Advanced Essay 3: America Apart

Advanced Essay:

Jack Sugrue

Mr. Block

English 3

09 March 2018

The United States of America faced a tragedy recently. A shooting at Parkland High School left 17 dead and many more injured. The nation, along with being in a state of mourning, was abuzz. Tragedies like these have been happening for years, and the answer lingers of “What preventative measures can we take?” Depending on your political view, your answer to that could be very different. If you lean politically left, as do many SLA students and faculty, the clear answer is to restrict gun ownership. Gun control, many believe, is the only way these actions will cease. If shooters can’t get guns in the first place, these shootings won’t happen. The other side of the political spectrum, however, believes that the answer to the problem is arming school faculty & teachers. They believe that preventative measures can only go so far, and that people who will commit these acts will find a way. For them, the prevention of tragedies must happen on the scene, where teachers can disarm potential shooters and control the scene. The debate between these two sides is one that has been in full swing as of late: both sides attacking one another, students from Parkland actively debating against NRA members. Inevitably, events like these act as one of many interesting case studies into the divisiveness of politics in today’s society.

It’s very easy to say that politics have always been divisive and that this era of politics is no different. What makes this era of politics stand apart from eras earlier is truly how radical each side has become. One of the best right-wing examples of this is the National Rifle Association. They have spent much of their history defending gun use on a state-by-state basis. For example, NRA leaders have put forth so much pro-gun legislature in Florida that it’s almost impossible for Democrat politicians to act against it in any way. However, they have not had the power to act nationally until recently, where their very radical plan to arm teachers has been viewed in the national spotlight. Their opinions have been spread through platforms like NRATV, which is their very own news source. This is an extreme idea, no matter how you look at it. However, many right-leaning people see siding with the NRA as par for the course. This opinion has made it harder for moderates to have a place in some right-leaning political climates, especially places like Florida, where 91% of Republicans have an A- or higher grade from the NRA (Spies).

The left is also very capable of committing the same acts of alienation. However, it doesn’t happen as much of the governmental level as it does on the individual. One of the biggest issues amongst left-leaning individuals is that of “political correctness”. Simply put, many older liberals are in contention with younger progressives on what should be deemed politically correct. Amy Chua, in a book about “political tribalism”, writes that “A shift in tone, rhetoric, and logic has moved identity politics away from inclusion - which had always been the left’s watchword - toward exclusion and division.” Left-leaning politics have created this alienating atmosphere by moving from a culture of acceptance to that of shunning those who do not agree with their point of view. As such, many liberals choose to not identify with their own side of the political spectrum, almost out of shame of what their own party represents.

An environment where every person is entitled to a unique opinion is of utmost importance in preserving a democracy. The unfortunate turn of our political climate, however, has been drifting from that. This has occurred not in a forceful way, but in a way that comes about from gradually increasing societal pressures to keep your social opinions in the majority, and that some fringe opinions are absolutely unacceptable. Every person in the United States needs to be able to listen more to disagreeable opinions, despite the fact that doing just that can be one of the most difficult things for someone to do. Living in a bubble of your own opinions, one where the viewpoints of others become completely blasphemous, is an undoubtedly unhealthy way to live. So why aren’t we changing?

Works Cited

Rauch, Jonathan. “Review | Have our tribes become more important than our country?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Feb. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/have-our-tribes-become-more-important-than-our-country/2018/02/16/2f8ef9b2-083a-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html?utm_term=.858b435be686.

Spies, Mike. “The N.R.A. Lobbyist Behind Florida's Pro-Gun Policies.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2018, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/05/the-nra-lobbyist-behind-floridas-pro-gun-policies.