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Critical Commentary
Recently, social media outlets have been calling out anti-feministic feminists, the
morality of fraternity brothers, and attacks on liberals, conservatives, and almost anything in
between.
My inspiration for this paper came mainly from the frustration and divide that I had
disappearing into a sea of judgement and blame. America is angry, and in many ways rightfully
so, but this anger, fear, and hatred has destroyed any type of united America front that we had
Personally, I have always tried my best to be an optimist. I think that hope and positivity
are important elements to a happy and healthy life. I also think that positive attitudes are crucial
to getting things done. Positive attitudes give more power to teamwork and cooperation, leading
to higher success rates and creative solutions. I strongly believe that there is always a solution if
the parties involved are willing to look hard enough. Compromise and open-mindedness create
To apply this personal theory to something more concrete, this data taken from the Pew
Research Center shows the increasing bad attitude that is taking over Americans. Almost 9 in
10 Americans feel negatively against their opposing political parties, which shows how severe
Another source of division is occurring with individuals that are loyal to the political
party system, and those who are skeptical. The number of Americans that have stated their
dissatisfaction with their own political party affiliation has skyrocketed since the election.
This could be a result of the extremes that have been brought about by this election. The voices
of extremists have been showcased by popular media, while the average American loses hope in
The rise of this dissatisfaction with the political party system has been on the rise since
1990, and the recent events under the Trump presidency has only fueled this feeling. Most likely,
the average American feels that their voice is not being presented by government officials, which
could explain the explosion of preachy posts and personal beliefs and philosophies scattered
According to a 2016 survey conducted by The Guardian, More than six in ten (61%)
Americans say neither political party represents their views anymore. Dissatisfaction with
Americas two major parties has risen significantly since 1990, when fewer than half (48%) of
Americans believed neither political party represented their views. Dissatisfaction with our
political party system seems to be correlated with the dissatisfaction on the direction of our
country as a whole.
http://www.people-press.org/2016/06/22/partisanship-and-political-animosity-in-2016/
Frustration has always been a mutual feeling within political parties, but the growing
sense of fear and anger is something that hasnt been seen in a very, very long time (at least not
to this extent).
These negative feelings have started to overpower any positive feelings that any party
may have previously had at the start of the Trump Era. These attitudes have made it harder to
reach an understanding and compromise within these opinions. Instead of using time and effort
finding solutions to appease both parties and reach a consensus among Americans, we have been
using this energy to prove why we are right and they are wrong.
http://www.people-press.org/2016/06/22/partisanship-and-political-animosity-in-2016/
Interestingly enough, as cynical as political parties have been regarding each other,
Democrats and Republicans have shown even stronger distaste for the opposing candidate then
by Democrats. There is a stigma that the Democratic Party may be willing to compromise with
the Republican Party on some issues, but the Republican Party remains stubborn on many of
these issues.
lazier than the average American. This is mainly due to the judgement that younger people are
lazier than older people, and the younger generation is known to lean left.
http://www.people-press.org/2016/06/22/partisanship-and-political-animosity-in-2016/
This information shows that these issues are more than likely affecting everyday
http://www.people-
press.org/2016/06/22/partisanship-and-political-animosity-in-2016/
This partisanship has gone so far that that members of political parties have accused
opposing parties of threatening the nations well-being with their actions. There is a strong belief
that the opposing party is misguided, again giving no chance at reaching an understanding. There
Independents have now gotten to the point where they have outnumbered both Democrats
and Republicans. In my opinion, this is the result of the extremism and animosity that has been
represented by political parties lately. Individuals who are not interested in the division of the
American people really have no group to turn to outside of the growing number of independents,
especially among millennials.
http://www.people-press.org/2016/06/22/partisanship-and-political-animosity-in-2016/
http://www.people-press.org/2016/06/22/partisanship-and-political-animosity-in-2016/
Group mentality plays a major role in the division between political parties. It has been
proven that having friends associated with a certain party greatly impacts many Americans
decisions on their parties. Individuals who have friends in both parties are more likely to be
politically open-minded and accepting of all beliefs. However, individuals who have friends
strictly belonging to a specific party are more likely to think negatively about the opposing party.
This is not that surprising, considering how powerful group mentalities can become, especially
The main issue that this divide and animosity brings is that there is a difference between
what the average American believes and what is being brought up to our government officials.
What it mainly comes down to is participation. Although the general public does not associate
very strongly with one political party or another, the individuals that do have strong liberal or
reasonable consensus, the involvement of polarized individuals has made this nearly impossible.
Therefore, our representation in government is presenting these polarized views, and not the
This issue has made major impacts on political behaviors, government policies and
debates, the dynamics of elections, especially our most recent one, and everyday behavior and
attitude among the American public. I assume that most Americans are aware, and are affected
by this issue. My concern is that most people are unaware of exactly how much impact this issue
has made on us, and that we can easily take action against it if we act in numbers.
This issue has crept into all of our personal lives, whether it be within family, friends,
http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/12/section-1-growing-ideological-
consistency/#interactive