‚We’ve reached that point where we view people on the other side of the political divide not only as misguided, but as threats.‘
When you think about people who disagree with your politics, do you consider them misguided, evil, or likely to teach you something? How you answer that question says a lot about you, as well as the real state of our politically polarized union.
Sociologists say that in recent decades Americans have increasingly self-segregated, retreating to communities where our neighbors share our values and politics. Personally, I can’t quite fathom what that’s like, having lived my life as a red fish in various deep-blue seas, including New York, Boston, and Washington D. C.
Being the odd one out is never easy, but it certainly is educational. Since 2016, there are times it’s become downright unpleasant. While I’m used to disregarding personal politics in friendships—I’ve always been more interested in what we share in common—I’ve learned over time that not everyone thinks like that. Some people pigeonhole me and make assumptions based on one particular data point, like my conservative politics or my love of folk music.
So when I heard about Better Angels, a group started in the wake of the 2016 election to promote understanding across political divides (Full disclosure: my friend Tom Sylvester is the board chair), I was curious. This past Thursday, I watched the group’s inaugural State of the Union address, where the emphasis was on promoting harmony in our purple union through mutual understanding.
Better Angels President David Blankenhorn delivered the address to a live audience of approximately 60 “reds” and “blues” in a suburban Washington living room, while thousands of others watched via livestream. For those who aren’t familiar, Better Angels is the organizational equivalent of marriage therapists for our polity, hoping to realize the Constitution’s more perfect union. Now up to 6,400 members across all 50 states, Chief Marketing Officer Ciaran O’Connor describes the group as part of “the broader depolarization movement.”
Better Angels takes its name from the memorable words of President Lincoln’s 1861 inaugural address: “We are not enemies, but friends.
