Many people think the work of reducing toxic polarization is at odds with political activism. The thinking goes, “We need to be polarized because our political opponents are so bad.” Or: “We need our animosity to defeat the bad guys.”
But these objections miss some key points about the dangers of and remedies for toxic division. One can work toward any political goal while trying to reduce toxic polarization.
In fact, taking less polarizing approaches can aid one’s political activism.
When you say “polarized”…?
First, when we talk about the problem of polarization, we’re not talking about just disagreeing — or even disagreeing strongly. Every country has serious issues that its citizens debate. This is normal.
What’s abnormal and destructive is when many citizens have contempt and fear of their fellow citizens. This is what leads to dysfunction and chaos in a country.