Just How Politically Stratified Have We Become?

I found the juxtaposition of these two memes fascinating.

These memes were made by different sources, and both were created in earnest. In fact, I’ve seen the first shared on Facebook. When I commented to note that it was an inaccurate reflection of what liberals advocate, I was told that I couldn’t take a joke. And on some level, I get that. I understand that these memes weren’t necessarily meant to be taken completely literally. Still, I worry that the extremes presented in memes like this may reflect a lack of understanding of those on the other side of the aisle.

To briefly address the above memes, liberals tend to value freedom of choice and movement, something you don’t have in prison, and even the most libertarian Republicans generally believe that government should exist to enforce private property rights, in contrast to the situation in Somalia. Do the individuals who make and chuckle at memes like those above understand that they are caricatures rather than accurate reflections of their opponents’ views? Perhaps. But then, perhaps not. Just how earnest are those sharing memes like these?

Don’t get me wrong, I realize that we live in the era of Donald Trump, and I’m not suggesting that both sides have equal grievances. The current Republican frontrunner wants to build a wall reminiscent of the Cold War between the U.S. and Mexico and institute a religious test for immigrants entering the U.S. We should have no qualms about calling these things out. I’m not saying we just all need to learn to get along and accept each other’s views, or any such thing.

Still, over the past few weeks, I have seen multiple Facebook friends ask who all the Trump supporters are, noting that they don’t know anyone supporting Donald Trump. To me, this suggests some concerning political stratification. Have we as a society become so segmented that our contact with those who hold drastically opposing views from ours is that limited? Perhaps this is nothing new. Perhaps it has always been this way. But then again, perhaps it hasn’t.

What does this mean for our society? Whether or not we have always been this isolated from drastically opposing views, there is no denying that politics today is more polarized than it has been at many times in the past, and that polarization does seem to extend into society in general. Where do we go from here? Are we headed toward a world so divided in beliefs and policies that our own neighbors will become strangers to us? What will that mean for politics, education, and everything else? How do we resolve this extreme polarization—or will it resolve itself, given time?

We live in strange days, my friends, strange days indeed.