Politics is one of the clearest examples of a spectrum within society. Like snowflakes, no two people share the exact same views on any major topic. But with all spectrums comes the extreme ends of each side and the combination of ideas which form some of the strongest beliefs people hold. We at The Tower believe that these thought processes perpetuate due to the reception of information and ideas from only one of the many vast and easily accessible parts of the spectrum, from parents and religion to social media and beyond.
In the 21st century, people have become more intertwined with one another than ever before, with billions of people around the world receiving facts and thoughts from each other every second through social media and technology. However, the effect that this can have on some groups and their viewpoints is staggering.
Primarily, algorithms that study what we interact with most online can begin to feed us similar content, politics included. Key phrases begin to appear more frequently, and soon, a person’s feed can be engrossed by one specific bubble within the spectrum, where ideas can snowball into grotesque, malformed versions of what they once were. Understanding the negative consequences of algorithms and avoiding its control day-to-day are necessary to avoid becoming part of the problem.
While there are defenses against algorithms (deleting social media or staying bipartisan when online), it’s harder to defend against something you’ve been raised to trust is right your whole life. 61 percent of highly religious adults in the United States are Republican or lean conservative on political issues, while 67 percent of U.S. adults who are not at all or barely religious are Democrats or lean liberal according to a 2023-24 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. Knowing this, it’s hard not to see a correlation between religion and politics in the U.S. We at The Tower feel this correlation to be harmful to the nation that has no official religion, as written in the U.S. Constitution.
It is evident that someone’s moral views won’t change overnight, and they are likely rooted deep within the life people live and choices they make. Even if a person is not religious and is not on social media, they still might have a constant force in their life that affects the way they view the world, for better or for worse: their parents. Parents shape a child’s life from day one. Some kids want to be just like their parents, while some end up wanting nothing to do with them after adolescence; both can easily reflect on that person’s sociopolitical morals.
The solution isn’t to cut out one’s parents’ thoughts when choosing a political party, and it is not advised to blindly follow them either. Politics change generation by generation, and we at The Tower believe that the only way to truly understand modern society is to take all sides and issues into account. It isn’t about agreeing or disagreeing with your parents, it’s about how to weigh their experiences among the experiences of the rest of America.
However involved or uninvolved anyone’s religious beliefs, families or phones are with their political stance, we at The Tower urge everyone to hold the Constitution and the good will of the people closest at heart when regarding politics. Reading the news from all types of publications and exercising freedom of speech and assembly are all ways people have become educated and worked for change without spiraling into irrational extremity. The greatest way to turn off every major magnet that pulls people to both sides of the political spectrum is to stay focused on what the end goal in all politics is: help the most people in the most ways that we can as a country united.
