One popular political theme we explored this season on the Communication TwentyFourSeven podcast deals with political tribalism. In the political sense, Tribalism refers to one’s tendency to demonize individuals from across the political aisle. This dismisses their views and paints them as enemies rather than intellectual counterparts, contributing to the “us versus them” mentality that is so prevalent in politics.
Political historian and analyst Mike Anderson joined our podcast to discuss the genetic foundations for conservative and liberal worldviews, the causes of divisiveness in our current political landscape, and how we can fix it. It’s a fascinating and engaging conversation you don’t want to miss! Click here to listen to the episode.
Nowadays, engaging in political discussion can feel daunting, like a chore, and even scary. When our political landscape is so fraught with tensions, and our politicians seem so out of touch with the average American, is it even worth it? The answer is: yes.
It will indeed take much more than one person or conversation to lessen the tribal atmosphere that has predominated our politics. Anything less than a united effort led by public figures collaborating from both sides will probably fail when it comes to the systemic changes most of us would like to see. However, while we as individuals may not be able to heal our divides nationwide, there are actions we can take to do that in our communities and among our loved ones.
Here are some simple rules to remember that may help lower the temperature around political discussion.
Just because we have different views doesn’t mean we’re enemies - This goes back to what I said in my introduction. We can’t even think about having a civil discussion until we stop thinking about it in terms of winning and losing and start thinking about it as an exchange of ideas. It’s important to remember that most of our political views are born out of the same desire to improve our country. We just have different methods of execution.
Don’t judge a book by its cover - This may seem obvious for anyone who has graduated junior high, but more often than not, the exact opposite of this phrase seems to be the norm in politics. In a tribal environment, we tend to create a monolith in our minds about those who are not in our group. This makes productive conversation almost impossible. It’s very easy to dismiss someone else when we think we know what they’re going to say and why they’re going to say it.
Treat others as you would like to be treated - This golden rule encapsulates the other two and requires a little bit of empathy. Remember: our lived experiences and views may differ wildly, but we all have value and deserve to be listened to and treated with respect.
As I mentioned previously, reintroducing civility and respect to our political dialogue is no easy task, but we have to start somewhere. These precepts can help to rehumanize those we disagree with. As Gandhi once said: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” and I believe that most of us want to see a change in our political discourse. If enough of us live out Gandhi’s words, the change we see around our dinner tables may just end up in Washington.
Is tribalism a problem in American politics? If so, what can be done to fix it?
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