It’s About Power

This week…sadly, with the passing of Senator John McCain, the pro- and anti-McCain forces, within the Republican Party, lined up and opened fire, serving as a reminder that polarization cuts across party lines because polarization is not about ideology, it’s about power. For the polarizer, the rhetoric of ideals, principles and ideology are carelessly used as a lever, a recruiting banner, a seduction that contaminates the propositions it purports to promote because it is a “scorched earth” tactic that works by destruction,  deception and distortion. And every week, every month, as the rancor grows and poison spreads, it weakens more and more of the foundation of the American idea, the ability to resolve disagreements – which is the mechanism of freedom. The only question is, when do we cross the point of no return?

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 week’s polarizing headlines, from the left and right: