In 1991, James Davison Hunter wrote his book Culture Wars: The Struggle To Define America. He defines “Culture Wars” as a clash between conservative and liberal values, which he saw as a prevalent issue. I believe that we live in the midst of a so-called Culture War. Such clashes began much before 1991; one can notice the hostilities between the right and the left beginning in 1965 with the Anti-War Movement. Needless to say, we live in divisive times. We have seen the culmination of these tensions first hand in the 2016 Presidential Election.

Nobody expected Donald Trump to run for President, nevermind win against well-known Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. He was a wildcard. Liberals felt as if the world was ending when the news outlets began to report that Trump was going to win, and conservatives were overcome with joy. To conservatives, Donald Trump represented something they have been yearning for. They no longer wanted traditional politicians who showered the electorate with pandering jargon. Trump preyed on their desperate desires and they took the bait, and as a result, a cult of personality has formed around him. Notable examples of this are the blatant propaganda propagated by organizations such as Turning Point USA, Fox News, and Breitbart. This political polarization has taken disastrous tolls, such as the horrible tragedy that happened at the 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville that left 32-year-old Heather Heyer dead. The right has become a mere shadow of its former self, now dawning new, more radical policies, but is the left free from such ideological degradation? Sadly, no.

In response to the rise of far-right politics in the US, the left has also become very polarized. Many left-wing media outlets demonize Trump and his supporters, therefore creating a general consensus among liberals that everyone right-of-center is evil and trying to ruin the country, which is not too far off from what the right believes, just vice-versa. Evidence of this: An article published by The Atlantic by Adam Serwer titled “The Cruelty Is the Point”. It goes on to call Trump rally crowds sadists and compares them to a lynch mob. Is this the correct way of going about civil discourse? Is this how we convince people of our ideas? Is discourse even the goal anymore?

Both the right and the left have adopted new Us versus Them ideologies. These views are held by the minority of activists, but per-usual they are a loud minority, and their influence is spreading fast. This is frightening because political violence is already making its presence known in America with extremist groups such as Antifa and The Proud Boys greeting each other with fists on the streets, and it only looks like it is going to get worse. The spreading polarization will also make our already notoriously slow government even slower, with the split among Democrats and Republicans being relatively similar, with 28% being Republican, 31% being Democrats, and 39% identifying as independents. We won’t be able to remedy any of the problems that preside over the country, like global warming, poverty, and our failing education systems, if we have two radical political parties who, instead of compromise, only offer hostility to each other.

We live in frightening times, therefore it is important for us to be aware of who and what we are listening to, and to never blindly believe whatever we hear. No, I do not think we all should put on MAGA hats and parade around the street babbling on about fake news, but we cannot be as naive to think that we are not being manipulated by the media and our politicians because, though we would like to think that they are there to help and represent the American people, often times the politicians just see the electorate as pawns in their game for power and influence. So how can we avoid being manipulated and avoid being swept away into a fringe ideology?

The only answer is education. As Americans, it is our civic duty to remain informed, but how can we when most media is trying to manipulate us? The answer is simple: question everything. It may be tedious, but in these divisive times, it is always important to fact check things that people claim because data manipulation and lies are often used in campaign ads and news reports.

If we do not actively combat the polarization of the parties and the people, we are idly standing by as complacent observers to the degradation of our democracy and our descent into a dystopian nightmare where our country is run by intolerant, closed-minded ideologues. All, that so many great Americans have fought for, can be lost. The future for our children can be a grim one, one lacking the freedoms we enjoy today. It is up to us to stand up to the radicals and create a better future. For the sake of the future generation of America, we must never forget one thing: We reap what we sow.