OPINION: Multiplication of division
Regan
America is divided. Ask most anyone and they would likely agree. However, you may not get consensus on the reason for the division, or where the fracture actually lies. It is as if we have a general feeling of division but among your known circle of friends and acquaintances, specific boundaries of disagreement become blurred.
The division nationally is evident in the Republican vs. Democrat makeup of Congress and the ubiquitous polling which seemingly documents the splits on various topics from abortion to the economy to presidential candidate preference. We are told these factions exist and the scope of their existence, but it is difficult to find those proportions within your immediate relationships. Polling tells us that for 20% of the electorate, the Trump felony conviction had a negative impact on their likelihood to vote for Trump. I know hundreds of people and not a single one is a member of this “one in five” group.
Could it be that these sharp divides are synthetic, a product of media “programming?” Is it possible that opinions formed about matters where we do not have direct contact are determined by which media we consume? If that is true, then the media is actually the source of the division, and the next question is “why?”
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