Greg Munford

It’s About Power

We, as Americans, cherish the freedom and right to disagree—which we do, often deeply about important issues that need resolution. But polarization undermines that freedom by tightening prejudices rather than opening thought, thus diminishing the chances for finding resolutions and moving forward. So while polarization may feel like a righteous champion of freedom and right, it is in fact just the opposite—a stick jammed in the spokes of the democratic discourse of freedom. Here are some of the common ways it does it:

SEDUCES with loaded, heated language and childish name-calling that appeals more to emotion that reason.
BLINKERS by using cherry-picked facts, and ignoring or mocking opposing arguments and evidence rather than actually addressing them.
TRIVIALIZES by focusing on “straw-man” issues whose value in re-enforcing biases is clearly greater than their substance.
BULLIES by making you feel like a dupe or a traitor if you even listen to the other side.
FLATTERS with language and a tone that makes you feel like an insider, who, of course, agrees with them because you “get it” … just like they do.
FRIGHTENS by portraying the other side as not just wrong, but a dangerous, evil enemy, replete with wicked hidden agendas.
“CLANS,” that is, plays the “us vs. them” identity politics game of associating the other view with groups or people (implicitly) “inferior” to “us.”
“TRIBES” by using the knowing winks and nods of sarcasm, coded language, words in quotes (suggesting they’re misleading) and innuendo which you, as a member of the tribe, of course, will understand without explanation or justification.

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: