An Unhealthy State

By Steven Qammouh / Winter 2021

Politics in the United States has reached a state of divisiveness that has begun to tear the social fabric of the country apart. This polarization between red and blue individuals has largely been cultivated by those with political power and has seeped throughout the states creating a frenzied population which holds a deep-seeded hatred against its ideological counterpart. From the election of the Commander-in-Chief to school classrooms, I have witnessed this contempt for those with differing political views firsthand. This has created an unhealthy state where compassion, constructive criticism, and compromise are all few and far between.

My first memorable experience where I witnessed this partisan pathogen was in third grade. A classmate who revealed that his parents voted for then Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain was being bullied. My eight year old self did not think much of it naively assuming that the teasing was not anything to worry myself with. Growing up in a heavily Democratic district in the San Fernando Valley, I rarely had any encounters with Republicans other than that instance in elementary school. It was not until I took AP Government in high school which coincided with the 2016 Presidential Election that I saw the true depths of this issue. Attending Grover Cleveland Charter High School which has a predominantly Latino population, I saw firsthand the effect President Trump’s rhetoric had on Mexican-Americans. Many bright Mexican-American students who grew up under a president that told them “yes we can'' were hearing his replacement calling them “drug dealers, criminals, (and) rapists.” Following Donald Trump’s election, the mood in the government class and the school overall shifted which I believe was indicative of the country as a whole. Following his victory, people at the school were much more willing to say offensive things without fear of being punished and assert “facts'' which in reality were far from the truth. The class’ ambiance became increasingly combative where people with varying opinions often insulted their “opponent'' to try and increase their popularity amongst the class. This changing class dynamic reached its pinnacle during mock trials where pairs of students had to represent a side of a current Supreme Court case. One of the topical cases was Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado which sprouted from a gay couple being denyed service by a cakeshop owner who believed his First Ammendment right of free speech and religion gave him the right to do so. Being a heavily majority liberal classroom, no one wanted to defend the side of the owner. My friend and I thought it would be fun to try and defend the side of the cake owner partly because we thought his argument had some merits to it and partly because we wanted to test our wits to see how well we could defend this unpopular opinion. While we expected the class to have some bias against us because it is not the belief they stand with, we did not expect to be ostracized by our peers leading up to the trial nor did we expect to be heckled while presenting our case. After the actual Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling in favor of the cakeshop owner, many peers approached us and mockingly asked if we were happy with the result. Not once throughout the entire project were we asked by our classmates if the side we were arguing was truly the opinion we held. Instead, they assumed us to be the enemy because it was contradicting their beliefs and tried their hardest to make sure we lost the case. I believe this blind opposition to the other side is an emblematic anecdote for the tendencies of too many in the United States today.

It is understandable to question whether an anecdote from a high school class is truly representative of an entire nation’s political system. It is also fair to challenge whether this divisiveness is as bad as I assert. Many see the problems in our government as a problem with the faces in the Democratic Party or in the GOP. While it is easy to point at some key figures in each party (say former President Trump or Senator Bernie Sanders) and put the blame on them, it does not dig deep enough into the problem. While the individuals in power do certainly perpetuate the grievances that members of both parties feel, it is the system in which they operate that I believe fuels this animus. The founding fathers in their attempts to get the constitution ratified by smaller states created a bicameral system where one body (the House of Representatives) would be composed proportionally based on the populations of each state and another (the Senate) that would give each state two members regardless of population. One of the most glaring consequences that this structure created was unequal power in congress where California for example has a population 66 times greater than Wyoming but holds the same influence in the Senate. Another scheme that the creators of the nation implemented that fundamentally leads to division was the Electoral College. This system which delegates a certain amount of electoral votes to each state to determine the election of the president every four years by its design also leads to divisiveness. Some of the ramifications of this system that implements a winner-take-all method where the victor of the state gets all of its electoral votes regardless of the margin of victory include an unequal distribution of campaign resources, unequal voting power depending on the state you live in, and the perpetuation of a two party system. Battleground states dictate the winner of each election and the necessity to win the popular vote is not present. This binary system where nearly 75 million people can vote for a candidate and have their ballot amount to nothing or the representatives in the Senate being completely split in half 50/50 are the characteristics of our current government which incites this divisiveness. Because the margins in this all-or-nothing system are so tight, the end result is almost always about half the population being left unsatisfied. This discontent is compounded by the fact that the majority of people in the country do not have the power to change this outcome. This fact was discussed by Noam Chomsky in the documentary “Requiem for the American Dream” where he stated that this marginalization of the population is one of the key contributing factors to the hatred for government institutions and rival interests.

Following the country’s history can clearly show the path the political system took which has led to this current state of division. Prior to the nation’s birth, the landowning WASP’s of Virginia began implementing tactics of division that would repeat itself many times throughout American History. As discussed in Ronald Takaki’s “A Different Mirror,” Bacon’s Rebellion which sprouted from an attack on Native Americans and resulted in a mixed militia of landless whites and indentured blacks was one of the first instances of different races banding together to fight for the same cause. Once the rebellion was quelled, those in power decided to segregate the whites and blacks in the colonies by replacing indentured servitude with full-blown slavery, dividing those who once stood in arms together by law (53). This not only alleviated their fears of future revolt but also allowed the wealthy landowners in charge to maintain control of the power by keeping both groups disenfranchised. The Gilded Age was a turning point in the country as it showed the gruesome lengths the wealthy would go in order to keep their authority. Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History” delves into the depths that the Robber Barons would go. Whether it be compelling workers to operate in life threatening conditions like the railroad system (which injured or killed 22,000 individuals) or the sweatshops like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where the work environment was so unsafe that tragedy was bound to occur, owners cut all expenses pertaining to the safety of their employees in the name of profit (255). This alienation of the American people continued into the Great Depression where millions were left to fend for themselves as unemployment, hunger, and homelessness became widespread. With much of the population in the early 1930’s in dire straits, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) came into office hoping to restore the economy and overall well-being of the United States. The New Deal policies FDR pushed for were a drastic swing to the left of the political spectrum that included ideas such as unemployment pay, social security, and the right to unionize which was attacked during the Gilded Age. These policies not only helped the country recover from its hard times but also gave American citizens an unprecedented level of freedom. These rights that FDR asserted should be afforded to all American were outlined in his State of the Union Address in 1944 and included protection from monopolies as well as the right to food, clothes, a place to sleep, medical care, and a job (all of which were considered radical for its time).

These liberal concepts introduced by President FDR did not persist long in the United States for it weakened the control big corporations could wield in the political system. To counteract this era of progressivism was the rise of neoliberalism. Neoliberalism changed the American mindset so that monetary profit became the main indicator of success. This ruthless pursuit of financial success has allowed and even encouraged immoral legal, corporate, and political practices so long as it helps one reach the top. Monopolization has been disguised under the veil of free-market competition. Unions which are seen as impediments to capitalism are continually attacked to allow for the exploitation of the working class. Taxes which went to fund the social safety net are reduced on the wealthy while the ability to lobby and give campaign donations became unencumbered. At the same time, the tax structure changed so that proportionally the middle and lower classes have to pay a greater percentage of their income while many corporation owners often pay next to nothing with loopholes found in the laws. On a moral level, key human elements such as compassion and decency have fallen by the wayside as a result of neoliberal policies.

After delving into the history of the United States and how the twists and turns in its story have given and taken away personal freedoms, we can now discuss how it has led us to the state of division we have today. The commonality of these events in our country’s history (barring the momentary boom in rights under FDR) is that the wealthy groups in control attempted to retain and expand their power even if the American people were the casualties. This progression from a country idealized as a true democracy at its inception to one where corporations and the wealthy few dictate the lifestyle for hundreds of millions of people sowed the seeds for the polarization of the political system today. Looking at neoliberalism’s impact on us today, we can see that these changes have attempted to lead the American people away from polling stations and town halls and towards malls and stores. Instead of an emphasis on practicing your democratic duties, society has prioritized buying the newest smartphones or trendy item that is being advertised. While a shallow view might assert that this swing towards neoliberalism has led to a higher percentage of the population being able to own the newest accessories which leads to a higher quality of life, it would not address the precariousness that this mindset creates. While some material gains can be made, much of the American people live from paycheck to paycheck with the majority of the country being in some sort of debt and having no money set aside for an emergency. These figures which were released in 2019 would only be exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic which forced even more Americans out of a job and into a worse financial situation. And with fewer citizens having the ability to change what is going on in their life from an economic and political standpoint, the United States has created a militant population which has been programmed to point the finger at their ideological counterpart for problems that can be blamed on the system. This evolution of the American people is by design. Those with the money and political power have created a vicious cycle where they remain in control while the masses remain in a state of financial limbo. This conditioning of the American people is what caused the Capital Hill Riots to occur and what caused a high schooler to badger me while arguing a mock Supreme Court case.

Now that we’ve examined the structural obstacles which obstruct us from closing the divide between the American people, we can now look at an individual perpetrator who has done the most in recent years to stretch the gap between red and blue voters: Donald Trump. While the aforementioned systems are the root of the problem which allows for individuals like the former Commander-in-Chief to exist, this does not exempt him from criticism. While there were predecessors and contributors who had done similarly reprehensible actions which sought to segregate the nation, few if any went to the lengths of President Trump. Being a high schooler during Trump’s first campaign, I vividly remember the hatred he would imbue in people that listened to the disparaging comments he made without any semblance of remorse. Seeing my peers’ eyes light up with rage as they heard him call their people criminals or state that there were fine people in both parties involved in the Charlottesville incident was something I will never forget seeing. These comments not only disseminate false information that is hurtful to millions of people, but also embolden his loyal followers (and even individuals that do not necessarily like him but see that they can now get away with spreading lies without repercussions) to follow suit. His rhetoric sought to direct the anger of the country to “Crooked Hillary” or “Sleepy Joe” who wanted to increase their taxes or compel them to wear a mask, deflecting criticisms of himself and the practices he wanted to implement. This drives the individuals from both parties to bicker at each other instead of targeting their frustrations at the large corporations which do not pay their fair share of taxes, do not suffer the consequences of poor financial decisions and often get bailed out by the government, and are allowed to donate exorbitant amounts of money to candidates that will allow them to continue these nondemocratic practices. Not only does former President Trump’s words and actions perpetuate this power structure by deflecting attention away from where it ought to be, they also divide Americans by race. Along similar lines to the lawmakers in Virginia following Bacon’s Rebellion, the supposed leader of the free world tried to separate whites into a class of their own (Trump through his rhetoric, the WASP’s of Virignia through legalizing slavery). Whether it be referring to African Americans as vandals and hoodlums, calling Latinos rapists, or claiming that the white people of Minnesota had superior genes (a tactic similar to that of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany,) Trump has a track record that is unfavorable to minorities to say the least. These actions all lead to greater divisiveness as it allows the structures in place which are the true cause of the frustrations to avoid ridicule while encouraging Americans to circulate false information without the fear of repercussion. These fabrications and pseudoscience claims which reverberate from the top down increase the acrimony not just between democrats and republicans, but between all Americans of different races.

Now that we have explored the depths of this complicated matter, we can begin to devise strategies that seek to knit together the social fabric of the country. I am reluctant to say that the problems surrounding the divisiveness of the nation which face the American people are not easy to fix. Being brutally honest, I believe these tensions which tie up the country are so multifaceted that they will not be resolved completely in my lifetime. Previous solutions to these obstacles that have been proposed have only scratched the surface, ignoring the roots which burrow miles below. That being said, it would be foolish to throw up our hands and lose hope in our country and in our fellow Americans. The first and easiest solution that ought to be implemented requires no laws to be changed. The beginning step that will lead us to a better state is to revive the human elements that were thrown by the wayside as a result of neoliberalism and to hold a greater respect for the truth. It is almost impossible for constructive actions to be taken if people cannot first agree to the basic tenet of equality amongst all human beings. If we are not able to have compassion for Americans regardless of race, creed, gender, or any other characteristic, strides towards changing the status quo cannot be made. In addition, holding people responsible for stating erroneous information should be an obvious action to take. Unfortunately, as a result of the former president’s actions, such undertakings are not done nearly enough. As difficult as it may seem to do now, having respect for an ideological counterpart is also an essential step that needs to be done before any legislative action is taken. Due to the partisanship that dominates our political system today, it is crucial that any major transitions that are desired to be made are desired by everyone. Of course bipartisanship is easier said than done in today’s political climate, but it is a necessity in order to begin the process of uprooting the toxic ideologies that pervade our country’s soil.

Once universal support is garnered, changes in the laws can begin. And while the status quo has minimized the power an individual can have on the national scale, changes at the local level can get the political ball rolling. Turning Americans back into active participants in the democracy who attend town halls and vote in local elections can be the start of a grassroots mobilization that can hopefully grow to the state and ultimately national stage. While certain fundamental principles of the government which by nature lead to divisiveness like the bicameral legislature and the electoral college will not be changed, there are certainly alterations that can be achieved which will considerably reduce the division in the country. Changes in the law must strip the large corporations of the power they hold in our government so that the vicious cycle whose casualties are the working class can stop turning. This may be the largest obstacle to face as the grasp these companies have on the members in Congress is tight. Removing the loopholes in the tax code and making sure the rich pay their fair share of taxes will start to rebuild the social safety net. Ideally, this feeling of safety in the middle-lower classes along with the attack on the corporations which most believe dictate the decisions of the nation would empower more Americans to participate in our democracy. Rebuilding the social bonds between Americans to the point where sympathy, solidarity, and compassion for one another is prioritized over monetary success as well as taking a stab at the large corporations would begin to address the deep-seeded wounds that have torn through our country. From there, other facets of society that extend the divide like the media and commerce system can be tackled through regulation.

The pertinence of this problem cannot be understated. The divisiveness of the country addressed here is not a democratic or republican issue, it is an American issue. Continuing along this path where the characteristics that make humans unique like sympathy and compassion are replaced with greed and overall indecency will lead us to an ugly destination. Unfortunately, it has always taken popular social movements to bring radical changes to the status quo. Those in power have never willingly relinquished their control and all of the benefits that come with it. And while there are few instances where mass protests in the United States both immediately lead to the desired changes and did not require personal sacrifice, the sowing of this seed while likely cumbersome will lead to a valuable crop. While the challenges that face the American people in regards to mending these damaged relationships seem daunting, there are simple steps every person can immediately implement to get the country moving in the right direction. Only through a bipartisan effort will these changes be made. Looking back at my first experience with this issue, I find an unlikely source of inspiration which I believe can be used to spark a trend towards goodwill and cooperation. The candidate which my classmate admitted his parents voted for, John McCain, was revered for his willingness to work with people across the aisle in search of compromise that would improve America. While supporting the “side” that holds opinions contrary to your own is now often seen as an action worthy of ridicule (arguing a mock Supreme Court case, for example), I believe embodying this spirit from the former military prisoner of war would be just the thing needed in today’s political climate to begin fixing the divisiveness in our nation.  

Works Cited

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