Since the turn of the century, the United States has been slowly asphyxiating itself. From the halls of congress to the streets of cozy hometowns and metropolitan cities alike, the nation willingly accepts political strangulation, stifling the American soul while continuously escalating the two-party climate to new iterations of a supposed breaking point. With every sway farther away from the political center, national talking heads prophesize cataclysm; America setting its own casket, yet time and time again the American flag remains atop its post, lurching and reeling in the same old breeze. Beneath it, two enraged mobs screeching at each other. How did this happen; why is America choking?
Politicians across the aisle blame their respective opposition for the sorry-state of America. In doing so, politicians perpetuate a new creed of political polarization, coined political sectarianism by a study from Science.org, a new dogma, “focusing less on triumphs of ideas than on dominating the abhorrent supporters of the opposing party.” In order to invoke public wrath, modern day political machines employ the tried and true campaign method of moralizing and politicizing divisive topics.
Take abortion, a prime example of this ethics to politics pipeline. Regardless of how you feel about the morality of the process, abortions are fundamentally a medical procedure; the guidelines of every other professionally practiced medical procedure are dictated by experts. Except abortion, the parameters of which we’ve handed off to political cronies, excessively cherry picking and outright ignoring medical professionals. How did the abortion debate begin? It was moralized; “Abortions are an inhumane process that the other party allows to be federally codified” or “abortions are a natural right being targeted by the opposing party,” then politicized; “vote me and my party in to fix it.” Playing on voter emotions is by no means a new phenomenon. However, the ability to bastardize and manufacture outrage issues for the purpose of political gain has reached never before seen heights.
The devolution of real world issues into talking points is rooted in the insidious entanglement of political parties and conglomerate media. Organizations like Fox News and CNN have discovered the clearest shot to profitability is lazy, sensationalized content, especially when applied in a political setting. They, and other media organizations like them (big and small), picked their poison on either side of the spectrum, mutually benefiting themselves, their sponsors, stockholders, and whatever political party their product aligned with. Essentially, profit motive has corrupted the American media institution, disarming the American public from their greatest sword and shield—the people’s check and balance to government. What was meant to be the watchdog of the powerful, a voice of just reason and honest truth, has become a puppet of the very elite they were designed to keep in check.
Why? Outrage sells. The sheer scale of rage profit has created a parasitic relationship between America’s increasingly divisive political parties and omnipresent national media, both attempting to escalate the gravity of every marketable issue coming their way. Immigration, gun control, abortion, and vaccination—all these major issues have common human factors: fear, paranoia, ignorance, and distrust. Fear that immigrants will take our jobs. Paranoia that there will be another mass shooting if we don’t ban assault weapons. Ignorance to the realities of abortion procedures and the effects of denationalizing them. Distrust of government health agencies and their aggressive measures in combating serious health issues. Politicians and media experts alike take these elements surrounding American issues, validate them, then grandstand their own ability to fix these issues against their opponent’s naively ignorant or viciously hateful proliferation of the problem. A vicious, ever-rising screaming match; both sides have so successfully de-legitimized their opponent in the eyes and ears of their viewer base that any compromise is decried as submission to the enemy; bipartisan media and social platforms enabled people to reside in “information and opinion bubbles, and makes those with opposing views seem more abnormal,” says Time. Continuously, the American people bear witness to the systematic excision of any congruence; the common ground has been rapidly excavated, pinning the nation to either end of the political spectrum.
The engine to this infinitely replaying party collision? It’s own success. The past 8 years have proved the rage strategy successful. Increasingly, both parties have employed the same dire marketing strategy, proclaiming a war for democracy, or the American spirit, or liberty, or whatever buzzword best suits their constituent’s demographic.
This marketing scheme relies on close sighted ignorance. In truth, America has undergone a collage of politically tumultuous eras; from Civil War, to corrupt congressional buyouts, to McCarthyist witch hunting. Time and time again, America has survived trial by civil fire, but politicians rely on the populace believing this is the first and last time we’ll see a tattered political landscape. It’s not. It’s just the latest iteration. The mechanics behind it may be more advanced than in eras before, but the skeleton of the system remains unchanged. In the end, America’s choking on its own memory. Eventually, we’re bound to cough it up and recognize it.