Political Culture

I wish I could be that person in the class to say our nation is consensual, that Red and Blue America aren't as isolated from each other as it seems, but there are reasons why the entire class feels America is conflictual, and I unfortunately feel the same way. Despite my impulse to say America is actually consensual because of the over generalization of both sides of the spectrum, it's apparent that our culture is indeed split as a whole. Whether or not one wants to go as far as to label the two "sides" red and blue America like Brooks and Frank, the 2000 election maps along with the gridlock in Washington in recent years show that we are split as a nation on our political views. Some people like Brooks will go as far as laying out the everyday interests of Red and Blue Americans, like when he says "we sail; they powerboat. We cross-country ski; they snowmobile. We hike; they drive ATVs. We have vineyard tours; they have tractor pulls. When it comes to yard work, they have rider mowers; we have illegal aliens" (Brooks 1). Personally my family doesn't have tractor pulls despite our conservative beliefs nor do we go on vineyard tours due to living in "blue" America. Perhaps putting these stereotypes on the two parties of politics is what is making our country conflictual in the first place. Of course culture plays a major role in ones political beliefs; Susan gave a perfect example in her post explaining how her ethnicity and liberal beliefs contribute to her views of conservatives. For me, growing up in "blue" American society has caused me to develop socially liberal views, while living in a republican town with republican parents has caused me to be fiscally conservative. Political culture is always going to vary in any country, government, etc. As Brooks notes, the people in suburbs tend to have aligned views regardless of where they live, in contrast to the stark differences to those in large cities and rural America, and perhaps this commonality offers hope that we can bridge and moderate the two extremes that America has been perceived to be split into and one day be "consensual."