Growing Asymmetry in the Rhetoric of Polarization

This week…as a reader pointed out last week, there seems to be a growing asymmetry in the rhetoric of polarization: While the right is brimming with accusations of “the left,” the left tends to point more and more not to ”the right,” but to specific individuals on the right. Mostly, of course, President Trump. And for good reason. The ideologically idiosyncratic Donald Trump clearly has thrown a wrench in the neat category of “right.” So the left is not sure where or what, exactly, the best target is. Which serves as a reminder that the danger of polarization is not a matter of right vs left – though that is how it typically manifests. The danger of polarization is that it is the lingua franca of authoritarianism – of declamation over discourse, division over resolution, emotion over thought, tribalism over reason, power over persuasion.

When reading these examples, check the above list and ask yourself: regardless of whether you agree or disagree, is this really advancing an intelligent resolution through the persuasive, rational arguments of advocacy…or simply fueling the fire of conflict through the divisive, emotional manipulations of polarization?

Here are just a few of the blue and red polarizing headlines from the past week.

Blue Headlines

‘Authoritarianism’ Is Just Another Right-Wing Euphemism For ‘Stuff We Don’t Like’

Cowardly Republicans ignore Trump’s John McCain slurs because it’s ‘not worth inflaming GOP voters’

Bill Barr Did Some Impressive Gymnastics To Avoid Arresting Trump

RNC Blasted By America For Bigoted Anti-Irish St. Patrick’s Day Tweet

Hate Runs High In Counties Hosting Trump Rallies

Red Headlines

The Left’s Weakness: “Deep, burning class rage.”

Truth Be Told The Democrats Have Become Hostile To Civilization

Leftists Use Everything As An Excuse To Hurt Those Who Disagree With Them

Progressivism, Where Time Stands Still

Well, Yes. But To The Left, That’s The Whole Point: Abolishing Electoral College Will Disenfranchise Much Of America

More to explore

‘Braver Angels really helped me to see the humanity in people from the other side’: One high schooler’s journey to better political conversations

06/18/2026 No Comments

A native of Boulder, Colorado, Mia didn’t know many Trump supporters—and she was nervous to engage with them. “I was like, ‘Don’t they hate women? Don’t they hate black people?’” she said. “That was my initial belief because that’s what I had heard about people who voted for Trump.” But she quickly realized she was wrong. During the first Braver Lens session, Mia was able to connect with conservatives in the group and recognize their points of commonality. “When we met, they showed their pictures, and explained their life stories, and I was able to see where our values overlap,” she said.

How a Christian conservative found his way to Braver Angels

06/09/2026 No Comments

As a young man, Daniel’s father emerged from a broken, dysfunctional home looking for direction and found it while attending a Billy Graham crusade in Chicago. There, he “walked forward”—committing himself to Jesus Christ and changing the trajectory of his family. Not long after, he married Daniel’s mom, a Christian convert whose grandparents sought refuge in America after escaping pogroms in Europe.

Announcing Braver Angels Advisory Council

06/05/2026 No Comments

Twenty-three leaders who disagree on many things said yes to the same thing this month. They agreed to stand together, publicly, behind the idea that Americans can hold fast to their convictions while staying genuinely curious about the convictions of people on the other side. That’s it. That’s the commitment. For more than nine years, Braver Angels has reached people in every state in the union. The ones who’ve engaged have experienced something that surprises them every time: the relief of disagreeing without contempt, and the discovery that the person across the table is not who the feed said they were.