The study includes 6,077 Americans and extensive open-ended interviews with 20 citizens. (Its one study but there are others that seem to point to the similar concerns of the general population. As an observational point politics often focuses on those most willing to vote and the term "constituents" typically means only those who voted for the particular person and not necessarily all of the society or those that have an alternative political perspective. Threats to American Democracy 23')
In general, the study found that participants love their country, see it as a land of opportunity, but race issues, selfishness, media, and political leadership is dividing the nation. People are concerned that the whole is at risk because of behaviors of a few.
They also found that the vast majority of most Americans share similar values and that all people should be seen as equal, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, physical appearance or other characteristics.
The following was quoted from their Press Release
- Not everyone starts off with the same set of tools or skills, sometimes we need to level the playing field by giving some people a head start.
- No one, not even the government, should be able to restrict another’s pursuit of happiness.
- Everyone can speak their mind in public regardless of the viewpoint without fear of punishment.
- Advances in areas like health, technology, business or personal development, rely on the careful application of science.
- It is important to achieve something specific and measurable each and every day.
A Few Thoughts on a Hypothetical (Illustrative Purpose Only):
I'm what they call a light right in my political perspective and feel that people of various perspectives and backgrounds should engage and share their knowledge around core central universal values that put the nation in the best possible strategic position for the next generation. Some would call that a Rino-Dino while others might call that an inclusive critical thinker. One's personality and value system influences how makes sense of ambiguity. I encourage leadership to minimize hyper politics so as to solve problems that lead to highest outcomes.
One hypothetical example that helps highlight some of this dysfunction is a family with a Muslim sounding name (Could be any religion such as Jewish, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, etc.) being targeted for many years with no local recourse based on extremism within a network of individuals and officials that may have a history of committing similar behaviors (potential crimes) against others (Making a distinction between those upholding universal American values and those giving lip service that leads to toxic environments.). Others have expressed similar and somewhat related concerns.
What makes this interesting is that such behaviors could not occur unless there was distortion in the local political perspective, which partially mirrors the wider political environment, and long stemming misalignment of shared values (i.e. one might see these as unamerican values that create unnecessary walls and divisions). In this hypothetical example, freedom of religion and freedom of speech may have moved from central universal American beliefs and into something seen as disdainful and socially thwarted (i.e. I may not agree but respect that right for you to share your perspective in a civil way vs. everything you say is stupid because I devalued you.). Mentioning American rights usually resulted in rolling of the eyes and direct attempts to circumvent those rights.
A Few Words of Encouragement:
What I encourage both parties and the general population to think about is how to create the best path forward that draws everyone in to a shared vision for the nation. We need leaders that see universal beliefs and all Americans as having a untapped contributor value. That is not a Republican or Democrat debate as both share in this responsibility equally. It would also be helpful to create an environment of science and critical thinking that leads to evidence based decision making. That can lead to collaborative bi-partisanship as a more supported pathway (i.e. I won't work with those people mentality even though we all the suffer the consequences when they can't.).
Good leaders of both parties (as well as future leaders) should be encouraged while toxic leaders should be voted out of office and their influence minimized. There are many good leaders doing the right thing but they are sometimes drowned out by the self interest of poor leaders and their blind followership (The smallest sliver of society with often the loudest and most destructive voices.).
The future belongs to the youth and their diverse nature (Gen Z). Standing up for one's values and beliefs revolves around protecting the sacrosanct nature of our shared social contracts as codified in the logic of our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Pledge of Allegiance. It means we need to work together to get over some of our internal and external environmental struggles we face as a nation. If you don't believe me about the challenges we face, just read the news....as crazy as it sounds!
"Always stand on principle...even if you stand alone." John Adams
Questions for the Youth:
This article is thought be thought provoking in general and the intent is to get people to think about the future and what are the best pathways to maintaining America's leading role in the world. You should think for yourself and come to your own conclusions. They are not definitive for anyone.
1. Is partisanship or bi-partisanship going to lead to the best long term solutions?
2. Does maximizing engagement or limiting engagement by certain societal members and classes lead to the greatest human capital development?
3. Should decisions be based on evidence, science and critical thinking?
4. How might one infuse the young's value systems into our current political process?
5. Are there challenges we face as a nation that could be overcome with a shared vision and purpose?
6. Are there ways for you to politely, peacefully, and conscientiously encourage positive universal values?
7. How might your vote and millions of other votes help to ensure the course of the ship is focused on the long term over the horizon future (Any party or no party at all)?
8. What ways can you contribute your skills to the development of your nation?
9. What type of policy changes would you like to see?
10. How might understanding others perspectives and creating shared solutions lead to high national performance?
11. How might civility and active listening promote innovative ideas and accurate strategic decision making?
12. Do you have thoughts of your own?
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