We Americans need to take a couple steps back and breathe. We are letting identity politics fray our national fabric, and the resulting tattered garment is not long for this global wardrobe. The terms ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ are used far more often as pejorative terms for ‘the other side’ than they are to denote real differences in political philosophy. We’ve become more about damning the opposition — who, by the way, are our own brethren — than we have about creating and maintaining a stable and equitable solution to that upon which we disagree.
One only has to take a look at the comments section of a political story in any online news publication to see the festering cesspool of name calling, barbed attacks, red herrings, and straw men that dominate our discourse. A story involving our nation, our states, or their leaders is no longer examined for its content. Instead, the motives and bias of the media are scrutinized, followed by the reasons for the attention the piece receives, and then blame is attributed to the other side of the political spectrum for the popularity or cover-up of the original event. This happens on both ’sides’ — and I use that term because there no longer appears to be a recognized middle ground – and all we’re left with is a deeper rift between us.
If a term must be coined for this era of American politics and discourse, I deem it the Cold Civil War. Much like the U.S. and the U.S.S.R in the latter half of the 20th century, we have built up massive arsenals (ours with divisive rhetoric instead of ICBMs) and seem on the brink of an incident ensuring our mutual destruction. Much like the Union and Confederacy in the 1860s, we are segregated only somewhat by location but remain brothers locked in an unfortunate struggle that undermines what used to be our common goal.
Liberals and Conservatives alike: Heed this warning and realize that we need not be polarized by the fringe elements of our ideologies who seek only to divide us further for their own gain. Realize that we have more in common and less that divides us; that a crack in a sidewalk does not a chasm make. We may have a long journey ahead and little faith in our leadership to guide us correctly, but we need not be enemies simply because our intended routes differ. We must talk but not yell, and listen instead of simply waiting for our turn to speak. Blame and finger pointing must be traded in for willingness to accept the onus of the job that lies ahead. We are, after all, brothers.
