Young Americans who take off the rose-colored glasses of patriotism to view the current state of the country they’re meant to inherit often find their elected officials acting their shoe size rather than their age.
A recent survey by the Sine Institute of Policy & Politics found 69% of young adults view the current civic discourse in the nation as a crisis. A top concern for this current pitfall in our democracy is politicians’ allergy toward respectful disagreements, instead opting to attack character rather than policy.
To say the least, the tone of politicians in recent years errs on the side of disrespect or even disgust towards opponents, morphing what should be healthy debate into trashy reality TV with each passing day. A return to any sense of civility requires leaders to set an example by refraining from being the firestarter in destructive public discourse.
In modern times, social media became the primary vessel for politicians to dish out character attacks instead of print. With just the push of a button, politicians elevate negative discourse and rile up constituents faster and nastier than ever before.
Charles Hunt, an associate professor at the School of Public Service, attributes much of the recent discourse to negative partisanship between the two political parties, where, instead of voting on a party’s vision or policy, constituents vote as a way to stick it to the opposition.
“Americans are thinking of their votes in this way [to spite the other side] a lot more and as a result, prominent elected officials try harnessing that by insulting the other side,” said Hunt. “That draws a lot of hatred from their own party and is a way of signaling to voters that you’re with them.”
Constituents voting out of spite waters down our government’s democracy and allows our elected officials to hijack the internet rage machine. Our current president feeds the machine often enough, even launching his own social media platform, Truth Social, to have a sturdy soapbox to stand on while riling up his base.
Associate Professor in Political Science, Jeffery Lyons, believes national leaders shoulder some of the blame for cultivating destructive citizen disdain toward one another.
“It is about more than just presidential politics, but a lot of things start at the national level,” said Lyons. “National leaders are structuring discourse in a certain way, and that does tend to flow downhill.”
The nationalization of American politics pushes local politics, such as city or state elections, to follow in the footsteps of the national rhetoric. This seeps into our everyday lives as members of opposing parties tend to avoid forming friendships or relationships with one another.
“Rather than seeing our political elites try to turn down the temperature and model the kinds of behavior we would hope to see, we don’t really see that,” Lyons said. “What we see is a reinforcement of the worst elements, which is a lot of character attacks.”
American citizens constantly exposed to the “takedowns of the MAGA” or “owning of the libs” can become mired in stereotypes of the opposing side, unable to view one another in an unbiased light. Actively disagreeing or the straight-up refusal of differing ideologies before engaging with one another detracts from the ability to be civil.
“There’s always disagreement, and to a certain extent, enmity,” said Hunt. “In some ways that’s a marker of a democracy, but how we conduct that speech, whether it’s civil and whether it’s actually accomplishing anything, that’s something we have to figure out in civil society.”
There is a desperate need for a reframing in how the American people approach sorting out their differences. Isaac Castellano, the associate director for the Institute of Advancing American Values (IAAV), leads Bronco Convos, an effort on campus to engage in civil discourse that leaves personal attacks at the door.
“The purpose of Bronco Convos is to reclaim and create a space that is non‑partisan,” said Castellano. “No one’s trying to win an election here. No one’s trying to gain members.”
He emphasizes the need for an organization like the IAAV that shifts the incentive away from political gain to focus on the proportional representation that is needed through this “grassroots” movement.
“Creating a culture of engaged American voters who demand elected officials are civil and that they are problem solvers,” Castellano said. “To focus on advancing, problem-solving and addressing the problems that the vast majority of Americans agree on.”
When a group of college students are engaging in better civil discourse than the officials who represent them, it may call for a long look in the mirror. The younger generation does not want to be represented by politicians who debate with playground insults and are tired of seeing the adults in the room constantly at each other’s throats.
“The best political minds in the country are focused on how they’re going to defeat other Americans and that’s the tragedy of right now,” Castellano said.
A desire for a return to civil discourse in our community starts with holding our leaders accountable for deplorable behavior. That goes beyond a passing comment or angry tweet, which simply adds to the rage machine, it requires holding leaders to their policies and not taking the bait when a politician tries to fan the flames of outrage.
