Addressing Polariza/on: Deconstruc/ng Tools of Division Suvana Badge+, Lauren Mertz, Emily Polston, Bailey Porter Staley School of Leadership Studies Kansas State University PolarizaBon (noun) 1. Division into sharply contrasBng groups or sets of opinions or beliefs.
PolarizaBon in America
Context
1. The share of Americans who express consistently conserva/ve or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over the past two decades, from 10% to 21%. As a result, the amount of ideological overlap between the two parBes has diminished. 2. Par/san an/pathy has risen. The share of Republicans who have very unfavorable opinions of the DemocraBc Party has jumped from 17% to 43% in the last 20 years. 3. Most close friends share poli/cal views, as seen with about 63% consistent conservaBve and 49% of consistent liberals echoing this statement. 4. Differences between the right and leH go beyond poli/cs. Three quarters of consistent conservaBves say they would opt to live in a community where “the houses are larger and farther apart…” while 77% of consistent liberals prefer smaller houses closer to ameniBes. Nearly four Bmes as many liberals as conservaBves say it is important that their community has racial and ethnic diversity. 5. The center has goJen smaller: 39% of Americans currently take a roughly equal number of liberal and conservaBve posiBons… Despite their mixed ideological views in general, many express very conservaBve or very liberal opinions. As a result, many current policy debates, inspire nearly as much passion in the center as on the ler or right. 6. The most ideologically oriented Americans make their voices heard through greater par/cipa/on in every stage of the poli/cal process. Self-reported voBng rates are higher among those on the right than the ler, but higher among those on the ler than in the middle. 7. Compromise now means that their side gets more of what it wants. About 62% of across-the-board liberals say the opBmal deal between President Obama and the GOP should be closer to what Obama wants. About as many consistent conservaBves say an agreement should be more on the GOP’s terms. Doherty, C. (2014, June 12)
A. There is pressure coming from different poliBcal groups to align with the values of the group, rather than the values of the individual. This group mentality contributes to the larger is of polarizaBon. B. CommuniBes feel the effects of this climate in different ways, some are complicit in their fear, other resist. In response to this resistance, the poliBcal elite has taken to deploying various tools to silence the ways in which the public chooses to voice their concerns. One example of these tools is the militarizaBon of the police force. C. This methodical division between the people and the poliBcal policymakers has been visible, especially in these last few months. In this turbulent space, a way to make progress is necessary in order to miBgate the gap.
References Chrislip, D. D., & OMalley, E. (2013). For the Common Good: Redefining Civic Leadership. Wichita: KLC Press. Connelly et al. (2017) Law Enforcement and Violence: The Divide between Black and White Americans. NORC at the University of Chicago. Retrieved from h+p://www.apnorc.org/projects/Pages/ HTML%20Reports/law-enforcement-and-violence-the-divide-between-black-and-white-americans0803-9759.aspx Dearden, L. (2016, April 02). Belgium to force non-EU migrants to sign pledge to uphold 'European values' as integraBon concerns conBnue. Independent. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from h+p:// www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/belgium-to-force-non-eu-migrants-to-sign-pledge-to-uphold-european-values-as-integraBon-concerns-a6965271.html Drake, B. (2014, November 26). Ferguson highlights deep divisions between blacks and whites in America. Retrieved October 05, 2017, from h+p://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/11/26/ ferguson-highlights-deep-divisions-between-blacks-and-whites-in-america/ Doherty, C. (2014, June 12). 7 things to know about polarizaBon in America. Retrieved October 09, 2017, from h+p://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/12/7-things-to-know-aboutpolarizaBon-in-america/ Ganz, M. 2011. "Public NarraBve, CollecBve AcBon, and Power." In Accountability Through Public Opinion: From InerBa to Public AcBon, eds. Sina Odugbemi and Taeku Lee: 273-289. Washington D.C: The World Bank. Heifetz, R. A., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The pracBce of adapBve leadership: tools and tacBcs for changing your organizaBon and the world. Boston: Harvard Business Press. Liñan, G. (2017, October 1). Más de 100 guardias civiles impiden votar con violencia en todo Sant Cebrià de Vallalta. El Nacional. Retrieved from h+p://www.elnacional.cat/es/poliBca/guardia-civilsant-cebria-de-vallalta_197283_102.html O’Malley, E., & Cebula, A. (2015). Your leadership edge: lead any Bme, anywhere. Wichita, KS: KLC Press, Kansas Leadership Center PoliB, D. & Londoño, E.. (2017, September 2) Police and Protesters Clash Over Disappearance of ArgenBne AcBvist. New York Times. Retrieved from h+ps://www.nyBmes.com/2017/09/02/world/americas/argenBna-protests-sanBago-maldonado.html Suh, M. (2014, June 11). PoliBcal PolarizaBon in the American Public. Retrieved October 09, 2017, from h+p://www.people-press.org/2014/06/12/poliBcal-polarizaBon-in-the-american-public/ Wang, V. (2017, August 19). New York Police Officers Rally in Support of Colin Kaepernick. New York Times. Retrieved from h+ps://www.nyBmes.com/2017/08/19/sports/football/colin-kaepernicknypd-rally.html Wong, J. C. (2016, November 21). Dakota Access pipeline: 300 protesters injured arer police use water cannons. The Guardian. Retrieved from h+ps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/ 21/dakota-access-pipeline-water-cannon-police-standing-rock-protest
Leadership Theories AdapBve Leadership AdapBve leadership theory is the pracBce of mobilizing people to tackle tough challenges to create the capacity to thrive. Through this pracBce, leaders must understand the complexity of the issue, explore all facBons, and create trust among the facBons, so that progress is a possibility. Trust is needed when working with the ProducBve Zone (Heifetz & Linsky) of Disequilibrium as the foundaBon of this work.
Civic Leadership
Proposed Plan PolarizaBon
• Globally, socieBes are being divided socially, poliBcally, and economically. Using the term polarizaBon, allows further understanding of this issue and an examinaBon of strategies used by the poliBcal elite to encourage division.
Police MilitarizaBon
• This tool is used to silence communiBes, incite fear, and control populaBons of people. It also feeds the polarizaBon in a way that benefits the poliBcal elite and is damaging to the general public.
Reconstruct Public NarraBve
• The current narraBve has been established without consent of the general public. It is necessary to return agency to the public and allow them space to construct a narraBve that serves and benefits the enBre community in their efforts to mobilize for the common good.
Developing communiBes that are civically engaged and passionate about fellow members and the general quality of life is necessary when disrupBng and reconstrucBng the public narraBve. Understanding police militarizaBon as an adapBve challenge and addressing the fear that many feel, to establish a public narraBve, creates an effecBve means of movement. In pracBce, this could be using the tools outlined in the leadership frameworks to mobilize, or working across facBons by meeBng them in social situaBons they cannot ignore. In order to make change for the common good, society must commit to change in new territories, and moreover a rebirth of civic culture.
In order to do this tough work, the facBons explored through adapBve leadership must be analyzed to see the roles that they play in their communiBes, and how they respond to situaBons of societal turbulence. Civic leadership means geKng involved in securing the health, wealth and well being of the community and helping to solve the economic, social and poliBcal issues in order to develop a strong and thriving community. A key aspect of civic leadership is buy-in from all parBes and collaboraBon around the issue at hand.
Public NarraBve In understanding the role that police serve as a tool of maintaining polarizaBon through excessive militarizaBon, it can be reasoned that the voice of the public is being muffled. This current narraBve is not working, and the proposed soluBons are through establishing a new narraBve. This could look like engaging with those within reach, going and talking to neighbors to spark interest and create a sense of community trust. By surfacing and addressing emoBonal concern, stakeholders will feel that their ideas are validated and be more open to acBvely contribuBng to a new framework of understanding civic responsibility.