Conflictual Political Culture

Conflict between the Red America and Blue America

American political culture is conflictual because different groups clash with opposing beliefs and values. There is a strong divide between the people themselves. The people of Blue America, or the Democrats and the people of Red America, or the Republicans live very different lives, according to Brooks, “All we know, or all we think we know, about Red America is that millions and millions of its people live quietly underneath flight patterns, many of them are racist and homophobic, and when you see them at highway rest stops, they're often really fat and their clothes are too tight” (Brooks). The differences between these people cause conflicts and stereotypical opinions. The cultures of so-called “Red America” and “Blue America” have opposing political beliefs, further proving the idea that America contains a conflictual political culture.

The video from Vox shows how unequal the electoral map is and how a small state like Massachusetts has more votes than a larger state like Montana. The electoral college map has looked essentially the same since the 2000 election of Gore vs Bush. The videos from the “Crossfire” highlight some of the differences between the political parties and the differences about their ideologies with “The Great Divide- Red states vs. Blue states.” As it was mentioned in a previous post, “during the election of Trump, many people ‘shut down highways, burnt down effigies, and shouted angry slogans’”(The New York Times). This is another example of how conflictual American political culture is, especially during an election.