Political Polarization

What has changed in the last few decades?

• Republican and Democratic beliefs have become more different from one another than they used to be

• More Americans dislike people of the opposite party

• There is more trust, unity and agreement between political parties than there used to be

• Democrats and Republicans believe pretty much the same things as each other.

Political polarization could cause

• more difficulty solving problems that affect the entire country

• people to feel pressure to pick a side

• arguments and distrust between people who disagree about politics

• our country to be more unified

Political polarization is

• when there becomes an "us v. them" attitude in politics

• when people feel like they need to pick "far-left" or "far-right" political beliefs, rather than having a mix of beliefs or being somewhere in the middle

• When most people are politically moderate

• when most people don't care what political party other people are

"Left wing"

• is also called "liberal"

• is typically Democratic

• is also called "conservative"

• is typically Republican

"Right wing" is

• typically Democratic

• also called liberal

• typically Republican

• also called conservative

Media bias

• can fuel political polarization

• is when different news sources lean towards the left or right

• means every news source communicates the same information in the same ways

• can lead people to only hear things that reinforce what they already beleive

A sign of media bias could be...

• when a news source emphasizes some facts and leaves others out

• when a news source uses dramatic language

• when a news source repeatedly makes one political party look bad

• when a news source ignores a news story that other sources are covering

Which of these could be signs of media bias?

• Using dramatic words to describe someone's behavior

• Describing someone has a hero or villain

• Only quoting experts from one side of an issue

• Emphasizing the part of the story that makes one side look good

Confirmation bias is

• when people notice, emphasize and remember information that matches what they already believe

• one reason people like to read the news that matches their political beliefs

• one reason we don't like to read information that disagrees with what we believe

• another word for racism

Misinformation...

• is faked photos and videos, conspiracy theories, or made-up news stories

• can play on our strong emotions like shock or anger.

• is tempting because of confirmation bias

• doesn't easily get shared or go viral