I had no knowledge that the nation was so split in its ideals. If a house divided cannot stand, we as a country have some serious problems on our hands. Based on the data given before, in one more generation or less, America will be as split as a butt crack and make assholes out of all of us. Right now, we could be on the brink of civil war, and the only way to avoid it is to open our minds to other truths and intelligently debate without bias. We have to step out of our situation and look at it from a new perspective, rather than wallowing in it and blaming anyone who disagrees for causing the mess.…
In the United States, our government is made up of people with different political ideologies and assertions. Our association with certain political parties is an example of our differences. Republicans and Democrats throughout history have represented the interests of their supporters rightfully. Conservatives have contrasting views upon the economy, social issues, and international policy. Liberals uphold democracy to its highest standards and support an equal political community.…
Every person possesses opinions or beliefs which shape and mold his or her political ideology. In today’s American society, political ideologies have split into a rift unlike any other in 21st Century America. While most Americans still identify as politically moderate, the divide between the far left and center and the far right and center continue to expand. The groups at each end of the spectrum have developed into radical factions, much to the dismay of the Americans in the middle of the spectrum. In the past few decades alone, a group based on the ideas of white nationalism has emerged on the far right side of the political spectrum: the alt-right.…
In Susan Jacoby’s essay, “How Dumb Can We Get?” she questions why Americans are becoming less literate and what factors contribute to the lack of awareness in political and cultural issues (261). Jacoby deliberates on the severity of the national crisis presented because of the dullard, irrational citizens of society (262). University students mock their learning experiences by doing the bare minimum and still managing to obtain a college degree, Jacoby assures (260). Jacoby believes that education should not accommodate everyone in regards to simplicity nor convenience but rather students should rely more on reading to simplify their achievements (260).…
After the Second Great Awakening at the beginning of the 19th century, more citizens of Western nations began to practice protestant religions. This is especially true within in the United States. After the growth of protestantism occurred in the United States, missionaries of the faith began to establish a great influence overseas, specifically in China. During the late 19th century and early 20th century an increasingly large amount of protestant American missionaries began to start lives in China, converting the Chinese to Christianity. By 1900 about 1,000 American missionaries were present in China (SOURCE).…
Elizabeth Kolbert's article, “Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds,” in the New Yorkers February 2017 issue looks at some main ideas in three different psychological books about patterns in human reasoning and attempts to connect them to today’s politics. Her explanation of the studies and their outcomes were superb, though she could have done a better job at connecting these points to her political conclusion. It is difficult to distinguish what her main point is. She starts the article by describing a couple experiments done at Stanford on human reasoning.…
A majority of you know that Christopher Columbus was the first to discover and explore the Americas, but many are unaware that this is a mythical statement; in fact, the information that we have learned about this individual is mostly false and inaccurate. We have been taught to think that this man was an amazing person, we have been taught to believe that he was courageous, intelligent, and modest. Still to this day, schools are educating children with these lies. Historians have looked into the history behind Columbus and found the disturbing truth about his voyages.…
Throughout the course of American history, the United States has been transformed from the once idealist union into a society at the brink of division. As a result of opposing ideals and American necessities, current society has continuously crafted the notion of social discord amongst all of parties. From opposing teams in the realm of sports to the ever-growing conflict found in the world of politics, the nation is falling further apart. However, at what cost? Due to the GOP's long-standing need to produce the perception of the common-man, anti-intellectualism has risen amongst the red party and in turn created an estrangement in current political culture.…
In this day and age, our nation has a “red versus blue” mentality despite the public’s opinions and attitudes displaying the many shades and tints in between. Traditionally, Americans have strictly defined their stance on a given issue or policy by which particular political party he or she identifies with. Today, Americans are more apt to define themselves as exclusive groups who share similar detailed views each a stemming from the ultimate Democratic and Republican parties. The new and improved typology has a range of groups that represent the diverse middle in between two polarized wings. After taking the typology quiz to see where I personally stand on this spectrum, I was unsurprised to find I identify with the group known as “Next Generation Left.”…
Malfunction Alert Thesis: The united states government has become extremely dysfunctional over the course of the last few years according to many professional writers. Elements that contribute to a defective Washington are polarization, tribalism, and the inflexibility of politicians. Susan Page, author of “Divided We Now Stand” explains that many Americans are aware of the increasing polarization, a stance on an issue defined by a party, and that citizens believe that politicians are more polarized than them. However, Page argues that voters are to blame as well.…
What is polarization? Throughout the course of American history, arguments occur regarding what role and function the government should play in the democratic process. Since the formation of two major political parties during the 1800s, political polarization began to impact how the government functions. According to Political Polarization in American Politics, polarization is defined as diverging from median Republican and Democratic views and increases when the political stances and ideologies move further to the left or right of the middle, central view (Hopkins and Sides 2015, 17).…
In Politics cognitive dissonance is often used as a strategy to persuade voters. Cognitive dissonance is when a action conflicts with beliefs or preferences, as a result people change their beliefs or preferences to match their actions; “But precisely how to move voters successfully is a matter still not fully understood—and the raison d'etre for political strategists and pundits” (Paragraph 1). Harvard and Stanford universities have concluded that political attitudes are often a result of one’s own actions. These political attitudes can change as a result of cognitive dissonance, “…people adjust their political preferences in order to downplay cognitive dissonance…”(Paragraph 7).…
Electoral College Process With the upcoming presidential election in November 2106, I believe that it is important to understand our government, and how the leader of our country will truly be selected, come election time. Most people think that their vote personally effects who wins the presidency, but what they do not realize, is that there is a system in place called the Electoral College. I am a firm believer in educated voting, and knowing how the system works plays hand in hand with being educated on the candidate that you are voting for. In my generation, it seems that most people get out to vote just to vote, without really doing their research, and I do not believe that this is what voting is all about.…
This quote from the speech is one of the most persuasive since it persuaded the audiences to think and know that in America, differences are a factor of unity rather than disunity, and that we should not be trying to tear people apart simply because they are…
The American political system has created the idea that there exists a distinction in political ideologies and thus…