HOW DID WE GET HERE?

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The fact that the citizens of the United States, the most powerful empire on Earth, are politically polarized will likely come as an understatement to any native of the country. Each day as we read our own preferred politically charged news, we hear of one side threatening democracy and destroying our way of life, but is that really true and how did we get here? Well, the largest contributor to our current political divide, like most of the problems plaguing the United States today, can be traced back to the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. A former actor, Reagan, utilized his charm and skill on camera to win the American public over in 1980 and was elected president against the incumbent, Jimmy Carter. In 1985, late into Reagan’s fi rst term, FCC chairman Mark S. Fowler published a report critiquing the FCC fairness doctrine. Th e doctrine was a policy that mandated broadcast license holders to fairly present controversial issues “of public interest” and most importantly, to allow both sides on an issue equal and fair treatment on air. In Fowler’s report, he criticized the fairness doctrine as a danger to the public and a hindrance to free speech, and in 1987, it was abolished by a 4-0 vote under new FCC chairman Dennis R. Patrick. Its abolition saw the start of more vicious and opinionated news coverage without the need to present another opinion. Th e most famous example of this is the career of conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, who aft er the revocation of the fairness doctrine was signed by ABC Radio executive Ed McLaughlin to continue his controversial show, attacking liberals in the most provocative way imaginable, and promoting conspiracy theories. Limbaugh’s controversial opinions and broadcasts remained popular until his death last year. Oft en opinions shape how people see the world. In a world of social media and the internet, our opinions are permanently tied to these technologies. Stories and opinions are shared in mass, and anyone can say almost anything they want. Within the nature of the internet oft en something does not have to be fact-checked before being posted and can be advertised as the truth without any repercussions. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow users to market their own, as well as others’ ideas to anyone who will consume them which has helped contribute to the divide in today’s America. Th ese platforms collect information on their users through the things they interact with online and then expose the users to other posts like this. Th us the political views of the users are oft en reaffi rmed by the things they perceive on the internet. According to a Pew Research article published in 2016, “the vast majority of social media users (83%) say that they usually just ignore the post and move on.” When there is not enough interaction with a diverse perspective it oft en causes a lack of exposure to views that are not the user’s own. Th is lack of perspective helps drive the political divide in this country. In a world ruled by the Internet, it’s impossible to ignore the eff ect it has on our view of the world. When exposed to one side of the story it’s hard not to take it as the whole truth. Exposure to other ideas and other points of view is healthy and can be benefi cial for this nation. However no matter what, testing the validity and truth behind things posted on the Internet is essential, for both sides of the political spectrum.

Writers: Matias Civita & Dylan Kim / Editors: Raquel Gluckstern & Lexi Ferandez