America Indivisible: Four Times Things Were Worse
Why do we think our divisions are so bad when history tells us they are probably at least average?
The river of history rushes forward. Sometimes we get tossed against the rocks of the rapids or are helpless in a strong deep current. We judge the whole river from one small stretch! We only see from the last bend to the next. Even if we’ve been in the river scores of years, memories of our struggles upstream fade into the struggle of now.
Partisan polarization and tribalism plus racial tensions seem at an all-time high. Every holiday season self-help gurus breathlessly coach us on how to get through Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with a relative that believes President Obama is a secret Muslim or that President Trump is a Russian agent. Tune in to Fox News to understand that liberals hate America. Tune to MSNBC and understand that conservative voters are all racists.
Thankfully, more and more Americans pull the plug and ignore the show. Sure, things are divided, but by historical standards Americans probably agree on fundamental values of freedom and equality more than ever.
