Have you ever wondered why society has become increasingly polarized? It seems like every year, the gap between Right and Left grows - as does the animosity between the groups. There used to be fiscally conservative Democrats and Republicans who were pro-government-based healthcare. These days, the difference between a moderate and far member of a party is less in policy, but more in scale. How pro-life are you? How pro-choice are you? How many crimes should Donald Trump be convicted of? How much do you revere Donald Trump? Why don’t you find mixes of political policy anymore?
The reality is that as information becomes more readily available, more people get sucked into one line of thinking. Most of us probably did not care about politics or the economy when we were younger. Maybe we had one or two issues we cared about, but that was it. Now remember back to when you started caring enough about those issues that you decided to go seek out some public figures who agreed with you on those small issues. You started following them, listening to them, reading their work, getting into those who agreed with them. Of course, it was not only those original two issues that this person discussed. This person has an opinion on a wide variety of topics, and the more you listen to that person and people like him or her, the more you start to develop deeply-held beliefs on topics you previously didn’t even know existed, or at least those that you did not care for. This is how we get so many people on the Left and Right who no longer pay attention to the other side’s arguments.
Ever since October 7, it has become increasingly evident that there is no room for pro-Israel opinions on the Progressive Left. Every thought leader, politician, and pundit to the left of Bill Maher will not entertain the concept that Hamas is in the wrong, and it has become increasingly difficult for Progressives who fall squarely on the side of Israel to find a place among those who were previously allies.
However, while this is the main topic that may be driving the Jewish population to rethink their political stances, this is not the only topic that is weighing on Americans at this time. The immigration crisis is another topic Progressives seem to not be able to change their tune on, and are therefore driving people away. Additionally, crime in cities has begun to drive a wedge in circles previously shared by Progressives and Liberals, as has who should be allowed to enter spaces currently supposed to be for women only.
All of these wedge issues will be causing an audience that was previously completely owned by Left-leaning commentators and politicians to seek out the voices of those who agree with them on these issues. And while there may be one reason people look for alternative voices, once the other side has their ear, they will start to be influenced in other areas as well.
This happened the other way in the late 2000s. A lot of people were disillusioned by the Great Recession. Wall Street was the biggest villain, and anyone who had previously been calling out the evils of Big Finance got a larger audience. After that, we saw a rise in Left-wing policies around the country, led by the idea of who was allowed to marry whom, and universal healthcare. Now, we have a number of issues that are pushing the other way, and it should not surprise anyone if Right-wing ideas become more mainstream.
It should not be lost on anyone that there is one major issue that can drive people the other way. The overturning of Roe certainly should have those previously squarely in the hands of Republicans to seek out the Left side of the aisle. However, there are two distinct reasons why this is not true.
First, the impact of the individual issues mentioned earlier - Israel, immigration, crime, and women’s spaces - may not each be greater than the one topic of choice, but the total impact of those topics far outweighs the one issue of choice.
Second, while choice can pull middle-of-the-road people over to one side or the other, it’s not pulling from solidly Right-leaning people. Those who are on the Right cite life as one of their main issues. Those on the Left may have fought for some of the policies that exist, but none of them wanted this dramatic rise in crime, DAs who are on the side of criminals, completely open borders, and the destruction of female-only spaces.
I know that there are those out there who are yelling about the destruction of Democracy as a way to get those on the Right over to the Left, but that was ruined when Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies. Nobody on the Right, or even in the Center, thinks that one side is more democracy-oriented than the other. That ship has sailed.
In the coming years, you will begin to see a rise in society of Right-wing ideals simply because the Left has driven away as many people as they could. If the 2010s was the Era of Progressive Revolution, the 2020s will be the Era of Conservative Reformation.
Izzo Zwiren works in healthcare administration, constantly concerning himself with the state of healthcare politics. The topic of healthcare has led Izzo to become passionate about a variety of political issues affecting our country today. Aside from politics, Izzo is a fan of trivia, stand-up comedy, and the New York Giants. Izzo lives on Long Island with his wife and two adorable, hilarious daughters.