Dirty Politics: Red Said, Blue Said

Dear Red Said, Blue Said,

Have politics become more divisive, or have we just become big babies?

The Red Perspective: Kathryn Biber Chen

A little of both, I think. In many ways, the conduct of politicians is a lot more civilized than it used to be. In 1789, two enraged congressional representatives fought one another on the House floor using a cane and fire tong. In 1838, a heated duel between two freshmen Members ended in death. And in 1856, Representative Preston Brooks famously strolled into the Senate chamber and beat Senator Charles Sumner with his cane until the man was rendered unconscious and was unable to work for three years. Politics ain’t beanbag, indeed.   

While C-SPAN may have reduced the number of bloody brawls on the House floor, voters seem more divided. I’ve long agreed with law professor Cass Sunstein, who argues that our sense of community is being torn apart by a phenomenon known as the “Daily Me.” The theory goes something like this: in the past, citizens received political and other news from generalized, central sources, such as the evening NBC broadcast or local newspapers. These media created a sense of shared community—a sort of “Daily We.” Because citizens had limited means of filtering their news, they necessarily absorbed a broad array of issues and opinions essential to a healthy democracy.  

Today, however, the Internet and cable provide a unique forum for narrow interests to gather and thrive. Care to receive your news exclusively from a Web site or network that caters to your political views, reinforcing the things you already believe about the world? Of course you do. For the first time since the old partisan press, people can receive news solely from personalized sources that serve to reinforce and stoke their preexisting viewpoints. They can easily filter news that bores or aggravates them—in other words, with just a few clicks they can create a “Daily Me.” More convenient for news consumers, but probably bad for democracy. 

Yet, the Internet itself holds the key to solving this problem. Individual citizens now have powers of amplification that previously belonged exclusively to traditional media, and citizens can meet and discuss issues across geographic boundaries. These are all good things. As modern communication technology evolves, however, we must all be on guard to avoid the social fragmentation caused by self-created echo chambers. Take a moment today to browse a political Web site contrary to your own views, or watch a show that typically enrages you … you may actually learn something!