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By Kitty Testa
Once upon a time, in the golden age of the American political duopoly, Democrats and Republicans used campaign buttons and bumper stickers to show their political affiliations. They liked Ike in the 50’s. They were on the right track for Jack at the dawn of the 60’s. As the political and cultural tumult during the Vietnam War era raged, the duopoly offered up their differing platforms and candidates, and elections came and went. Democrats and Republicans disagreed, but they still broke bread together at summer barbecues in the summer heat, and over martini lunches at swanky city eateries. They worked in the same buildings. They went to the same churches. Their children attended the same schools. Political involvement was a sign of civic responsibility among a generation of men and women that had endured economic calamity and fought a world war together. Their political differences weren’t deal breakers, and what they had in common far outweighed politics.
But that was a long, long time ago. We no longer have political parties; we have tribes. Parties are no longer about ideas and policies. They are about amassing political power and cultural influence. The duopoly now consists of two warring tribes, each with an army of Internet infantry, well versed in meme warfare, ad hominem attacks and addicted to tu quoque zingers. But it’s not just an online phenomenon. Tribalism is beginning to affect the real world in ways I would have thought unimaginable even a few years ago.
Recently the Seattle City Council was debating juvenile justice reforms, an issue that has support on both the right and the left. During the discussion, Councilmember Tim Burgess referred to “Republican friends” who have also been advocating reforms. Rather than embracing an opportunity to proceed on common ground, Councilmember Kshama Sawant, a member of the Socialist Alternative party, instead saw only an opportunity to differentiate herself further from Republicans and even Democrats that associate with Republicans. From The Seattle Times:
Kshama Sawant wasn’t having any of that. She stood up and said Burgess wasn’t speaking for her with this “Our Republican friends” stuff. Because, she assured the crowd, she doesn’t have any Republican friends.
Yay, cheered the crowd.
Devotion to the tribe in the form of abject rejection of all outsiders has become a badge of honor.
The tribalism now infiltrating almost every aspect of life seems to have had its start in the 1980s. The elites among the Democratic Party reviled Ronald Reagan—probably because a lot of their base voters broke for him when he first ran against Jimmy Carter. Reagan-bashing was an effete pastime, an exercise in virtue signaling to fellow members of the tribe.
When Bill Clinton was elected, it was Republicans’ turn to bash the president. The Right despised Clinton, even though he was fairly conservative on crime, immigration, and trade, and seemed to like war as much as the next fellow. During the George W. Bush years, Democrats pretended to pacifists once again, and stoked incessant outrage against the Republicans and their wars. It flipped again when Barack Obama was elected, and has now hit fever pitch with the election of Donald Trump.
With each new president has come a new level of loathing among the opposition and new intensity of fealty among supporters, even though in terms of policy one can find similarities among all of these presidents, regardless of their party affiliation. Former devotees to Bill Clinton are allegedly horrified by Trump’s immigration stance, even though it is almost identical to Clinton’s. Obama proceeded with Bush’s War on Terror, although some of the players have changed—namely the ascent of ISIS.
The irrationality of it all is becoming worrisome. A college professor, Eric Clanton, donned an Antifa mask and struck Sean Stiles with a bike lock during a “free speech” rally in Berkeley, California on April 15, causing Stiles serious injury. Just days ago, Portland, Oregon, geared up for a showdown between the Alt-Right and Antifa, which, thankfully, was defused before violence could erupt. Comedienne Kathy Griffin, in an apparent attempt to be the most badass Trump hater of all time, posted a picture of herself holding up a bloodied Trump mask, ISIS style. She may have had her own caption, but her message was clearly, “Hate trumps Trump.”
And yesterday, speaking with Sean Hannity, the president’s son, Eric Trump, referring to Democrats, stated, “to me, they’re not even people.”
And that’s the problem. The first step towards war is the dehumanization of the enemy. Yes, the reciprocal hatred between the Left and the Right is irrational. Yes, the exaggerated loathing going both ways is frustrating. But it is when we dehumanize others we cease to be able to see them as people we can be friends with, work with, barbecue with or share a martini or a beer. Suddenly the enemy is among us, in our neighborhoods and in our families. There will be no room for disagreement anymore, only shunning, dehumanization and violence. Not on my side? Let me slam this bike lock against your skull. Tribalism trumps empathy.
People have fought and died heroically for ideals. But this isn’t about ideals. This is about partisanship, tribalism, and team fanaticism. Only the misdeeds of the opposition are acknowledged, while any misdeeds of the tribe are excused. The horrors wrought by the enemy are emphasized, while the horrors wrought by the tribe are ignored. There can be no peace until one side or the other is vanquished. And who benefits from this?
The duopoly. The Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same coin. No, they are not all that different. You may think they are, but only their rhetoric is. Look at the record of the past thirty-five years—policy by policy—and you will see that they are not. We have ever-growing government, incessant war, corporatist influence and waning personal freedom. They will take turns in the driver’s seat, but together they are the ruling class. Both sides need your anger and hatred in their incessant struggle for power. How else are they going to keep you so interested that you are willing to politicize every interaction in your life?
How far do you want to take this, America?
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