There’s nothing inherently wrong with a two-party political system.But there is something very much wrong with a two-party American people.Take the recent debate about Arizona’s controversial new immigration law. The bill allows law enforcement personnel to ask for documentation from anyone they suspect is an illegal immigrant.Republicans and conservatives are calling the bill a drastic but necessary measure to prevent the tide of immigration causing economic and other damage to the state as a result of failures by the federal government. Democrats and liberals are saying the bill is draconian, racist and, of course, Nazi-esque.Virtually any issue of national significance is framed in terms of Republicans vs. Democrats at this point. This makes sense in theory — Republicans are supposed to represent those in favor of small-government self-actualization, while Democrats are supposed to represent those in favor of induced social progress. But these two labels don’t — and can’t — really suffice to describe an entire worldview or political philosophy. Some issues — such as immigration reform — simply don’t fit the neat little ideological lines we like to draw all over our social landscape.If anything, the strengthening of these laws represents a marked increase in governmental power — something that should, in theory, offend conservative sensibilities. Yet Republicans almost universally support the action.The long-standing stalemate over abortion likewise represents a complicated moral divide centered around vague, difficult philosophical distinctions — but apparently most people still believe it’s a debate that can neatly fit the all-encompassing labels to which we so quickly turn.Again, the argument can be and often is made that, on the whole, Republicans are “socially conservative” and Democrats are “socially liberal.” But making decisions on complex and vitally important moral issues is a lamentable shortcut that does a great disservice to individual and collective thought.It’s a well-documented trend among political scientists and psychologists that people like to take shortcuts when making decisions on complicated issues. It’s obviously easier to just figure out what your professed political party thinks about some issue and go from there.And, in an era of increased media specialization and polarization, it’s becoming easier and easier to only hear your side’s side of the story.Republicans get to listen to Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and the Drudge Report and thus get a partisan spin on all their news. Democrats have their own echo chamber in the form of the Huffington Post and MSNBC, etc.It’s a grim arrangement that seems all arrayed against anyone hearing all sides of the story. But is all hope lost?No.I firmly believe our generation has all the tools and all the impetus it needs to break the cycle. First and foremost is the Internet. Many observers rightly fear this new medium’s tendency to allow users access to only the sites they agree with, but they forget one important trait about people our age.We have short attention spans.People have traditionally consumed news by reading a few select sources. But we find ourselves with more and more short lapses of time with which to check the news as the Internet further insinuates itself into our daily lives. New evidence is emerging that those who primarily use the Internet to get their news — read: us — access a larger number of sites for smaller periods of time. Instead of having the one source we trust, the one news source that is our daily bread and butter, we go everywhere we can on the vast, trackless paths of the World Wide Web.So it’s true media outlets become increasingly specialized, but many observers fail to understand the reason this specialization is occurring. As Internet users scamper around the Internet like ADHD hummingbirds, we are looking for as many different views as we can.I’d like to think that’s a death knell to blind partisanship. I’d like to think that’s a sign we’re going to put aside the divisive politics of our parents for more informed citizenship.Of course, I’d also like to think I’m right about all of this.
Matthew Albright is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_malbright.—-Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]