I asked my mother, my friend from high school, and my uncle’s neighbor their opinions on the following five questions. Their answers are below.
- Do you think the media is more helpful or unhelpful in understanding today’s polarized country?
- Which person in your life shaped your understanding of American politics the most? Why?
- Do you think civil liberties in the United States are under threat or are stable today?
- Do you think that the United States is still democratic at the federal level?
- What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of American politics?
Person 1
My mom as a whole seemed pretty informed about American politics. She believes that the media is incredibly unhelpful as it reports news in biased ways almost exclusively. She said that it felt more like reading a cascade of opinion pieces than information actually presented to inform an audience. It only serves to further entrench the ideological echo chamber that the nation is stuck within. My maternal grandpa shaped my mom’s understanding of politics the most. He was involved in civil liberties and fought to preserve them, even running for Fairbanks borough assembly, and serving a term as an assemblyman. My mom very strongly believes that civil liberties are under attack in today’s nation, especially with the overturning of Roe v. Wade and right-wing extremist groups becoming popular. She also said that the U.S.’s democracy started a downward trend when it adopted the electoral college and democracy further eroded and eventually dissolved when it later became a global leader. My mom’s least favorite aspects of American politics are things that take power away from the people. These include super PACs, lobbying, and a lack of term limits. She didn’t have a favorite part of American politics.
Person 2
My friend from high school had the most liberal take. He said that the media for the most part is accurate and therefore helpful, but with a few exceptions. These were Fox News, QAnon, and most recently CNN. His most influential person was his social studies teacher in sophomore year. This teacher made him think critically about the role he has in society with respect to gender, race, and sexual orientation. They also helped him to develop his personal identity and goals and gave him purpose. He felt as if civil liberties were in grave danger from right wing groups, mirroring my mom’s sentiment on the question. Since he came out as bisexual, he has felt under attack by religious groups such as Christian nationalist who are imposing “traditional family values” on society. My friend repeatedly raised racism such as police brutality and targeting killings of black people on this question as well. When asked the fourth question, my friend stated that democracy is working at the federal level, but it is “backsliding” due to the efforts of groups such as Trump’s faction of the Republican Party or just the modern day Republican Party as a whole. We must stay vigilant against enemies abroad as well he said, such as the Chinese, the Russians, and North Korea. My friend’s favorite aspects of American politics were the grassroots movements that can create positive change for minorities and individuals, as well as the accountability of elected officials in congress. His least favorite aspects were the electoral college’s influence on elections taking power away from ordinary citizens.
Person 3
This person had the most conservative take on politics by far. He was not very well informed about the functioning of the American governance system. When asked the first question, he stated that the media is split half and half between wholly truthful reporting and wholly false reporting. He watches Fox News and Breitbart. His biggest political influence that shaped his views was his father growing up. He said his father was a constant fixture in his life that gave him a strong sense of morality and the strength to fight for justice. When asked about if civil liberties are declining or not, my uncle’s neighbor strongly condemned American liberals for restricting people’s rights in areas such as gun ownership and raising taxes to increase government spending. One of the most jarring aspects of the interview was when I asked him the fourth question. My uncle’s neighbor didn’t believe the United States is still democratic, instead believing that Trump is still the legitimate president and Biden is a usurper who was illegally installed by the establishment to wrench power away from the people once more. On the final question, he decried the “welfare state” that his country has degraded into and supported the tough measures against immigrants. He also supported the capitol storming on January 6th, 2021, stating that the rioters were only trying to drain the swamp of corrupt bureaucratic liberal officials. I didn’t want to ask further clarifying questions as all his responses seemed very forceful and he seemed to become slightly agitated.
I thought this assignment was fascinating to be able to see into different people’s worldviews. I don’t normally talk politics to people if I believe they have lots of differences in views to mine, but this represented an exception. I would say that this assignment is good to use for future classes as it helps give students a perspective on the variety of opinions that exist around them in the world today.