Political polarization is nothing new in Canada, however, recent talk coming from Alberta separatists is ramping it up. What doesn't help is the divisive language coming from the leader of the official opposition. What we see is that a greater number of people are migrating towards the extreme ends of the spectrum. Instead of a bell curve, the distribution of Canadians along the political spectrum these days looks more like a dumbbell.
A key reason why we are shepherding ourselves to opposite poles is rooted in how we attain information. Many are prone to confirmation bias, which is a subconscious tendency to summarily accept or reject evidence based on our beliefs. Confirmation bias reveals that we fail to give sufficient attention to arguments that are discordant to our preconceived notions.
A malignant outgrowth of confirmation bias is groupthink. Whether in cyberspace or the real world, the tendency is to surround ourselves with like-minded people. As these tribes assemble, a Darwinian type of peer pressure emerges when there are slight differences of opinion. Soon, each member is vying to advance in the hierarchy of their tribe by exerting the most rigid and extreme version of their opinion. Reason often takes a backseat to preserve harmony and loyalty. The end result: We form highly polarized groups driven by fanatical views that essentially have zero chance of reaching a compromise.
In the political arena, the result of groupthink is a loss for all ideologies. Legislation that manages to get passed tends to be an extremist policy born of mob mentality, rather than thoughtful discourse between individuals. If left unchecked, progress can be stymied for decades, time we do not have.
But there is a way out. We can rescue ourselves from the jaws of polarized politics.
The need to recalibrate how we treat one another has never been more urgent. The chasm is so great between parties that we talk about legislation as a political “win” or “loss,” as if governing millions of people is some kind of game.
We need to depolarize, renew respect for one another, and admonish those who are opposed to collaboration and compromise. If we can break this treacherous cycle of confirmation bias and groupthink, and rededicate ourselves to truth rather than tribe, Canadians will stand united.
William Perry
Victoria
