Mirrors

... as in, "smoke and ______."

In today’s San Francisco Chronicle, John H. Bunzel writes:

A careful reading of the polling data shows we have been given a distorted picture of the American voter since the 2000 election. We are supposed to believe that we are engaged in an all-out war between the "red" and "blue" states, in which voters are shouting at each other across an unbridgeable ideological and cultural gap.

Not true. If the country were more polarized than ever, it would show up in the polls. It doesn't. As many surveys have shown, there are four times as many self-described "moderates" as there are voters who label themselves "very conservative" or "very liberal."

Who is giving us this "distorted picture" and why?

Is it the pundits and activists, who are at the extreme ends of the poles, and so see the polarization as more extreme? Maybe. Perception is reality, after all. Is there a sort of political panic afoot, driven by social issues that are emotionally charged and divisive? Maybe. Those issues are certainly important to many people. I’m sure there are other possible reasons I can’t think of at the moment. But how about this one (a psychological oldie but goodie that has proved useful for explaining behaviors that otherwise appear wacko): There is a payoff. But what’s the payoff, and for whom?

I suspect you have your own ideas, but here are some random thoughts of mine.

Let’s turn it around and ask what’s the payoff for a unified country. I would argue that unity requires acceptance, tolerance, connection, a focus on the common good and on that which unites us–-on our common values and vision, on how we perceive a life that contains meaning. In order to have unity, we need to focus on those things that unite us and that focus makes "we the people" a powerful, empowered, and empowering force. It’s exactly what we did during our Revolutionary period. We held the mirror up to our own faces and saw everyone’s reflection.

But people have always found it easier and more instantly gratifying to focus on differences. Focusing on differences is a proven way to win, while focusing on unity results in no one winning–-even though it results in everyone benefitting. Focusing on differences gives us an instant identity: "We are not them." Focusing on differences gives us a place to feel safe because it implies the protection of those who are "not them" against "them." And focusing on differences means we need not create anything, explore the unknown, or take personal responsibility. If it goes wrong, it’s "their" fault. Like vampires, we hold the mirror up to our own faces and see no reflection.

I believe we need to find the center–-not the political center, but that which holds us all together. Like the center of a doughnut, there is something that makes humanity take the shape it does. I want to know what that is, not what seeks to fill the center with soggy promises or self-serving delusions. Any ideas?

Posted by Elissa Bishop-Becker at September 12, 2004 5:50 PM | TrackBack