Revisiting the Lost Art of Civil Discourse in a Polarized World
The echo chamber problem and the quest for diverse voices in a new Boost publication
In 1992, I campaigned for George H. W. Bush to win the presidency. Not legally, mind you, as I was in 5th grade, but my classroom had been assigned a project revolving around debate to demonstrate how the American democratic system worked. I chose Bush, not because I aligned with his values necessarily, but because I had grown up in Oklahoma—a deeply red state. But I also didn’t mind Bill Clinton or the scrappy independent in the race, Ross Perot. My teacher was the adamant Perot fan, and some of the kids in my class made the case for Clinton. In all, it was a fun project where we got to poke a little fun at each other and make a case for our candidates. When the actual election ended, and Bill Clinton was determined as the President of the United States on Election Day, no one was upset. Not even my parents. A little disappointed that our candidate didn’t win? Sure. But everyone went about their lives, certain the country would continue running itself, and that Clinton wanted to ensure American economics and prosperity.
Those days, essentially, are over.
If I told you I loved Donald J. Trump or that Joe Biden hung the moon, the chances of a…
