Ulteriori informazioni
Americans are caught in a partisan hyperconflict that divides politicians, communities, and even families. Darrell M. West, who grew up in a conservative, rural Ohio community, went on to teach in the liberal Ivy League and spent years working in the heart of the Washington, D.C., establishment. In this book he draws on that personal history to explore the political, economic, and cultural aspects of this polarization.
West's conversations over the past 40 years with friends, colleagues, and family members form the heart of Divided Politics, Divided Nation, providing a unique perspective from which to understand the heated nature of U.S. politics-and how we reached our current boiling point. Societal tensions have metastasized into a dangerous tribalism that seriously threatens American democracy. This polarization has become so intense that many people no longer trust anyone who espouses a different view. Politicians from the president to state and local officeholders have stoked and often inflamed the situation. Few are doing anything to stem the resulting inferno that has swept through American politics, society, and culture.
Unless Americans can overcome these divisions it will be impossible, West argues, to work together and maintain a functioning democracy. In Divided Politics, Divided Nation, he explains how we might bridge our divisions: by enacting political and economic reforms, improving news coverage, and persuading people to listen to each other's viewpoints. These are the only ways to calm our anger, forge a new path forward, and deal with twentyfirst-century challenges.
Sommario
"
Contents:
Preface: Upheaval
1. Mistrust:
The Reagan Revolution
The Clinton Period
Bush and the War on Terror
The Obama Years
Shock and Awe under Trump
2. Economic Frustrations:
The Decline of Agriculture
Lost Manufacturing Jobs
Wage Stagnation and Inequality
A Rise in Public Anger
3. The Decline of Opportunity
Growing Up Poor
Advancement through Education
Obstacles for the Current Generation
Destruction of the American Dream
4. Identity Politics
Conservative Tribalism
Liberal Tribalism
Power Tribalism
Mistrusting Other Tribes
5. Religious Tensions
Fundamentalism
Secularization
Religious Exemptions
6. The Backlash against
Globalization and Immigration
Opening Borders
Cross-Cultural Tensions
Tough Enforcement
Ultranationalism
7. Undue Influence
Overt Corruption
College Admissions
Philanthropy
8. Overcoming Hyperconflict
Widespread Polarization
Diverging Identities
Mistrust and Intolerance
Opponents as Enemies
Political Sorting
The Decline of Facts
Reconciling Differences
Take a Conservative or Liberal to Lunch
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
"
Info autore
Darrell M. West is vice president of the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution and taught for many years at Brown University. He is the author of
The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation;
Megachange: Economic Disruption, Political Upheaval, and Social Strife in the 21st Century; and
Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust.
Riassunto
Drawing on his personal story of growing up as a fundamentalist Christian on a dairy farm in rural Ohio, then as an academic in the heart of the liberal East Coast establishment, Darrell West analyses the economic, cultural, and political aspects of polarization. He uses his experiences to offer insights into why each side is angry with the other.
