Symptoms Of Political Polarization

Political polarization refers to cases in which an individual's stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party (Democrat or Republican) or ideology (liberal or conservative). It has become a very hot topic within the last few years and even more so during the 2016 election, wherein one of its worst symptoms was brought to the forefront: two fringe candidates that divided the country into huge portions, neither of which had any love for the other. This has led to serious distrust between members of separate parties and the electorate is quick to blame their elected officials or the media, given that they’re in prime positions to sow political discord. This opinion has merit; no one could deny that politicians are divided literally by an aisle, or that FOX and CNN contrast each other more and more with each passing day.
Republicans and Democrats are more divided than they’ve ever been in the last two decades. This widening divide manifests itself in a number of different ways, many of which have nothing to do with the political problems our country faces. From the size of their home to the party their spouse belongs to, polarization has more clearly manifested as a cultural problem as well as a political one. It’s infinitely more likely that our politicians and media are either adapting to the whims of the people or trying to make more money rather than pushing some ulterior agenda. While they certainly have contributed to the problem, polarization is propagated by the electorate, and it stems from a desire to be surrounded by like-minded individuals or a belief that national issues are either black or white, instead of shades of