Politics in America Has a Polarizing Impact of Voters

Cross-Cultural Interaction

The readings for this assignment deal mostly with racial / ethnic issues. The Mellody Hobson story (from TED), posted by Ben Lillie, explores the dynamics of color and race, pointing out that only two of Fortune 250 companies are chaired by African-American women. Hobson goes on to point out that people ought not to be just "color brave" but they should be willing to confront their demons, and should invite people of color to apply for jobs because diversity brings strength to a company.

I saw a feature on the TED movement on the wonderful CBS program, Sunday Morning, and clearly people like Mellody Hobson have a powerful impact on that stage when they reach deep into the well of progressive ideas and creative solutions. In the Obstacles to Cultural Competence, again the issue of ethnic differences was covered, and covered very well. It was fascinating to read the responses to the authors' handling of the walls that need to be broken down between minorities and Caucasians. White responses took issue with the book's narrative while Latino and African-Americans praised the author.

Right Wing Conservative versus a Progressive

Meanwhile, the assignment calls for me to reflect on an experience I had with a person from a background dissimilar to my own. I was to discuss "preconceived notions, stereotypes or beliefs" that I hold, and the verbal conflict (or discussion) can be between "any type of cultural difference." In this case I had a sharp, sometimes a bit harsh, verbal clash with a right wing conservative who supports Donald Trump for president.

Granted, the word "conservative" in politics doesn't really fit with Trump. According to the Student News Daily, a conservative believes in " ... personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty," traditional American values and a strong national defense (Student News Daily).

For Trump, his rhetoric focuses more on attacking opponents and minorities; he refers to the media and the President of the United States in outrageously negative tones. He says the media and President Obama are "the worst of the worst ... liars ... dishonest ... incompetent" rather than laying out what he would do specifically as president. I wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper comparing the more civilized debates that Nixon and Kennedy had in the 1960 televised debates with the "hatefulness and brutally toxic personal attacks we witness on debate stages." I mentioned the "pitifully poor quality of the conversation" and the "drumbeat of slurs and insults" and how Trump comes across as a "bigoted, bullying buffoon" who has apparently no knowledge of the international political and social landscape.

A man named Hoffberg wrote a follow-up letter attacking me as a "left-wing radical who doesn't understand how the political system works." Hoffberg threatened to cancel his subscription to the paper and said I was "foolish to try and understand a man like Donald Trump, whose business sense and successes make him a perfect person to be in the White House." He also wrote an email to me attacking me as a "know-nothing, left wing lunatic, and an apologist for an ineffective president Obama."

I wrote back in an even tone, suggesting we may have things in common. I also said we should meet for coffee and see if there is common ground on the environment, for example. He agreed. We sat down after shaking hands and he launched into all the reasons Trump is qualified to be president. "People are sick and tired of the status quo in Washington," he said. "Trump is popular because he is not politically correct and he will make America great again. People are angry and they have a right to be angry."

I said, "Being supported by angry voters doesn't make a man qualified to be president. Trump is biased against Mexican immigrants. America is great, has been great, and doesn't need a makeover by a bully like Trump. Besides, what specific policies and programs has Trump proposed to solve problems like the huge wage disparity between the rich and the middle class, like the wage stagnation, like climate change and the terrible drought in the West and Southwest"?

He answered that Trump is smart enough to know how to make deals to solve any problems. "He didn't get rich by being dumb," Hoffberg said. "Obama is a weak president and hasn't done a thing to make America a better place for the middle class."

I resisted being too strident in my response. It turns out I had brought with me a list of bullet points with Obama's major achievements, and I verbalized the list: when he took office, America was losing 800,000 jobs a month, and Obama has added 13 million private sector jobs; unemployment was over 10% and today it is 4.9%; eighteen million people who didn't have health insurance have it today thanks to Obamacare; Obama has opened the door to Cuba; Obama bailed out the auto industry against the powerful objections of conservatives in Congress, and in 2015 17.47 million cars were produced, jobs were saved, and the bailout money was all repaid to the Treasury Department."

I could see he was ready with his response. "I imagine you're getting your facts from the White House website. What has he done for the middle class? Nothing at all," he said.

I pointed out that Obama used his presidential bully pulpit to advocate for raising the minimum wage, and many cities and states now have $10.00 or more as their minimum wage, and for the safety of the Middle East, he and Russia, China, France, Germany and the UK negotiated a deal to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.