The meeting began with an examination of my classmates' views on the state of polarization in America. The sentiment was unanimous: political polarization is growing, and it is counterproductive to meaningful change. One thing that stood out to me during this discussion was the harmful impact of labels. Although I did not discuss this topic in my capstone paper, labels are clearly one of the most frustrating issues to my politically active peers. Participants in the discussion cited recent supreme court justice confirmation hearings and the politicization of mask-wearing as evidence of the saturation of partisanship. 

      We soon shifted to a discussion on the dangers of tribalism. One important point that was made is the notion that once people assign themselves to a certain group, it is easy to become trapped in it. Attendees agreed that there was no “easy fix” to the tribalism of modern American politics due to the many factors involved: sensational journalism, political rhetoric, and the trivialization of elections are just a few. Most importantly, it has become clear to politically active individuals that polarization is one of the largest problems the United States faces because of its impact on our ability to create bipartisan change. 

      As the meeting concluded, we shared ideas about how to combat political polarization on a societal and individual level. In terms of a political approach, there is no easy fix to this complex problem. Some suggested that the two-party system should be reformed or abolished entirely and others suggested instituting mandatory global studies classes in public education. Nevertheless, all participants agreed that our current parties will need to reach across party lines when creating policy to encourage unity and discourse.

      On an individual level, the most fundamental concept is simple, yet extremely difficult to practice. Being wrong, learning from mistakes, and the dissolution of misconceptions are the only ways we can develop empathy and compassion for those whom we consider political enemies. Through individual actions like reaching out to someone you disagree with, consuming news of a different political leaning, or encouraging those around you to engage in political discourse, we can reverse the growth of tribalism.