-collar workers, those with “white-collar jobs,” particularly in tech or finance, are bringing home many times what the average worker makes.
Too many people are taking every last cent for themselves while screwing over the country as a whole. Too often, the people who make the most money are the most damaging to society.
Rewarding counter-productive behavior
And in many cases, the people making the most money aren’t actively helping anyone, and in many cases make things harder for most people. Finance types like hedge funds and private equity, lawyers, lobbyists, insurance companies, political consultants, and on and on … These parasitic professions oftentimes make the most money but are actively making life worse for all of us.
Rising inequality is one of the most important factors in the increase in polarization we’re seeing. Unless financial conditions in the middle and bottom sectors of society improve, this polarization driven by inequality is increasingly unstable.
Socio-economic segregation
America is deeply segregated by class. How much money you have largely determined the neighborhood you live in and the job you have, which determines the types of people you come in contact with. When you only interact with people like you, it makes it much more difficult to see things from different points of view. This is another economic factor that drives polarization.
Education Generally
Our education system is segregated. We have schools that are predominantly white or black, and students are only being exposed to information that aligns with their political beliefs. This leads to a lot of misunderstanding and anger. When we’re not exposed to those who are different than us, it leads to us being more polarized.
Because education and where you live have such a big impact on your economic potential, the education system contributes to inequality.
Higher Education Specifically
The high cost of higher education often keeps people from different socioeconomic backgrounds from attending the same schools. This leads to them being segregated into different groups, and it increases the divide between them.
The curriculum in higher education is often designed to make people more polarized. For example, some classes are only designed to teach students about their own political beliefs. This leads to more misunderstanding and anger. When we’re not exposed to those who are different than us, it leads to us being more polarized.
There Are Powerful, Ingrained Forces Driving Polarization
All of these factors have led to a great deal of division and polarization in our country. It’s important to understand that many of those who have power and wealth are fine with polarization because it keeps us distracted. If we are obsessed with how terrible or stupid the other side is, politicians are in the clear. We can’t unite to hold them accountable for the status quo.
As Matt Taibbi writes:
“As it turns out, there is a utility in keeping us divided. As people, the more separate we are, the more politically impotent we become.”
The people in power want us divided.
How Can We Fix Polarization?
We can’t keep going down the path we are on. We’re just drifting further and further apart. And the incentives of the media rewarding those that drive division, along with the primary system are making things progressively worse.
With the powers that be keen on keeping us hating each other, turning the tide toward civility and cooperation is one of the biggest challenges we are facing.
But it can be done, it has to be done. The alternative is another civil war. OR we just calcify as a country and are overtaken by countries with functioning governments.
The first thing we need to identify is the goals, the things we want to see.
The Goal – Unify the Country
We need to find a way to come together and unify our country. Despite what the media tell us, there is still so much more that unites us than divides us.
At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, we just might disagree on how the best way to get there.
We want to be and feel safe, to be able to enjoy friends and family, a job we like, a better future for our kids, to be healthy, to be able to trust the government and business leaders, and less suffering in America and the world and on and on.
The goal is to unify the country around these shared ideals rather than dividing the country into two, forcing people to take sides and ostracizing whoever doesn’t fall in line.
Despite the bad news, there is still reason for hope. It’s a new age. Technology and innovation are transforming the world every day.
There are things that we can do to come together and start healing the divisions in our country.
We need to find a way to come together and have productive conversations about the issues that are important to us. We need to learn how to disagree without being disagreeable. Otherwise, we’re going to continue tearing each other apart and our country will suffer for it.
Solutions to Division and Polarization in America
Here are some strategies to reduce polarization in America.
Reform the media
Perhaps the most important element of reducing polarization is to reform the media. The media has a huge role in shaping public opinion, and with its focus on outrage, it’s exacerbating the problem. The media tends to focus on the extremes, and it rarely accurately reflects the views of most Americans.
You can go on social media and call out divisive talking heads. Call them out as #counterProductive.
Reform the Election Process
The election system in America has all kinds of problems. To reduce polarization, the way we conduct elections and vote needs serious reform, starting with the primary process and gerrymandering.
As Jennifer McCoy and Benjamin Press wirte for The Carnegie Endowment:
“Lessons from abroad give us some hints: reforms such as shifting to a proportional representation system (as New Zealand did in the 1990s) and/or using ranked choice voting in multimember districts (such as in Ireland) could break up America’s rigid binary logic, give voters more choice, and allow for coalition-building to ease the gridlock.”
Address societal factors generally
People are struggling and that makes them angry. If we make the economic conditions worsen, it’s only going to exacerbate the problem. We need to find ways to make the economy better for everyone, and we need to do it now. We can start by promoting upward mobility.
Align incentives
We’ve got to align the incentives of business with those of society at large. We should stop rewarding companies that play a role in driving polarization.
Read More >>
Leverage the multiplier effect
By employing strategies that build on each other, we can create a virtuous cycle that helps everything. A rising tide lifts all boats. When we help others, they’re more likely to help us. When we make the economy better for everyone, it helps reduce division and polarization. We can build on what already exists and keep the momentum of progress going.
“Tone down the rhetoric”
The talking heads in the media responsible for all problems love to pay lip service to “toning down the rhetoric.” The media and political leaders have to stop all the yelling and screaming. Calling the other side the devil/Hitler is just not constructive. Explain to us why they are so bad, God forbid even try to see things from their point of view. Then explain to us clearly what your better idea is.
We need to find ways to tone down the rhetoric and have more productive conversations. Finding ways to come together and have productive conversations. We need to learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.
The national temperature has been running way too hot for way too long, and we all just need to relax, avoid distractions, focus on what matters, and make progress.
Promote Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and feel what another person is feeling. When we can empathize with others, it helps us see things from their perspective. And when we can see things from other people’s perspectives, it helps us reduce polarization and division.
Give People Meaning
One way to reduce inequality is to give people a sense of purpose. So many people are struggling to find meaning in their lives. They work (or sometimes don’t) and come home, but the pressure of paying bills and all the other stresses of modern life can make it difficult to find something meaningful in their lives.
In many cases, getting angry and hating other groups is how we find meaning. The attempt is two-pronged.
- Make people’s lives easier so that they aren’t always angry. This is mostly an economic issue.
- Find constructive things people can do. This is more about the way society is.
When people are struggling, they often feel like they have no purpose in life. And when people feel like they have no purpose, they tend to become more polarized and divided. But when people have a sense of purpose, it can help them find common ground.
Reduce Inequality
Reducing inequality is one of the best ways to help reduce polarization and division in America. When people are struggling, they get angry. And we know what happens when people get angry. We need to find ways to make the economy better for everyone, and we need to do it now.
Stronger Communities
We need to find ways to build stronger communities. Everything starts at the local level. If we have strong communities we improve the local community. Small businesses thrive and jobs are created. Additionally, building strong communities means involving a diverse group of people. It helps to create a sense of understanding and respect for others.
- Where we feel safe
- Where we feel a part of the neighborhood
- Where we get along with each other
Community service gives people a chance to work together towards a common goal. It also helps people see that we’re all in this together and that we all have to help each other.
Take Personal Responsibility
“The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing”
-Albert Einstein
It’s not easy to take responsibility. It often means admitting that we’re wrong, and it can be difficult to face up to our mistakes.
If you think all the problems in the world are caused by “the other side” then it might be time to take a look at yourself and the world around you.
Each of us (or as many as possible) taking responsibility for our positive or negative contribution to the situation in America today is the only way forward.
Blaming the other side, without any kind of accountability for your side, or business and media leaders is just not going to move the needle.
Citizens taking personal responsibility is essential if we want to reduce polarization and division in America. When we take responsibility, we’re acknowledging that we have a role in the problem.
Taking Personal Responsibility >>
Take the no-hate challenge
“The best fighter is never angry.”
― Lao Tzu
Take a week or even better a month, to not criticize the other side and instead criticize your side. Hat tip to Jesse S. Smith.
Reducing Division is On Us
We need to take action if we want to see change. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it starts with each one of us.
We need to be the change we want to see in America.
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