The Power of Political Tribalism

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If you're a conservative i predict that you read the Wall Street Journal listen to conservative talk radio watch Fox News love George W. Bush and betterate Sarah Palin despise Al Gore and abhor Barack Obama your pro life anti-gun control believe that America is a Christian nation that should meld church and state in our against universal health care vote against measures to redistribute wealth and text the rich. How is it possible if i don't even know you if i know your pro choice then i know you're going to be in favor of gun control and and more liberal on on on board on the border and immigration policy? That's the power of political tribalism it's not really healthy for

The democratic ideal demands that the citizenry think critically about matters of public import. Yet many Democrats and Republicans in the United States have fallen short of that standard because political tribalism motivates them to acquire, perceive and evaluate political information in a biased manner. The result is an electorate that is more extreme, hostile and willing to reject unfavorable democratic outcomes.

Shermer and Redmond discuss: why we have political duopoly (Duverger’s law) • parties vs. policies • Are we living in a post-truth, fake-news, alternative facts world? • How do we know political polarization is worse now than in the past? • acquiring, perceiving, and evaluating political information • evaluating: false political information, political numbers and arguments, claims of rigged election • whataboutism • cognitive responsibilities of citizenship • cognitive biases • political polarization • myside bias • numeracy vs. innumeracy • solutions to the polarization problem.

Timothy J. Redmond received his PhD in political science from the University at Buffalo. He is an award-winning educator and author of over one hundred articles on critical thinking and politics. He is a professor at Daemen University where he teaches a political science and history course for education students.