POLITICS: The Left and the Right - More in Common than We Think?
I have always been 'amused' by the recent popular trend of "Americans are more polarized today than ever" or "America is divided into two today more than ever" and have actually just discussed about this subject with a friend couple days ago, before I saw the below article.
I also have never believed that America today is more or less divided than ever before and have always believed that the division has always been there. I am actually attributing the advancement of technology, internet and news to be the main contributors of making America is "seemingly" more divided these days than in the past.
I also believe this is not the case only applicable to America. If you're not Americans and reading this post/article, ask yourself or look around you: "Are people from polar political sides in my country more or less or equally divided today than in the past?", which is why I believe it has more to do with the flow of information from different medias than anything or anyone else.
At the end of the day, I guess the below article indicated - and so I believe - that "labels" and generalizations mean a little. I personally can't label myself as a "conservative" or a "liberal" because I am always opening the possibilities of aligning myself with either sides on different issues, which is probably why I can't take comments (or "analysis" as they like to call them these days) of pundits from the extreme section of both sides.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0811/p09s02-coop.html
Left and right have more in common than you think
• David Boaz is executive vice president of the Cato Institute and author of 'Libertarianism: A Primer.' ©Los Angeles Times.
The country is polarized, we're told. Bush-haters versus Clinton-haters. Mel Gibson versus Michael Moore. Red versus blue states. Liberals and conservatives read different books, watch different networks, go to different churches.
But conservatives and liberals have more in common than you might think.
Both believe in government magic. And they want you to believe in it too. They want you to believe the president can be Superman, Santa Claus, and Mother Teresa all in one, and that he can cure poverty and racism, keep kids off drugs, and hold families together. But the world is complicated, and legislative actions often fail, backfire, have unintended consequences, or disappear into bureaucratic sinkholes.
Both ignore history. Liberals look at the 20th century's grand experiment of capitalism versus socialism and somehow conclude that what the US needs is more socialism. National health insurance, a more centralized educational system, government regulation for our most dynamic industries - in every case ignoring the historical triumph of competition and freedom. Conservatives think government can restore the world of the 1950s, ignoring the most basic lesson of history: Things change.
.... Both involve the nation in unnecessary wars. Conservatives think the US should send troops anywhere its vital interests are threatened, and they have a very expansive definition of "vital interests." Liberals like to send troops anywhere US interests are not threatened - it seems less greedy and Republican. That's why they get excited about sending troops to Somalia, Liberia, and Bosnia.
..... And the No. 1 way liberals and conservatives are alike: Both think they can run your life better than you can. Liberals want to raise taxes because they can spend your money better than you can. They don't believe in school choice because you're not capable of choosing a school for your children. They think they can handle your healthcare, retirement, and charitable contributions better than you can. Conservatives want to censor cable TV because you're too dumb to decide what your family should watch. They want to ban drugs, pornography, gambling, and gay marriage because you just don't know what's good for you.
The reality is, Americans aren't as polarized as the pundits say. Most want government out of their pocketbooks and personal lives. They want civil liberties and lower taxes. And they feel free to reject both liberals and conservatives when their ideas don't make sense.
posted by Sleepless in San Francisco at Wednesday, August 11, 2004
2 Comments:
Absolutely flawless article that sums my feelings perfectly. I've tried pointing to the polarities of the past to point out that this country is no more or less divided than it's ever been, but to say my efforts have been drowned out by the media and interest groups is undertating things a bit. In order to stick to the "more polar than ever", one has to ignore the fact that about 143 years ago, the country actually did split in half and the bloodiest war this country ever endured followed. I don't think we're remotely close to that point now.
To me, the "funniest" of it all is:
There is nothing freaking wrong with being "divided" or "polarized" (choose your own poison).
It is actually a sign that we, as a country, are growing up and (theoretically) are able to accept and live with differences.
Remember when you were in 2nd or 3rd grade, you'd say to your friend "The Bengals is the best football team" and he'd say "No, it's not. It's the Packers". And this exchange probably ended up with "Your mommy is fat" and "Your daddy is ugly"?
Not unlike the mudslinging from both sides today, instead of presenting the reasons why the Bengals or the Packers is the best (which may never end up in a consensus, of course), but this is - to me - the most important thing of what separates adults and children: "living with differences"
I can use with less kindergarten-like sound-bites, though .....
:o)
--H
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