What is causing the polarization of the United States of America?
Hands Across the Hills is a group of progressives from tiny Leverett, Mass., forging friendship and understanding with conservatives in rural Kentucky Share Shares Copy Link Copy  Hide Transcript Show Transcript  "CHRONICLE."  >> AMERICAS DIVISIONS ARE ON TROUBLING DISPY.LA THIS TRUST. >> REINSTATE THE MASS COMMITTED. -- MISTRUST. >> REINSTATE THE MASK MANDATE. >> UNREST, VIOLENCE. >> POLARIZED INTENTIONALLY BY CORPORATIST MEDIA. >> IT HAS BEEN DIVID.ED BEING ASIAN AMERICAN IS HARD RIGHT NOW. >> I THINK THE COUNTRYIS SUFFERING FOR LEADERSHIP. >> TRUMP AND HIS ILK HAVE SOWN THE SEEDS OF DIVISION AND HATRED , TRULY EXACERBATING WHAT IS ALREADY IN MOTION. >> THE DIVISIONS ARE REAL AND DRAWN ALONG PARTISAN LINES. SEVERAL STUDIES REFLECT DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ON NYMA ISSUES, INCLUDING THE ECONOMYRA, CIAL JUSTICE, CLIMATE CNGEHA, LAW ENFORCEMENT. THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PULLED BACK THE CURTAIN ON THE DIVIDE. >> YOU COULD PUT HALF OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS INTO WHAT I CALL THE BASKET OF DEPLORABLES. >> I WANT TO RUN AGAINST CROOKED HILLARY CLINTON. >> FAST-FORWARD TO 2020 THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. 77% OF AMERICANS SAY THE UNITED STATESS IMORE DIVIDED THAN BEFORE THE OUTBREAK. >> COVID DID NOT BRING US TOGETHER. IF ANYTHING IT PULLED US FURTHER APART. >> APRIL 2021, A UMASS AMHERST POLL FOUND THAT OTW THIRDS OF BOTH PARTISAN DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS BELIEVE THAT MANY IN THE OTRHE PARTY ARE DOWNRIGHT EVIL. >> I AM TEACHING A CLASS ON POLARIZATION. >> ALEX IS A PROFESSOR OF LITTLE SIGNS AT AMHERST. HE EXAMINES HOW PEOPLE INTERACT IN THE POLITICAL WORLD IN TIMES OF HYPER POLARIZATION. >> POLARIZATION AND DIVISION ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT POLARIZATNIO IN THE CURRENT CONTEXT, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PARTISAN POLARIZATION. THAT IS A KEY DISTINCTION BECAUSE SUDDENLY PARTY IS THE DIMENSION ALONG WHICH WE ARE SEPARATED. IN THE VIETNAM WAR, WHEN CIVIL RIGHTS WERE AN ISSUE, LOTS OF POLARIZATION AND DISAGREEMENT, EVEN VIOLENCE. IT DID NOT TEND TO FALL ALONG PARTISAN LINES. >> WE HEAV SEEN PARTISANSHIP BECOME ALIGNED WITH ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT OTHER IDENTITIES. EVEN THINGS KELI IDEOLOGY USED TO NOT BE PARTICULARLY SORTED BY PARTY. PARTISANSHIP IS NO LONGER ONE PARTY AGAINST THE OTHERS, IT REALLY IS PEOPLE LIKE ME ALONG SO MANY DIFFERENT MENTIONS AGAINST PEOPLE NOT LIKE ME ON SO MANY DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS. >> I ACTUALLY LIKE TO TURN THAT QUESTION AROUND. THE TIME THAT WE LOOK BACK ON IN THE MIDDLEO T THE LATER PART OF THE LAST CENTURY, I THINK THAT IS THE ANOMALY. A MUCH MORE NATURAL STATE OF AFFAIRS IS FOR US TO BE POLARIZED ALONG PARTISAN LINES. >> DR. GREEN IS A PSYCHOLOGIST WHO WORKED IN WAR-TORN COUNTRIES TEACHING THE SKILLS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND COMMUNITY REBUILDI.NG SHE SAYS THE LEV OELF POLARIZATION IN THE U.S. IS DANGEROUS. >> BUT I HAVE SNEE IS THE LEVEL OF DEHUMANIZATION AND ENMYIT HAPPENING HERE IS IN OTHER PLACES A PRECURSOR TO WAR. >> I HAVE HEARD OTHER PLACES SAY THAT AS WELL. IT SMSEE UNIMAGINABLE UNTIL WE LOOK AT THE EVENTS OF JANUARY 6. >> ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS LEADING UP TO THESE WARS IS DEHUMANIZATION OF THE OTHER. WE DONT KILL EASILY BUT WHEN SOMEONES I DEHUMANIZED OR SUBHUMAN, IT IS MUCH EASIER TO KI LL THEM. >> THERES A GREAT DEAL SIMMERING UNDER THE SURCEFA FOR ALL KINDS OF AMERICANS BASED ON OUR HISTORY AND ECONOMIC DECISIONS. INEQUALITY AND INJUSTICE, A LACK OF EQUITY IN OPPORTUNITY, IN INCOME, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, GOVERNMENT SUPPORT, IT BRINGS US TOGETHER AND TEARS US APART SIMULTANEOUSLY. >> DR. GREEN IS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF HANDS ACROSS THE HILLS. A GROUP FORMED IN 2017 TO BRING RESIDENTS OF RURAL MASSACHUSETTS AND KENTUCKY TOGETHER. THE GOAL TO HELP PEOPLE FROM DIFFENERT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WITH DIFFERENT POLITICAL VIEWS TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER. TO HUMANIZE EACH OTHER. >> WE REWE DIVIDED POLITICALLY. THERE COUNTY VOTED 85% FOR TRUMP AND OUR ACCOUNT VOTED 85% AGAINST TRUMP. GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Submit Privacy Notice