Can the Divide Be Fixed?

Probably not without a lot of pain first.

Pardon my brief delve into politics today.

I had to write a discussion post on the “punctuated equilibrium framework” for my public policy program and, wow, did it depress me.

The gist of the theory is that public policy often remains stagnant until a massive event or crisis forces a shift. In my homework, I used 9/11 as an example.

But I also noted, we do not have any “equilibrium” in the United States anymore. It’s a pendulum swinging back wildly from left to right. Whichever party rules Washington will immediately start making dramatic changes from the previous administration. To oversimplify: Either our borders will be wide open or slammed shut. No middle ground.

Is there any cure for this? I attempted to make a case in my discussion post, but it’s iffy. Mainly, we need media outlets that can more fairly balance both left and right, as opposed to fueling the partisan divide. The only mainstream publication that I see attempting to do this right now is Newsweek, which actually lets you vote the slant on each article. I otherwise have a hard time finding any publication that tries to be neutral or just shares world news without hyperfocusing on American politics.

Neither side gives the other side credit for anything. Sure, we all have our opinions on which side is worse, but we can’t come to any common ground if we just see each other as enemies. I sometimes think we are already in a soft civil war.

At any rate, below the paywall is my discussion post. Enjoy!