Political division. Dividing a nation, sowing discord, and getting people on all sides to hate each other is an authoritarian tactic. It is a strategy.
What’s going on right now is done on purpose.
There’s a study where people on the far right and far left were asked how long it would take to give up their democratic ideals and subvert democracy.
It showed that people would give them up when they thought poorly of the other side.
However, when each side found that they had similar concerns and similar ideals, they were less likely to give them up.
When divided, we are more likely to subvert democracy and give up our freedoms.
Political division makes it easier for authoritarians to take over.
Who Benefits From Political Division?
Lobbyists and Oligarchs benefit. They sit on their yachts and elsewhere, counting money while the rest of us fight.
Lawmakers and politicians who accept money from oligarchs and lobbies benefit via money while the rest of us argue and fight.
That is a strategy we need to wake up to.
Media outlets benefit because extreme news sells. It sells advertising. They make lots of money.
Our foreign adversaries are benefiting. Look at these articles:
- Russian Twitter Trolls Sent More Than 12,000 Tweets About NFL, National Anthem
- Russian documents reveal desire to sow racial discord — and violence — in the U.S.
- Russia tried and failed to sow discord in America. Then it discovered social media
- Exposing Russia’s Effort to Sow Discord Online: The Internet Research Agency and Advertisements
- Russian bots tried to sow discord over vaccines during the 2016 election, study finds
- U.S. Senate Panel Blasts Russian Election Meddling, Efforts To ‘Sow Discord’
Not only do they benefit from our division, but they are actively sowing discord in our country, posing as fellow Americans when they are bots that are meant to divide us.
What Can We Do?
First of all, we can humanize our fellow citizens. In other words, stop dehumanizing the other side. And that’s hard for a lot of people.
We all have egos, and we all feel we know that we’re right.
Part of that is because we are being fed daily information on how awful the other side is.
Humanize your neighbors. Your fellow Americans. Do not put another country above your neighbors. The united we stand, divided we fall. That’s a real thing,
Make a friend on the other side. Rekindle a relationship with someone where politics has divided you both.
Listen and talk. Find common ground.
In Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny, part 12 is Make Eye Contact and Small Talk, he writes, “This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society.”
Know your neighbors. Know people.
To purchase On Tyranny, consider alternatives to Amazon and Audible. Also, consider ordering from bookstores owned by people of color.