The United States of America has been the gold standard of democracy for hundreds of years. This system we created has influenced many countries in Latin America, Asia, and Europe as they have adopted democratic constitutions and elected presidents, separate from the legislature. We have formed a precedent on how our way of government has succeeded, but we are now seeing several cracks in our solid foundation.
In the past, politics were just a topic of discussion, but this has changed in recent years. Citizens have become afraid to speak their minds, fearing attacks due to their beliefs. However, others want to be divisive and will purposely stir up conflicts. As a society, we have reached a point where politics are so polarized that most people won’t even bring up these issues. But how did we get here?
This project explores how political polarization has impacted us on several levels. We have grown an intense loyalty to our party, normalized both toxicity in our discourse and political violence, and the media has taken control of the narratives we consume. It is important to understand these factors so we can make the changes to better ourselves and our communities.
I had a lot of success communicating my thoughts on this topic with several people at the showcase and others in the community. As discussed in my booklet, people want to have these difficult conversations because they know that talking is one of the best ways to bridge the gaps in our thinking. I invite you to read over my research and start to have conversations with those you don’t agree with in your community, so we can stop the polarization and build back to a peaceful political environment.