A few days
ago the Washington post published a column regarding the lack of unity that our
country is facing. The title of the piece is entitled “Searching for a
Hero/Villain to Unite America,” which I agree is self-indicative to us as a
nation. The Post describes us as a “country torn into separate kingdoms of party,
race, sex, and income levels, each side without trust of the other, and each in
search of a leader who can take us forward and bind us together as one”. If
this is the state of the country the natural response is to wonder what events
or type of leader can lead us to solidarity.
The Post
describes the attacks of 9/11 as a time that brought fear and horror to our
country, and what arose from this obstacle was a common enemy that temporarily merged
the country. However, the decisions Bush made with his new found political
capital according to the Washington Post, were partisan and error-prone. In the
case of Obama both optimism and expectations for him were extremely high.
Finally, the article goes on to explain that the major problem we have to
resolve is an internal one. The problem being that we look for someone perfect
which is a total contradiction to human nature. According to them the first
step is to accept each other and unite.
I believe
that the Washington Post has some very valid and redeemable points, however I believe
in the midst of this great divide the true culprit is modern media. Politics
has become more and more partisan which directly contributes to “separate kingdoms”
(as the Post describes it). The presidential
approval data reveals a widening partisan rift on both sides, which is greater
than anytime in American history according to the textbook. The author of our
textbook Doris Graber cites that many studies have shown that as media choices
have become more fragmented so has the audience. Personally I find it extremely
difficult to find any reliable media source that consistently tells a story
without a strong political slant. I believe that if a true uniting of America
is to come a major media revolution may have to be the first step.
