Because the election mud settles, one factor stays unchanged: America is deeply divided.
Simply as earlier than the election, many are hyper-focused on the intense concepts and actions of their opponents. Democrats are shocked that so many may overlook Trump’s excessive habits, as they see it: his high-conflict strategy to management, his disrespect for democratic processes. Whereas Trump’s supporters see his win as proof supporting he view that the left has grown more and more excessive and out-of-touch.
However few see that our poisonous divides are a part of a self-reinforcing cycle—that the hostile, contemptuous behaviors of each political teams contributes to the very extremity on the “other side” that bothers them.
In main conflicts, it’s simple for individuals on each “sides” to consider it’s the “other side” that’s the extra excessive and unreasonable aggressor. How somebody decides which group is worse will depend upon how they filter the immense quantity of knowledge round us and the way they prioritize its significance.
Let’s look first at demeaning, threatening behaviors on the left.
Earlier than Trump was elected, liberals usually painted him and his supporters within the worst potential mild. Many influential individuals promoted the narrative that Trump help was primarily about bigotry, regardless of that view of issues being simplistic and biased. Many minor and ambiguous statements by Trump have been interpreted in extremely pessimistic and sure methods. There have been many biased and irresponsible tales concerning the Trump/Russia story.
Join The Fulcrum publication
These approaches bolstered the narrative that Republicans have been beneath assault by an institution that handled them in biased and unfair methods. Such approaches helped give Republicans causes for supporting aggressive and contemptuous responses (just like the sorts that Trump engages in).
To be clear, this isn’t responsible political toxicity on Democrats, nor to let Republicans off the hook.
For one factor, Trump’s divisive character might be seen as enjoying a job in making the left extra offended and excessive.
On the fitting, an oft-heard view is that the left has turn out to be considerably extra excessive, whereas Republican-side stances have remained largely the identical. (A preferred meme by Colin Wright and shared by Elon Musk promoted this view.)
It’s true that some liberal-side stances have grown extra excessive. Liberals’ views on immigration have shifted quickly; their help of gender identity-related concepts grew quickly; anti-police views multiplied quickly in 2020.
However what the concentrate on alleged liberal extremity misses is that teams in battle are by no means symmetrical. What Trump and a Trump-dominated GOP contribute to our divides can’t be outlined by political stances alone. Trump’s divisive nature—his selling mistrust of the legitimacy of elections, his frequent speak of “enemies” and retribution—these traits are perceived by many as dangerously excessive, however have little to do with concern stances or coverage.
Trump is somebody who has lengthy been identified for an aggressive, contemptuous type of management. (To study extra about that, I like to recommend Trumped!, a guide about his Atlantic Metropolis days.) Trump has stated a number of forms of the concept when somebody hits him, he’ll hit again ten occasions as arduous: that’s the very definition of somebody who amplifies battle.
And one can see this facet of Trump even whereas being a Trump supporter. A gung-ho pro-Trump acquaintance instructed me he noticed Trump’s character as being like “gasoline on the fire” of our divides.
It’s simple to see how Trump’s aggressive rhetoric may shift some liberal stances. For instance, his manner of speaking about immigration may also help clarify Democrats turning into extra pro-immigration. Seeing him as merciless and aggressive on that concern would end in Democrats feeling extra protecting of immigrants.
It’s potential to debate Trump’s degree of bigotry, however there’ve been many issues he’s accomplished that may understandably be perceived as bigoted. To call one instance: the time he instructed 4 Democratic congresspeople to “go back and help fix” the nations they got here from—although solely one of many 4 was born in another country. He has related to excessive individuals like Nick Fuentes, and has stated that immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of America.
Trump’s character and choices, whether or not as a result of important bigotry or not, have made it simpler for individuals to consider the “racism explains his popularity” narrative. That view in flip elevated demand amongst anti-Trump People for concepts that purported to seek out proof of all of the racism round us—racial fairness and different antiracism-associated concepts—whilst a lot of these concepts can simply be criticized as simplistic and divisive.
Trump’s aggressive character has created numerous dislike (even amongst these with comparable views). And once we dislike individuals, we discover ourselves desirous to be not like them. One other potential instance of this dynamic enjoying out: After Trump’s 2016 win, the Democratic Socialists of America reported an enormous upswing in membership.
As journalist Damon Linker has argued, Trump’s election resulted in Democrats “staking out positions understood to be the diametric opposite of Trump’s stated stance.” (An necessary phrase there may be “understood,” because it’s frequent for us to have distorted, overly pessimistic perceptions of our opponents.)
Professional-Trump Republicans needs to be keen to think about that Trump’s contemptuous method has been a think about making liberal-side beliefs extra excessive. And Democrats needs to be keen to look at how liberal-side contempt has led to creating Republicans extra excessive.
After all this isn’t the one issue that explains modifications in stances or in partisan hostility during the last a number of many years. There are a lot of extra components (social media, for one)—but it surely’s a chunk of the puzzle extra of us ought to take into account. Once we see how intertwined and linked our political teams are, it helps us see that contemptuous approaches don’t simply amplify battle; they’re self-defeating.
If we wish to keep away from worst-case situations in America and construct a brighter future, we’ll want extra individuals to consider the position they play in amplifying toxicity. We’ll want extra individuals to see that it’s in their very own greatest curiosity—and the nation’s—to work in the direction of their political targets whereas avoiding demeaning these on the “other side.” We’ll want extra individuals to push again on divisive approaches amongst their political friends and allies.
This isn’t simple. Many forces, each inside and exterior, push us towards extra battle and provocations. However leaders daring sufficient to encourage us to transcend toxicity could sooner or later be celebrated as true American heroes within the historical past books.
Zachary Elwood is the creator of “Defusing American Anger” and the host of the psychology podcast Folks Who Learn Folks.
