In my high school classrooms, political discussions tend to be one-sidedly liberal. At times, low-income white conservatives become the laughingstock of these conversations, with criticisms of how they are voting against their self-interest. There are a few possibilities as to why this is. The first is geographic location, as urban areas tend to be liberal and rural regions conservative. Then there’s group identity, where individuals feel compelled to conform to a group to belong, increasing negative partisanship. This behavior is identity politics on display.
Many popularize identity politics to depict the concerns of marginalized groups, including women decrying the gender pay gap or multi-millionaires complaining about taxes. However, this is often a misnomer, as described by Ezra Klein in his book “Why We’re Polarized.” Here, all identities are recognized as drivers of politics, ranging from ‘doctor’ to ‘father’ to even ‘Texan.’ Individuals hold multiple identities, some more active than others, and can be triggered at any moment. Our primal instincts to form in-groups and out-groups can cause the formation of specific identities due to perpetual performative acts and political ignorance. National politics has become an us versus them game to many. Still, we ought to make sure that we use the gift of democracy to represent the people and move towards a more just society.
Even party politics is a form of identity politics. Identities such as purely “Democrat” and “Republican” can be harmful when it bars individuals from looking at each issue holistically and becomes simply a performative act. Take, for example, liberals in California. Johnny Harris and Binyamin Appelbaum, in their emmy-winning piece “Blue States, You’re the Problem,” emphasize how states with substantial liberal power fail to live up to their values. Known for its extremely high housing prices, citizens residing in counties such as Palo Alto are simultaneously putting up yard signs professing liberal ideas and blocking the passage of new zoning laws to construct affordable housing in their neighborhoods. This hypocrisy stagnates the processes in our political system. The liberal group identity in these communities has become only for show for most of its members. This elite club of citizens reaps the benefit of their wealth and exaggerated housing prices while pretending to be moral and empathetic (according to liberal standards).
Even most avid protestors often do not fully understand the issues they advocate for. Liz Plank and Joe Posner found at an abortion protest in their 2016 Vox explanatory video that most of the people present do not know basic facts about abortion, including the relative safety of abortion compared to other procedures and what the process entails. In today’s society, where social media platforms connect young people more than ever, it is easy for individuals to automatically agree with the ideas presented in their feeds driven by algorithms. Individuals build their political positions based on these experiences while lacking fundamental knowledge of the issues they demonstrate support for, leading to dangerous conformities where debate and diverse perspectives in local communities are absent.
Political affiliations resulting from these interactions become binding and can often last a lifetime. The harsh and non-inclusive manner in which the media and politicians often address one another and their supporters strengthens these polarized identities and makes it seem illogical to switch sides. Negative partisanship is so firmly instilled in many of our psyches that change appears irrational.
A possible solution is what Klein refers to as identity mindfulness. Recognize which identities are triggered when consuming content and take a minute to reflect on how you feel after being greeted with the message. Taking a stance on political issues shouldn’t solely be based on forming an identity and predicting what others would think of you as a result of it. Support causes that you genuinely believe in by learning about different perspectives. Stop demonizing people who disagree with you – at the end of the day, we are all human beings capable of rational thought. Everyday political conversations should be built on inclusivity, welcoming a broad spectrum of views within reason. As someone who can vote for the first time in 2024, I will consider what each candidate offers with an open mind beforehand. So the next time you finish scrolling Twitter, relax and recognize which of your identities are triggered. The best safeguard against falling prey to identity politics is to be conscious of it.
- United States