Politics in the United States is strongly polarized and while that's nothing new, it may come as a surprise to some readers that the issues around which we polarized have changed many times.
The pernicious nonsense of "two movies, one screen" conceals more than it reveals -- and privileges subjective reaction over objective reality. Elected representative bodies are intended as a hedge against precisely that, chambers where opposing or diverging opinions must seek common ground and compromise. While they can often become a platform for grandiose posturing, the real work comes in debate and discussion.
The United States is on our sixth or seventh party system, depending on how you parse them, and there is nothing in our history to suggest that either one of the two major parties will endure. Parties have faded away and been replaced several times, and reinvented themselves under the old name at least as often.
The run-up to the 2024 elections promises to be historic, and events may result in another major realignment. There's going to be a lot of spin and angst, a lot of effort to hang meaning on actions and events that can speak for themselves -- if we will make the effort to peer past the partisan lenses. It's easy to get people riled; it's difficult to get them to turn to Page 10 to read the dull details. And it's almost impossible to convey the details in a sound bite or a minute-long TV piece. The more salacious or lurid a thing is, the more likely someone's trying to get you to react emotionally. Look for direct quotes. Look for solid evidence. Did that public figure say or do the thing they're accused of doing?
I've been deeply disappointed by Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter. He hasn't done much for free speech, despite bold talk early on. He's shown himself to be vain and shallow, a man whose political opinions are about as worthless as those of Henry Ford. Ford did the most good when he shut up and focused on building affordable cars and the vehicles that helped win WW II; Musk would do well to emulate him by concentrating on rockets and global Internet access.
Buckle up. It's going to get a lot weirder before it gets any better. If it ever does.
“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!” - HST
ReplyDeleteAccording to Neil "Fourth Turning" Howe's latest book, we can look for things to sort our circa 2032.
ReplyDeleteNine more years in this fourth turning, hoo boy. And I got a three year head start by having the luck to be in Katrina in 2005. Kind of done with it, can we just get back to backyard barbecues with our neighbors-of-any-stripe already?
"It's going to get a lot weirder before it gets any better. If it ever does."
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, you nailed it right there.