Final Project_ Culture Wars, Politics, and Society

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Unitek College, Fremont *

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411

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History

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Oct 30, 2023

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docx

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Final Project: Culture Wars, Politics, and Society Rebecca Beirne Unitek College Contemporary History-411B Professor T. Roka September 26, 2023 Studies have shown that the rise of cultural groups is what leads to in-group bias, which

is strongly correlated with polarization. These cultural groups can form based on minor characteristics, but with time, populations develop associations between particular characteristics and particular behaviors, increasing covariation. Meaning that polarization can bring people together but can also create prejudice between groups. Over the past couple of years, the public has seemed more inclined to feel prejudice towards those outside their social group and feel sympathy towards those who are in (Thomson, 2020). Furthermore, we examined whether the culture wars have a solution. We asked the question of why haven’t they been solved and came to the conclusion that perhaps they simply can’t be. This finding, whilst it acknowledges the impact of the culture wars on society, explores why the human condition doesn’t foster a healthy environment for resolution. The argument makes the claim that the trajectory of the culture wars is a never-ending circle with no solution. However, as society engages in conflict, we have the ability to find common ground and consequently improve the state of our politically divided society. Ultimately, perhaps the culture wars cannot be solved, and perhaps that may be a good thing (Thomson, 2020). Although some studies suggest that political polarization in the United States is not especially intense compared to other Western polities, research on such polarization has grown very quickly in the United States in recent years, reflecting the current state of partisan conflict in that country. This is most likely because there are just two options and a distinct set of in and out-groups in two-party systems, where this kind of polarization is clearly understood. It is fair to say that America, whilst being so powerfully influential, is one of the most politically divided developed democracies in the world. Considering America’s heavy influence in our interconnected world, it is highly likely that many advanced democracies will follow this

dangerous path of political dysfunction. Throughout this paper, we explore how culture wars are contributing to the current state of the divided political dynamics evident in the UK and the US. Despite that in politics there is room for some necessary conflict, we have found that the current state of politics and the social divide is unhealthy and we need to confront this issue. As Tania Israel says, “Some of this divide is a matter of perception”, therefore, we believe that if we educate the world on the culture wars, we will move a step closer to resolving this growing issue (Thomson, 2020). Overlaying the cultural divisions of yesteryear are new and strikingly different ones. This is the heart of the new culture war: Where the culture wars of the last several decades were fought over sexuality, religion and family, today’s culture wars offer a new set of cultural battles linked with shifting economic circumstances, including globalization, immigration and the changing boundaries of legitimate pluralism (Parker, 2019). To love America you have to love experimentation because that’s what America is. It’s hard to love a science project; there are so many failures. You can’t love your country without loving your fellow citizens, and the truest expression of that love is the willingness to sacrifice for others. In a healthy society, that willingness to sacrifice would be distributed across the shoulders of many; in ours, it falls heavily on the shoulders of a few (Parker, 2019). References:

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Parker, C. S. (2019). Symbolic versus Blind Patriotism: Distinction without Difference? Political Research Quarterly , 63 (1), 97–114. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27759889 THOMSON, I. T. (2020). Culture Wars and Enduring American Dilemmas . University of Michigan Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt22p7hg8