The perils of partisanship
It’s absurd that we’ve reached this point.
Issue #46
Hi all —
As we participate in and witness the midterm election this upcoming week, we also continue to witness how the partisan divide in the U.S. has reached a new level that’s pretty disgusting. We’re far past tribalism, false tweets and dangerous rhetoric, graduating to political violence.
Paul Pelosi, the husband to one of the highest ranking U.S. officials, was brutally attacked at their San Francisco home on Oct. 28. An 82-year-old fellow American. Thankfully, he is recovering. The perpetrator who carried out the attack with a hammer was reportedly targeting state and federal politicians.
On July 9, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state and her husband were home in Seattle when a car drove by outside with men yelling at them, heavy-metal music blaring, according to The Washington Post. One of the men came back a half-hour later with a loaded semiautomatic pistol.
In Colorado, the secretary of state has faced numerous threats, many fueled by conspiracy theories about the integrity of our election system (despite the fact that ours is even considered the “gold standard” nationwide). A man was recently sentenced to prison for making threats to her.
Sadly, that list of threats to public servants can go on and on.
Last week, former President Barack Obama talked about his concerns over the “increasing havoc of demonizing political opponents” that’s happening:
It’s absurd that we’ve reached this point in our democracy.
It’s absurd that some fellow Americans don’t ultimately see each other on the same team — as Americans — but rather associating each other first by political party affiliation.
It’s absurd that some people continue to believe misinformation and narratives that simply fit their political beliefs. A quarter of Indian Americans in a University of Texas at Austin study believe “COVID-19 doesn’t actually exist” and 18% believe self-professed capitalist Joe Biden “is a socialist or communist.”
It’s absurd that some people spew hate to both strangers and family or friends alike on Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook, simply over political differences.
It’s absurd that so many don’t want compromise — or just don’t want to agree to disagree.
The viral hug between Hasan Minhaj and Indian Uncle of 2019 seems so quaint now:
Hoping this week remains sane and safe for all.
On another note: As Twitter undergoes rapid — and concerning — changes with its new ownership, I’ll be reassessing the future of the Twitter Spaces interview series as that platform’s future becomes clearer. Stay tuned.
Thanks for joining the conversation,
Vignesh Ramachandran (@VigneshR)
Co-founder of Red, White and Brown Media
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