A Major Pandemic… Election 2020 that lasted weeks… Election Denial 2020 is still going months later… Insurrection… Impeachment… And possibly more to come. There’s been a lot of polarized and polarizing events over the past few months. So it seems time to step back and take a longer range, wider-angle view of partisanship in our DisUnited States. The Purple Principle does that in Episode 20 with featured guests Dr. Andrew Gelman of Columbia University (Departments of Political Science and Statistics) and Stephen Hawkins, Research Director of the international non-profit, More in Common, authors of the seminal study on American political identity, The Hidden Tribes. Dr. Gelman explains how polarization is measured over time with modern statistical techniques, which reveal how seemingly unrelated issue positions can form into partisan constellations. Why, for example, should someone’s position on the minimum wage correlate with their view on global warming? Logically, there’s little connection. But in our partisan age, these correlations are increasing over time, if not yet fully correlated. Stephen Hawkins of More in Common defines the seven tribal identities identified through extensive psychology-driven polling. More in Common defines the four groups in the American center as “The Exhausted Majority.” Hawkins explains that those suffering from partisan exhaustion tune out from political news while our tribal wings consume more media, thus incentivizing media companies to play to their outrage. What’s a polarized nation to do? Hawkins suggests the answer may lie back in the Cold War, when a common enemy solidified American identity. Tune in to learn more about the major trends in polarization and our surprisingly complex political tribalism in Episode 20, “Polarization at the Tipping Point.” Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/polarization-at-the-tipping-point