"Why We're Polarized"

Initiated by:
• Ceit

Details

Summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27T5aGduvNI (4:43) Klein and Noah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeeFRr3F1KU (6:32) Klein and (shudder) Shapiro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAsUpv2-0As (4:56) Polarized news and alternative realities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxXceCj0koQ (8:48) Group identity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1SGYabxvPM (5:12) For the time-rich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZXb2pKcU5k (1:10:31) There is actually a whole world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-GURGSN2aU (1:27:20) Questions: 1. What good is a political system with great overlap between parties? What is the point of political parties in that situation? 2. Does polarization begin politically or socially? 3. Is a political party an appropriate group to identify oneself with? Is it healthy to cling to this group no matter what the candidates say/do? 4. Is polarization a bigger problem in some countries than in others? What might contribute to this difference? 5. How much connection do you feel with the phrase, "To hate like this is to be happy forever"? What does it mean to you? 6. Klein suggests some solutions for lessening the stranglehold of identity politics (including white and male identities), particularly in the Supreme Court. Do you think his solutions are realistic? Can they be enacted? 7. Does Tajfer's experiment show that humans are fundamentally not only selfish, but also spiteful? If we keep this fact in mind, can we work against this instinct the same way we work against others (or try to)?