It turns out the political divide in America is not unique.
A new study says the division and even animosity toward those who think differently than you do about politics is happening around the world and increasing.
Researchers at Michigan State University say that after analyzing six other countries they found that the polarization and the tendency to dislike people with opposing political beliefs is a global thing,
And while politics has always generated some disagreements and a topic you were told to avoid at family dinners and social gatherings, their study found that in recent years the rudeness and even hatred toward those on the other side of politics than you are have risen dramatically.
The researchers found that this dislike of others tends to get worse when two people look at the same political events in the same way yet come to different beliefs about the issues.
As one of the researchers put it, “You can imagine how frustrating it is to interact with someone who seems to think about things in a similar way and who shares the same basic logic of how things work as you do, but yet comes to opposite conclusions.”
And of course with what’s happening in the world of politics and the 2024 presidential campaign season already in full swing, things are, sadly, likely to get worse.
Maybe we all need to do what we tell our kids to do when they argue and enforce a time out on ourselves.
(Photo Getty Images)
Photo: AFP via Getty Images