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JULY 2-8, 2014 UCW 5 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Several times in recent weeks I have feared my television set might actually combust right there on the kitchen counter from all the political hyperbole, falsehood and steaming vitriol spewing from the mouths of the talking heads I tend to watch. We are indeed a nation divided, and that is not just my opinion. It is likely yours as well, and we are now backed up by a recent report from the well- regarded Pew Research Center. We are not a nation pulling together as one. In fact, we feel like a nation of Hatfields and McCoys who want nothing more than to do each other in. The Pew Center confirmed last month what we all know. Our nation is more politically polarized than we have been in recent history, with hard-core political views cemented at both ends of the political spectrum. Having been around this block a few times myself, I understand that American politics is a combat sport; sometimes brutally so. That combat, however, seems to have spilled out to millions of political observers in ways that can hardly be making our nation better or stronger. Here are some of the Pew Centers findings: Political polarization has intensified in recent years, with fully one-fifth of all Americans holding consistently liberal or consistently conservative views with few centrist positions. This percentage of polarization has doubled over the last two decades during the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Perhaps even scarier, both sides report such feelings of animosity toward the other that they are "bordering on a sense of alarm." About a third of Republicans and Republican leaning independents and a quarter of Democrats and Democratic leaning independents view the other party as an actual threat to our nation. Scariest of all is that the zealots on both sides see the threat as even higher. Writing in the Washington Post, Dan Balz calls this the "apocalyptic view." It is true that millions of Americans hold middle of the road political views, but those people tend to be less politically engaged than the true believers on both sides. In other words, they do not shout as loudly or as viciously, so their more reasoned voices are drowned out by the screamers. This part of the Pew Center's findings has been well researched by others as well. What is new in the Pew study is that not only are the views held on the left and right different, but so are they in the ways both sides live their lives, culturally and geographically. Who knew that Americans who identify as liberal prefer to live in urban communities where schools, restaurants and stores are within walking distance. This group also expresses a strong desire to have cultural amenities like museums and theaters in their communities and that those communities be ethnically and racially diverse. On the other hand, Americans who identify themselves as conservative prefer to live in small towns or rural areas where schools, stores and restaurants are within driving distance. Less than a quarter of this group says cultural amenities are important to them, and only one in five of this group seeks diversity in their communities. The Pew study describes such divergent views as "ideological silos" in which many Americans now reside. Says the Pew report, "It is an enduring stereotype —conservatives prefer suburban McMansions while liberals like urban enclaves — but one grounded in reality." Blessedly, there is some common ground. The Pew Center finds that we all want our communities to have good public schools and access to outdoor activities like hiking, fishing and camping. Most of us want to live in proximity to our extended families. Most of us say it would not matter if a family member married a person of another race or from another country. Less reassuring, at least to me, are these similarities. More than a quarter of us would prefer to live in communities along side people with views similar to our own. And, nearly a third of consistent conservatives and a quarter of consistent liberals say we would be unhappy if a family member married someone of the opposite political persuasion. How did we get here? Who knows, but it cannot be a coincidence that our political polarization intensified at the same time most media abandoned any pretense of objectivity, and many of us began watching, listening to and reading news and opinion that agree with and reinforce our own. Think MSNBC and Fox News and all their various clones. The rise of social media may play a role as well as many of us vent our frustrations about politics and lots of other issues, often anonymously. We can now say things we would never utter if we had to own up to them or say them in front of our grandmothers. Since I cannot cure this, the only thing I know to do is the next time my television starts smoking, I am going to hit the off button and tell myself to "chill out." Civil Discourse? You Must Be Kidding! by MARGARET DICKSON MARGARET DICKSON, Contributing Writer, COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com.. 910.484.6200. Contest&RequestLine: 910-764-1073 www.christian107.com KeepingtheMainThing...theMainThing. visitusonline FocusontheFamily 20Countdown Magazine Adventures in Odyssey Serving Fayetteville Over 50 Years! 484-0261 1304 Morganton Rd. Mon-Sat: 6am-10pm Sun: 7am-2:30 pm Daily Specials • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Fresh Seafood • Hand Cut Steaks • Homemade Desserts • Italian & Greek • Children's Menu Banquet rooms available up to 100 guests