A certain degree of political polarization has always existed in America. Today, we have reached a point where polarization is no longer beneficial, but detrimental to our government and society as a whole.

Today’s extreme political polarization is a reflection of how divided citizens’ attitudes have become. Contrary to popular belief, it is constituents that are driving polarization in Washington.

If we can interact and engage in the classroom with those who hold different political ideologies, shouldn’t we be able to do the same in the real world?

The 113th Congress has historically low approval ratings — a reflection of public frustration about the constant state of partisan deadlock on nearly all of the major issues facing our country.

Politicians generally seek re-election above all other things, and therefore are constantly trying to appeal to — and also reflect — the ideals of their supporters.

Still, many constituents feel their parties aren’t appealing to them.

According to a June 2012 Pew Research Poll, 71 percent of registered Republicans and 58 percent of registered Democrats believe their parties have not done an adequate job of standing up for their traditional policy positions.

The fact that we are currently more disunited today than ever before suggests there is something at work that is driving Americans toward levels of extreme polarization.

The news media — especially cable television — has played a prominent role in the divergence of political attitudes in America. The fact of the matter is in the case of cable television: The results show that bias sells.

Fox News routinely beats the competition in ratings with a staunchly conservative format. In recent years, MSNBC has attempted to cash in by essentially following Fox’s basic format with its own liberal, sometimes far-left spin.

Yet it would be an oversimplification to place all of the blame on the networks, which are ultimately news organizations in the business of making money.

The viewing habits of the people who seek out biased coverage play a role in what ultimately airs on cable news. News organizations like Fox and MSNBC are responsive to ratings, much like Congress is responsive to partisan-minded constituents and interest groups.

A significant portion of the blame also rests with the people who seek out only the news coverage that confirms their worldviews.

The confirmation bias divides citizens and further stimulates polarization by leading us to favor arguments that don’t challenge our pre-established worldviews and deeply ingrained political ideologies.

The basic difference between the political ideologies of most Americans is summarized in an NBC-Wall Street Journal national poll released in early June.

Respondents were asked to read two statements and decide which one they tended to agree with. The first statement read: “Government should do more to solve problems and help meet the needs of people.” The second statement said: “Government is doing too many things better left to business and individuals.” Forty-eight percent of people agreed with the first statement. Forty-eight percent of people agreed with the second one.

The fact that we have a spirited debate about the proper role of government in our country is positive. However the results of this poll further complicate politicians’ ability to ease our polarization.

Ultimately, higher education must play a part in alleviating political polarization.

Colleges and universities across the country should work to ensure that students become more engaged with different ideas and ideologies, and form relationships in the classroom with those they may not agree with politically.

College should be a place where it is virtually impossible to isolate oneself into any type of rigid ideology.

The combined effects of biased media coverage, confirmation bias and various other factors are unfortunately trumping what’s happening in colleges and universities across the country.

An honest dialogue about the role government should play in our lives is no longer the majority of today’s political discourse. Instead, it’s been hijacked by influential firebrands who are anything but honest.

Ethan Demers is a senior political science and history major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at [email protected].

Published on August 12, 2013 at 12:43 am