A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics
|
|
|
A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics | |
|
November 12, 2003Sullivan On A Bi-Polar NationThanks to Heather for pointing out Andrew Sullivan Sunday Times article called Bi-Polar Nation in which he discusses issues close to our heart. I was searching around for a metaphor for what life is actually like as a politically interested person in the U.S. right now, and I'm not sure I've come up with anything that accurately conveys it. The term "polarization" seems a little too anti-septic. "Bi-polar" suggests serial ups and downs, whereas America's divisions are deep and simultaneous. The "red-blue" split - between blue coastal elites and red Middle America - has become an almost meaningless cliche; and it misses the fact that there are plenty of blue-style voters in red America and vice-versa. Evoking the deep divides of the Vietnam war is also rhetorical over-kill. We're not there yet. At the same time, the gulf between liberals and conservatives, broadly speaking, or between Bush-supporters and Bush-haters, between young and old, between South and North, has rarely been as profound or as bitter than now.In many respects, it is the divisions of the Vietnam War reasserting themselves. An article from a Minnesota paper found via Mitch Berg illustrates this well: Research shows that people's experiences between the ages of 17 and 24 color their values and attitudes for the rest of their days. America's boomers experienced affluence, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War. The busters knew financial insecurity, family breakup, the end of the Cold War. It's Bob Dylan vs. Kurt Cobain, Ed Sullivan vs. MTV, the Kennedys vs. Ronald Reagan.The World War II generation which was the parent of the Baby Boomers is passing from the scene, but the generation after the Baby Boomers (Gen X) are also politically separted from them (this is a generalization, of course). Will today's 17-24 year olds be unifiers or polarizers? Posted by rickheller at November 12, 2003 07:15 AMComments
ick. A bipolar nation marginalizes the center. Posted by: Zagloba at November 12, 2003 12:01 PMThe statisticians' name for this distribution is bi-modal although I've been known to tell freshmen it's the "two-hump camel curve". Posted by: Andrew Lazarus at November 12, 2003 12:25 PMI like "the two-hump camel curve", because it sounds bad. Which it is, in this context. Imagine asking: "All those in favor of the two-hump camel curve raise your hand?" You get no takers on a question like that, and partisan discord just melts away. Posted by: William Swann at November 12, 2003 01:13 PM |
Archives
March 2006
February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003
Recent Entries
Dubai Out
Why So Long Between Democracies? Round One, Centrism Rock Lobster? Blackwell Releases "Worst-Treated" List "IRV" used in Burl., VT for mayor election. Great idea! Random Thread Election 2006: Round One A Proper Multiculturalism Bush proposes line item veto act - what's changed?
|
