In: Economics
Read Chapter 9 carefully and focus specifically on section 9.4 to respond to this question: What are the implications of partisan polarization? Please be specific as you reference the chapter, and also provide relevant examples.
Polarization is not the same as disagreement about how to address public-policy issues, which in a democracy is safe and normal. Polarization is more than simply holding a different view on other things than your neighbor. Polarization happens when we hesitate to move next to a neighbor who does not respect our values, or when we are not going to send our children to a racially integrated kindergarten. Tribalism is the force that empowers polarization: clustering ourselves into groups that compete with each other in a zero-sum game where negotiation and compromise are viewed as deception, whether those groups are political, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender or generational.
Americans also in their suburban neighborhoods are rapidly segregating themselves through political party and ideology. This division makes us more likely to demonize one another, as more and more people live with people who hold similar political views. Our political campaigns have become overwhelmingly divisive, concentrating more on taking down our rivals than building up support for our own ideas. During the presidential campaign of 1960, only about 10 per cent of broadcast election ads were negative; by 2012, only about 14 per cent of campaign ads were positive.
Polarization does not only manifest as tension between intergroups. This also shifts the dynamics within communities, as participants feel more pressure to adhere to their values and behavior, making internal opposition and diversity less possible. People support lying against enemy nations and as many people now see those on the other side of American politics as enemies, they may believe that lies are acceptable means of war when they consider them