Last October, I had the immense privilege of seeing former Vice President Joe Biden at the fifth annual Tom Johnson Lectureship. Unsure of what he was going to discuss, I was surprised to find that most of his conversation was related to the harms of political polarization.
The beginning of his interview shadowed what we’ve learned in our Brumley class concerning the art of interviewing. It started very light, mostly around his childhood in Scranton, Pennsylvania and memories of his early years as a lawyer and politician. While I was impatient to hear more about his experience in the White House, I was surprised to find that this portion of the interview was pleasant to hear. Humanizing Biden made me realize that there are human qualities of politicians that we rarely consider.
For the remainder of the interview, Biden strikes this chord. He believes that one of the main causes of divide in America today is emboldened by politicians making personal attacks, equating personality with political motives. While it is easy enough to understand how politics complicated, filled with ulterior motives and actors, to what extent should I excuse politicians for problematic political behaviors? Is all political decision making strictly a part of the political game?
Obviously, these are difficult questions to ask. Knowing one’s intention is nearly impossible, which Biden understands. While he condemned personal attacks, he recognized that at the end of the day, even he is not fully aware of the intentions of his fellow colleagues. However, where does this leave us?
While I have absentmindedly commented that politics seem so divided nowadays, I did so with the assumption that politics was always divisive. However, upon hearing Biden’s past stories of bipartisan support made me think: Are we more divided than ever? And if we are, how, and should we, address it?
Sources show that political divide has widened in President Trump’s first year as President. Dr. Robb Willer, a professor at Stanford University, discusses in his TED Talk that political divide has seeped into our daily lives. No longer is polarization an issue when passing comprehensive legislation, but it is now affecting how we view ourselves, our peers, and our greater community. As a university student, I empathize with this point. While college is supposed to be a space of collaboration, diversity, and knowledge, I do believe that the Clinton-Trump election cycle sprung us into uncertain grounds. Friendships and relationships were broken over the election cycle. Being a ‘Clinton Supporter’ or ‘Trump Supporter’ somehow equated one’s personality, individualism, and character to a clump of political statements and campaign promises. While I have my own political views, I don’t think it is right to ignore one’s personality and individuality in favor of a political message. Quite honestly, I feel that it is an excuse not to take on the challenge of understanding others and facing difficult conversations. It’s easy to judge one another based off politics. But to sit down and have challenging conversations with those who don’t share your political views…that takes emotional and mental effort that should not be understated.
Undoubtedly, polarization should be addressed. Having a united country is logically more effective, stable, and enjoyable to live in than a divided one. I think the more crucial question is how we should approach this problem. Biden offered little advice in his interview. He believes that it is the younger generation’s duty to narrow the divide and to offer better communication to their political counterparts. While I think this is an optimistic viewpoint, it does not address the fact that the divide is widening across all boards. While I see political divide within my own generation, I also see it with older generations as well.
Willer’s Ted Talk offers another solution that keeps all generations accountable: moral reframing. He explains this through a series of studies and experiment that he conducted. He claims that that Liberals and Conservatives have underlying differences in values. To convince others of your own values is difficult, he shows. Further, to tell others that their values are wrong is just as difficult. Instead, moral reframing is to take into consideration others’ values when discussing an issue. This includes taking the time to understand where others stand in terms of their values and how we can craft conversations in phrases that speak to others’ values.
While Biden’s advice on polarization was lacking, the attention he brought to the issue is relevant in today’s time. His interview made me think about how I might polarize others due to their political views and how I can make active change to overcome this. It also made me wonder how we can collectively promote thoughtfulness when engaging in conversation with others that we don’t agree with politically.
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