Niall Ferguson, in a commentary for the Los Angeles Times, argued that the United States isn’t quite as divided as it is made out to be. He wrote:
“In their book, ‘Culture War: The Myth of a Polarized America,’ Morris Fiorina, Samuel Abrams and Jeremy Pope comprehensively debunk the notion that American society is deeply divided. On numerous issues, which just don’t get debated because consensus is taken for granted, Americans have quite similar views. Even on the issues about which the political class gets excited — abortion, homosexuality, religion — it’s amazing how much middle ground there is.”
Maybe so, but the middle ground in Washington and Wichita must be harder to find.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
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13 Comments
I have noticed that the middle ground is widening. Everyday I see that even the most harden of the left and right are coming around.I think the people are realizing that partisan politics is only a strawman. That clouds the real issues.
The most divided issue is probably abortion. I’m not for sure what is the best compromise for that issue is.
I have a good compromise on that issue Joe – if you don’t want to have an abortion – then don’t!
Comments like that, VC, is why you have no middle ground. You’re a light switch. On/Off. For/Against. Red/Blue. Yes/No.
Try this on for size. Die hard Catholics, don’t look. Leave Roe v. Wade alone (for now), and create the environment where;1) Rape/incest is taken care within the following days (this is a miniscule stat anyway)2) Abstinence is not a dirty word and there are positive reinforcements for this action (Keep going. I said try!)3) Disincentives for sex among minors (Parental notification, forced to live with the consequences as a nouveau lesson in life)4) Consensual sex is protected (condom, birth control)5) Since we haven’t touched Roe v Wade yet, abortions would still be allowed to cover the ‘mothers health’ issue6) Measure the results for positive trends and adjust programs to keep trends going in the right direction.
Instead of the line-in-the-sand battle strategy where there are casualties in both for/against camps, and worse, unborn babies. Wouldn’t a better strategy be to solve the problem by promoting incentives for abortion prevention behaviors and disincentives for behaviors that lead to abortion?
Is abortion the major divisive issue in America? I don’t know. That may be one where a certain percentage of the population on each side will never want to comprimise. I think the polarization comes from the media. TV news would hardly be as “riveting” if people had civilized debate, came up with constructive solutions together, addressed their common ground, etc. It is when news became entertainment that we failed to see our common ground. News is more exciting when they yell and scream and put each other down. Sadly, it makes us back-bite and model the same behavior in our political discussions. Instead of dealing foundationally with our differences and more importantly being constructive on our agreements, we shout talking points at eachother just like they do on TV. Uggh.
Win,I’d agree with you on most of your points.On #3 though, parental notification seems to be mostly a non-issue, since at the clinic I volunteer at, minors (yes, we check ID’s) are almost invariably accompanied by one or more parents. Problems arise, of course, where the parent is also the parent of his child’s child, or where the client is from an abusive home, or from a culture that promotes violence against unwed mothers (yes, they exist here).Also, when you talk about being forced to live with the consequences, a teenage mother isn’t the only one forced to live with those consequences! It’s a disaster for everyone involved.On #2, no, abstinence isn’t a dirty word, but when teaching it involves withholding information on birth control and disease prevention, and sacrificing those kids for whom it fails as object lessons, it is downright criminal!On #4, While condoms and other birth control measures are very effective, they are not 100% so. Most of our clients are married women who were using, or trying to use birth control.Yes, the solution for the abortion problem is to make it as unnecessary as possible. Use abstinence, birth control, serious support for mothers and children, but also acknowledge there will always be a need for abortion, and legal is always preferable to the backalley variety.
Win,I’d agree with you on most of your points.On #3 though, parental notification seems to be mostly a non-issue, since at the clinic I volunteer at, minors (yes, we check ID’s) are almost invariably accompanied by one or more parents. Problems arise, of course, where the parent is also the parent of his child’s child, or where the client is from an abusive home, or from a culture that promotes violence against unwed mothers (yes, they exist here).Also, when you talk about being forced to live with the consequences, a teenage mother isn’t the only one forced to live with those consequences! It’s a disaster for everyone involved.On #2, no, abstinence isn’t a dirty word, but when teaching it involves withholding information on birth control and disease prevention, and sacrificing those kids for whom it fails as object lessons, it is downright criminal!On #4, While condoms and other birth control measures are very effective, they are not 100% so. Most of our clients are married women who were using, or trying to use birth control.Yes, the solution for the abortion problem is to make it as unnecessary as possible. Use abstinence, birth control, serious support for mothers and children, but also acknowledge there will always be a need for abortion, and legal is always preferable to the backalley variety.
Sorry about that- the dreaded double-post!
This reminds me off a story, two men walking along a riverbank and suddenly they notice babies floating down the river. Both men jump in and start pulling out the babies, but after a while, one man jumps out and starts walking up back up the bank.The other man, exasperated, yells “Where do you think you’re going? Aren’t you going to stay here and help me save these babies?!?” To which the other man replys “I think I’ll go see why they’re being thrown in the river in the first place”.
Yeah, Damoon, but all the money and effort is going the other way. Nobody wants to admit that “The devil made me do it!” isn’t the reason women have abortions, since that would mean assuming some of the blame themselves. Since social change is out, and since helping people in trouble promotes “socialism,” it’s gotta be the devil!
Middle ground has been made to be the land of wishy-washy flip-floppers. If so, I’m with you, Charlie Brown!
Off on a tangent, I wish Barbara Bush (the elder) had really believed in total abstinence…
Good thought, Roo! Some people have no business being a parent!!!
Not really, Jed. A lot of money and effort goes to helping women find support and other choices besides abortion. I’ve been in that effort for a long time. It’s not a hopeless situation. I think things are starting to turn a little. There are not as many abortions as there used to be. Many young people are more educated about birth control and the abstinence only movement has had some positive influence. The best way to reduce abortions is to address the issues that contribute to it.