One of the most surprising discoveries of this election is that we as a country are far more polarized than we ever cared to admit. This unfortunate ideological and political split is reaching a degree of separation that does not bode well for democracy in this country; already, many academic institutions are observing growing resentment towards our system of government. In order to correctly analyze this issue, we must first look at how we became so polarized. Here is a chronological arrangement of the most divisive moments in American history:
The Honor Referenda (February 2016)
If you ever thought the Honor referenda on amendments to the sanction system were limited to Grounds, then you’re stuck in the U.Va. bubble big-time. This issue pitted families against each other, tore allies apart and briefly soured Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon’s bromance. Before he was a presidential nominee for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump got his start-up on the American political scene for his commentary on Option 1 and 2, saying, “These options? They’re garbage. They’re total garbage. If you want honor, I’ve got it. I’ve got the most honor. My option, which is top-secret, will be so great, it’s the best option you’ve ever seen.”
The Dress (February 2015)
An indisputably divisive moment in American history, the gold/blue dress fractures American society to its very core. A viral photo that was perceived by some to be blue and black, and others white and gold, sparked so much contentious debate amongst anyone with a social media platform that President Barack Obama was forced to declare a nationwide state of emergency to prevent a second civil war. As bad as the current Trump-Clinton grudge match can appear, let us always remember the senseless violence that we almost committed against each other over a dress none of us would ever wear.
The Debt (May 2010)
When Greece’s bail-out plan was settled in an effort to put their economy back on track, Americans simply could not agree whether to care about this major global issue. While everyone was in agreement that American citizens were woefully uninformed on foreign affairs, the question was whether anyone was going to put forth any effort whatsoever into appearing to understand what the crisis in the European market was about. The halls of dorms, study halls and coffeehouses with WiFi resonated with the sound of the ignorant saying, “This Greece debt thing is crazy”, only to be masked by the responding chorus of, “I don’t think it’s really going to affect us.”
The Gosling (November 2008)
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams’ break up nearly eight years ago still haunts the American psyche. While many took their split to mean that true love itself was over or never existed at all, many women (and men, if we’re being honest) saw this as an opportunity to sleep with Mr. Ryan. The war between romantic idealism and Gosling-incited sexual fever may very well have imploded society as we know it today if not for Gosling’s compromising shirtless scene in “Crazy Stupid Love” with Emma Stone. Thanks for loving your country, Ry-Guy. Call me.
The OJ (October, 1995)
America’s fascination with this conflict manifested itself in the country’s dialogue long before this particular crisis arose, and continues to arise in conversation even today, but back in the late 90s, the pulp versus no pulp orange juice debate left a taste in the mouth of Americans worse than a swig of Tropicana after brushing with Crest.
The Civil War (1861-1865)
People got really frustrated with each other.
The Founding (May, 1607)
For the avid historian still reading this article, many scholars have cited the dispute over naming the first Virginian colony as the birthplace of American political animosity. While not as much is on record with regard to this historical event, we know enough to safely say that the contention over the name was between Jamestown (after the king of England King James I) and Whitesonlytown, which was believed by many to have a “better ring to it.” While the colonists ultimately chose Jamestown, they did do their darndest to honor the runner-up name.
Brennan Lee is a Humor writer.
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