It’s hard to disagree with anyone about sociopolitical issues without being swiftly placed into an ideological box. The state of public discourse has deteriorated to a point where dissent of any kind is completely blasphemous. One potential reason for this is the perceived evils of the opposition.
Has American politics become more volatile because of toxic public discourse? We scream disparaging remarks while having no regard for civility in conversation.
You’re not going to find people who keep their opinions to themselves anymore. Our culture has become less concerned with subtlety and etiquette in several ways. The 24 hour news cycle highlights all the horrible things that happen daily, and the lack of internet comment etiquette has created a more inflammatory social discourse. Then again, if people avoided controversial conversation in an attempt to be polite, it may alleviate the surface tension but it wouldn’t help the source of the problem.
At the core of the issue is a predisposition to dismiss the opposite side as useless, instead of recognizing it as a different but valid perspective.
When I was in high school I had a swath of abrasive opinions. I ruined a few dinners just by bringing up the wrong thing. One time, I got into an argument with my grandparents on the way home from the airport about whether or not U.S. troops were actively torturing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Back then, it was rude of me to do that. It wasn’t even that long ago. Now, my mom might get into an argument with my grandparents at dinner over healthcare and the president. Now, everyone gets into arguments with everyone.
Because of the toxic atmosphere surrounding politics in particular, it’s hard to play devil’s advocate even in passing conversation because to do so is to align yourself with unsavory ideas. If you disagree with a liberal you are a conservative and if you disagree with a conservative that makes you a liberal.
People have abandoned their civility because they feel like this is the end of the road. It’s much harder to talk through something, in order to understand it, without appearing like you’ve taken a side. It’s frustrating to be categorized or dismissed because of a singular comment. The political spectrum is large and nuanced. Plus, people don’t fully understand the definitions of the labels they disparagingly place on one another.
It annoys me because my opinions vary. I’d say I lean more liberal, but I have conservative proclivities too. So, when I have a conversation with adamantly conservative people and disagree with them, they lump me in with the worst liberals. There are so many preconceptions being brought to the table no one can take anyone seriously.
I’m tired of tiptoeing around saying what I actually think just so I don’t get dismissed right away. Why bother having a conversation with someone if we can’t disagree. Suggesting an alternative viewpoint shouldn’t be tantamount to genuine hatred. The fact that it can be perceived that way is an indication of how volatile the state of discourse actually is.
