"Research" tells us what we should already know about partisanship

[Mac1958]

Reading this article, it blew my mind to see that something so simple has been lost on us.

They were trying to figure out how to heal the ugly and increasing divide we're seeing this country. Wow, NO WAY, THAT'S gonna be COMPLICATED.

The terribly complicated answer? Take the time and make the effort to ACCURATELY understand the other side of the issue. Then, demonstrate to the other side that you understand. Demonstrate that you've paid enough attention to hear what they're actually saying, not what you're told they're saying. Gee. Magic. That's not a panacea, but it's a start. It keeps communication open and flowing.

Tell me: How much of that do we really see in Left Wing and Right Wing media nowadays?

Sadly, I think that something this simple and obvious may be beyond us at this point.

Why American Politics Is So Stuck — and What New Research Shows About How to Fix It

The more people identify with a party, the more likely they are to ascribe bad motives to the other side's policy goals.

www.politico.com

 

[Jets]

From the OP link:

To date, the political science literature has shown that political polarization leads partisans not only to dislike each other, but to see the other side increasingly as a threat to the country. Our identification of the partisan trade-off bias reveals a psychological tendency that might help to explain this perception of threat. After all, how can you get along with someone who you perceive as intentionally trying to do harm?

This is tribalism summed up. Until this changes, US vs THEM will be SOP…

 

[Mac1958]

From the OP link:

To date, the political science literature has shown that political polarization leads partisans not only to dislike each other, but to see the other side increasingly as a threat to the country. Our identification of the partisan trade-off bias reveals a psychological tendency that might help to explain this perception of threat. After all, how can you get along with someone who you perceive as intentionally trying to do harm?

This is tribalism summed up. Until this changes, US vs THEM will be SOP…

Yup. It's all right there, in front of us.

Avoiding and distorting the views of others is a sure-fire way to fire up your tribe and make the other guy look evil.

Again, are we going to learn this? I doubt it.

 

[Mac1958]

Do you think that MSNBC's Joy Reid & Rachel Maddow are presenting and reinforcing an accurate representation of the perspectives, life experiences, priorities and opinions of the GOP?

Do you think that FOX's Sean Hannity & Tucker Carlson are presenting and reinforcing an accurate representation of the perspectives, life experiences, priorities and opinions of the Dems?

Really?

 

[sparky]

After all, how can you get along with someone who you perceive as intentionally trying to do harm?

~S~

 

[sparky]

Do you think that MSNBC's Joy Reid & Rachel Maddow are presenting and reinforcing an accurate representation of the perspectives, life experiences, priorities and opinions of the GOP?

Do you think that FOX's Sean Hannity & Tucker Carlson are presenting and reinforcing an accurate representation of the perspectives, life experiences, priorities and opinions of the Dems?

Really?

'Distorted views' is much akin to 'if it bleeds ,it leads' , the media is out to sell a product Mac
~S~

 

[Crepitus]

Reading this article, it blew my mind to see that something so simple has been lost on us.

They were trying to figure out how to heal the ugly and increasing divide we're seeing this country. Wow, NO WAY, THAT'S gonna be COMPLICATED.

The terribly complicated answer? Take the time and make the effort to ACCURATELY understand the other side of the issue. Then, demonstrate to the other side that you understand. Demonstrate that you've paid enough attention to hear what they're actually saying, not what you're told they're saying. Gee. Magic. That's not a panacea, but it's a start. It keeps communication open and flowing.

Tell me: How much of that do we really see in Left Wing and Right Wing media nowadays?

Sadly, I think that something this simple and obvious may be beyond us at this point.

Why American Politics Is So Stuck — and What New Research Shows About How to Fix It

The more people identify with a party, the more likely they are to ascribe bad motives to the other side's policy goals.

www.politico.com

I'm sorry but this "both sides are guilty" thing just isn't true to the extent you and the author want it to be. Not right now anyway.

Sadly I understand the right wing and their issues all to well.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

From the OP link:

To date, the political science literature has shown that political polarization leads partisans not only to dislike each other, but to see the other side increasingly as a threat to the country. Our identification of the partisan trade-off bias reveals a psychological tendency that might help to explain this perception of threat. After all, how can you get along with someone who you perceive as intentionally trying to do harm?

This is tribalism summed up. Until this changes, US vs THEM will be SOP…

Which is what they want, the more we the people fight each other, the more those in power can get away with. This division is not an accident, it is a coordinated effort by the two sides of the duopoly since 1992.

 

[Mac1958]

I'm sorry but this "both sides are guilty" thing just isn't true to the extent you and the author want it to be. Not right now anyway.

Sadly I understand the right wing and their issues all to well.

So back to my question from above: Do you think that MSNBC's Joy Reid & Rachel Maddow are presenting and reinforcing an accurate representation of the perspectives, life experiences, priorities and opinions of the GOP? Do you think the non-MAGA media does that?

 

[Mac1958]

Which is what they want, the more we the people fight each other, the more those in power can get away with. This division is not an accident, it is a coordinated effort by the two sides of the duopoly since 1992.

Sure, these are people who have a vested personal and professional interest in distorting the views of the other side.

As guilty as they are of that, it's still incumbent upon the consumers of this stuff to get the whole picture.

What I wonder is if these consumers even realize that they need to do that. I don't see much evidence of that.

 

[Mac1958]

Do you do this here on this forum, Mac? Do you make an effort to accurately understand the "other side" and articulate that to them?

Sure. Observing opinions, behaviors and perspectives is one of the primary reasons I come here.

You're free to challenge me on my perception of your opinions on any topic.

Let's find out. And don't worry, I won't ask you to do the same.

 

[SweetSue92]

Sure. Observing opinions, behaviors and perspectives is one of the primary reasons I come here.

You're free to challenge me on my perception of your opinions on any topic.

Let's find out. And don't worry, I won't ask you to do the same.

Another great post of you attempting to "understand" the opposition:

At some point you just have to punt.

They are told to hate the vaccines and anyone associated with them, so that's what they do.

Another Anti-Vaccine Conservative Dumbass Dies of...Covid-19

https://www.wnd.com/2021/11/man-forced-get-vaccine-receive-transplant-dies-moderna-sh

www.usmessageboard.com

 

[Mac1958]

Once again, I name no names, I make no personal attacks, and it all becomes about me.

One of these days, I'm gonna find some interesting, stimulating conversation here! I swear!

 

[Mac1958]

So anyway, pretty interesting stuff, from the "research":

"In a nutshell, our studies showed that the negative side effects associated with different policy trade-offs are not interpreted by opponents as side effects at all, but as intended goals of the policy."

So no policy is going to be perfect for everyone. And if a person advocating for the policy can't at least admit that, then the other person turns off (perhaps because they're perceiving intellectual dishonesty, which can also be interpreted as an insult), the communication is all but over, and both parties go back to their corners.

This seems pretty freakin' obvious.

 

[Crepitus]

So back to my question from above: Do you think that MSNBC's Joy Reid & Rachel Maddow are presenting and reinforcing an accurate representation of the perspectives, life experiences, priorities and opinions of the GOP? Do you think the non-MAGA media does that?

MSNBC is kinda the left wing equivalent of fox. They may not outright lie but they present things in a very slanted way. Because of that I don't actually watch them much. Do you have a specific example or clip?

 

[Mac1958]

MSNBC is kinda the left wing equivalent of fox. They may not outright lie but they present things in a very slanted way. Because of that I don't actually watch them much. Do you have a specific example or clip?

No, I'm just generalizing. I definitely agree with your point about MSNBC presenting things in a slanted way, like FOX.

One of the ways they both do that, is to present an inaccurate picture of the perspectives of the other side. Incomplete, inaccurate, or just outright fabricated. That flawed presentation then makes it easier to push a "point".

So, back to the OP, unless a person (a) understands that and makes the effort to accurately understand the perspectives of the other, and (b) demonstrates to the other that they DO accurately understand them, communication will likely break down.

When someone misrepresents my perspectives here -- and that happens in a vast majority of posts to me -- I essentially shut down. That's because I very much doubt it's worth the effort to FIRST set them straight, and THEN get back to the point. And most of the time, they refuse to be set straight.

So it's a pointless exercise. This is what's happening pretty much everywhere now, and that's the point of the article.

 

[Harry Dresden]

The problem is, we understand the right wing all too well...

We totally understand they can't get away from their racism and homophobia to see what the one percent is doing to them.

It's just, how much effort do you waste trying to point that out to them?

and many understand the left wing all to well......they aint much better .....

 

[Mac-7]

Sure, these are people who have a vested personal and professional interest in distorting the views of the other side.

As guilty as they are of that, it's still incumbent upon the consumers of this stuff to get the whole picture.

What I wonder is if these consumers even realize that they need to do that. I don't see much evidence of that.

Ok, I get it

Members of the Wise Ones tweener class such as Mac1958 and Golfing Gator see the whole picture that the rest of us miss

Now if they could only convince the other 99% of America to join them then some loser like pot smoking gary johnson could be president and we’d all live happily ever after

But thats a dream world that is never going to be a reality as long as we humans govern ourselves

 

[sartre play]

In answer to the question.... both Fox & MSNBC distort the truth, plain old news doesn't sell well. hype & drama do.

 

[Mac1958]

In answer to the question.... both Fox & MSNBC distort the truth, plain old news doesn't sell well. hype & drama do.

Yeah, I'd imagine that that's at the base of this.

Then we don't dig any further to be sure we understand the other side.

That just allows for more binary thinking, more binary behavior, more division.