What’s Really Going On in America?
This is about our human condition
We are facing the spread of a virus, but not only the one we have battled for two years. The nation is facing a civic virus, mutating for decades, that is dangerously pervasive, contagious and perilous to our nation’s health.
Conventional wisdom says we’re polarized. That’s both a misdiagnosis and an excuse for why we seem unable to address fundamental issues facing the country.
Americans don’t feel polarized. But they are deeply frustrated by the political leaders and news media who stoke polarization for media hits or political power.
My colleagues and I spent six months talking to 16 focus groups across America to reach these conclusions. We met them in cities and small towns, suburbs, rural areas, and a Native American reservation. We spoke with people from various income levels, races, ethnicities and political opinions, and produced the study, Civic Virus, Why Polarization Is a Misdiagnosis.
Americans do not feel polarized. Neither do they feel hostile toward their fellow citizens.
Instead, there is something much more profound and dangerous at work. People are separating and segregating from one another; they are joining tribes to find protection and validation, while others retreat from engaging at all.
The unrelenting noise, fears, and isolation they are experiencing in their daily lives, the constant message that we are polarized and there is nothing we can do about it, is producing a fight or flight response. They care about the country and yet they are confused and scared.
Are there divisions? Yes. They involve fear, anxiety, and a lack of empathy and belonging. It’s not about ideological polarization. This is about our human condition.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The question is: In a society that is breaking apart, how do we give people safe passage to hope? If people are to step forward and join together, then there must be enough promise and possibility for them to cooperate. There is no quick fix, but there are proven steps that can help us move forward.
An important start is to reframe public discussion to focus more on our shared aspirations about what we seek to create and stop tearing each other down. We are a people that thrive on joining together to solve problems. This approach will take bringing people together across lines that have been used to divide. We need to create more safe spaces so people can actually see and hear and listen to one another, instead of assuming each other’s intentions and beliefs.
However, we cannot talk our way out of the current bind. We need to do things, practical projects that have marked American energy and drive since our founding.
We need to identify and carry out concrete, achievable projects—starting at the local level—to restore people’s belief that we can get things done together. We must reawaken a sense of agency in our lives. Of course, more political leaders and media will need to embrace a productive role in society and stop filling people with fear, anxiety and division. But we can’t wait for them; we must start now.
We have seen this in action in our community efforts—and it works.
In Reading, PA, for instance, residents came together to develop a new agenda for education and their community. Instead of heatedly debating mask mandates or critical race theory, residents focused on identifying solutions around what they wanted for their children and what they can do to take action.
In Oak Park, IL, the public library spurred initiatives to support people experiencing homelessness, including using the library to host a monthly barbershop and psychiatrists every week.
In Clark County, KY, two women created a program to help people overcome their addictions to opioids and meth.
“THE TIME HAS COME FOR US TO CO-CREATE OUR FUTURE AND ARTICULATE NOT SIMPLY WHAT WE ARE AGAINST, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT WE ARE FOR AND WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO BUILD TOGETHER.”
Seeking consensus is fruitless and a waste of time. We need to find areas of agreement to move forward together. Our efforts must start small, grow over time, and actively spread a new positive contagion of hope. These are the intentional actions we can start taking to fight the civic virus and inoculate society against future damage.
There is a fundamental choice here. Are we going to surrender to false notions of polarization and give up? Or are we going to commit ourselves to rebuilding this country and finding ways to create a new path forward together?
For over 30 years, The Harwood Institute has created breakthroughs on how to address the hardest and most vital societal challenges and strengthen our civic culture. Our approach has spread to all 50 U.S. states and 40 countries because it works. Through each part of our work, we are dedicated to catalyzing a larger force for change in the world. Want to step forward and take action to transform your community?