I feel like it’s almost a cliché to say that this election season is the most divisive anyone has ever seen. I don’t even need to mention the name of the guy causing the most controversy. While many aren’t too happy with his opponent, either, both candidates are still plagued by vast opposition from the other side’s supporters. Even the third-party candidate this year faces heavy opposition from supporters of the lead parties’ candidates. Not surprisingly, many polarizing issues are on the forefront of this election: race relations, immigration, women’s health, global relations, and Constitutional rights. So far I have heard very few nuanced points of view regarding any of these issues; people are either full-fledged for or against the candidates’ platforms. When the nation is polarized on issues during election season, it obviously leads to division. You’re so ready to unfriend your racist uncle, or your socialist neighbor on Facebook, that you lose sight of one of America’s most fundamental ideas: division is good.
Division is what led to our eventual independence from British colonies. The colonists were fed up with taxation without representation, so much to the point that they were willing to take a stand against their motherland and forge their own nation. Many people within the colonies wanted to remain loyal to Britain, however, and this leads to many divisive pieces (Thomas Paine, anyone?). Now, when I say, “division is good,” I don’t mean that the people who disagree with Candidate A should go start a new nation in support with Candidate B. Not at all. What I am advocating for is critical thinking. Take a stand on an issue, pick a side, and defend it wholeheartedly. Work against the opposition. Not permanently, however. Remember that division is the first step to achieving unity. We must stand divided before we can come together.
Of course, coming together doesn’t mean that every idea gets to live in harmony with every other idea. Some ideas are mutually exclusive, and cannot coincide with others; e.g. racism and equality. We can never truly be an equal society until we fully rid our world of racism. Accordingly, if the United States ever wanted to be a nation of true equality, the Ku Klux Klan’s main ideas can never permeate the foundations of our ideology going forward. In this case, division lends itself the purging of toxic ideas. Division can also lead to the melding of two ideas; e.g. socialism and capitalism. Believe it or not, Franklin Delano Roosevelt supported socialism. Social Security and minimum wage are socialist ideas and his greatest legacy. They coexist (perhaps not social security after this election regardless of who wins the presidency) with our firmly entrenched capitalist markets. In a sense, the United States is the love child of socialism and capitalism. These two ideas were heavily divisive, and it took the leadership of FDR and the catastrophe of World War Two to bring them together. However, out of the initial division, these ideas found sanctuary in the United States, making it a global superpower in terms of economics, quality of living, and education.
Taking a stand against toxic ideas, or making a sound case for a good idea in opposition to another leads to critically thinking about not only where we see ourselves going as a nation, but also who we are at our core. The initial stages of conflict allow ourselves to reflect on our ideas and question them thoroughly. Am I doing the right thing? Is this in line with my core values, my cardinal beliefs? These questions are borne out of the division, and if all goes well after the divisive stage of a conflict, we should see ourselves in a new light. We should have changed for the better. Of course, this isn’t always the case. When conflict goes wrong and we end up damaging ourselves, we are quick to blame the divisive nature of the issue at hand. I believe that this is a toxic view to have because this allows us to avoid making progress. Blaming division for our problems results in us believing in whatever any yahoo who has the gall to stand in front of a thousand people has to say. We lose our ability to think critically. Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything. It is our responsibility as a society to handle division and conflict responsibly.
How do we do this? How do we keep division from spinning out of control? Unfortunately, in some cases, it’s absolutely unavoidable. But in the many cases where it’s not, I believe that the answer lies in civility and using our prefrontal cortex that we are so wont to praise and show off. Taking our time to teach our children how to handle conflict without violence or complete separation from other classmates is a start, but this must be a committed process. We can’t give them slaps on the wrist when they hit their friend over which Power Ranger is the best (the Red Ranger, obviously). We need to foster a culture where we can have different views and opinions, but we can articulate them in a manner that won’t cause violence or alienation. I realize that this is difficult to teach kids, but we have to start somewhere. Adults, in the meantime, can take time out of their day to go educate themselves on issues. There’s this really awesome thing called the Internet that gives you access to all of this information at your fingertips! Or even, the mythical library that allows you to check out and read books, magazines, and newspapers for about $2.95 a year. Adults can also set an example for children by working on their communication skills, such as using “I statements,” or discussing their feelings.
Division is good, but it can only lead to good if we learn how to proceed with conflict appropriately. Humans can make some incredible things out of division; don’t squander the opportunity over a Facebook post.
