What is society?

Society is defined as a group of people who share a common identity like values, beliefs, traditions, and culture, though a society can be diverse and have some subcultures within it. It has a social structure and resides in a specific geographic area. Societies have established institutions for family, economy, government, and religion which provide an order to the society through laws. Rules and regulations resolve disputes and maintain order in society. People may share the same culture, language, nationality, or religion which brings them together. Societies can be defined as social anthropological or political. This society morphs into a civilization when it becomes more complex and advanced in its cultural and human development. Along with its social and cultural values, it also includes technological, political economic progress.

Why are we so divided today?

There are various reasons for this which include political, social, economic cultural reasons which are enhanced by some other factors like political differences and the media which itself very polarized and presents one side of the story.

“There could be ethnic and racial reasons for the division. Different races may face unequal treatment leading to strife in society.”

Language could be a reason for the division. Language is a fundamental part of society and communication differences could lead to division. As people are not able to communicate with each other effectively it leads to misunderstandings which gives rise to these differences. There could be ethnic and racial reasons for the division. Different races may face unequal treatment leading to strife in society. History can be another factor that enhances this division among the different races. Historical conflicts often stretch into the present and create these differences. Differences could arise due to subcultures or they could be due to religious or other ethnic reasons. Differences give rise to prejudice and discrimination which further divides us in society.

Religion is a very significant part of the culture and differences between them can lead to division especially when it is not understood and respected by others. There are then divisions that are caused due to the cultural aspect of it related to gender, family, and societal norms. Immigration can be another big factor that leads to this division. Immigration brings diverse people together. Assimilation of the different cultural backgrounds can lead to it. Also, the discussions around immigration are very divisive in themselves, people often take hardline positions on it.

“People often bind with the same party and regard others as opposing parties or adversaries. This disturbs the unity within the society.”

Political polarization is the next big factor. Political divisions often are the major cause of division in our society. People are aligned to a particular party and become less accommodative or willing to engage with people with opposite views. It brings a me vs. you, us vs. them mentality. People often bind with the same party and regard others as opposing parties or adversaries. This disturbs the unity within the society. They associate and mingle with people who share the same political views. This leads to segregation and bias within the society.

People are further divided when this is done explicitly by the day’s politicians. Political parties do not cooperate with each other. If you are in the government you tend to be authoritative and if you are in the opposition, you must oppose everything irrespective of the benefits of that law. It leads to polarization within the parties and makes it difficult to carry out government work which can lead to frustration among the people and further antagonize them against the other party. Important legislation is stuck and it has consequences for us as a society. Each party tries to demonize its opponents through ads, articles, or speeches every day involving personal attacks on each other.

“Sometimes this polarization leads to political unrest and protests which can turn violent. Moderate voices are shut down.”

Media is also divided and takes sides and enhances this division. As the division increases the trust in political institutions also decreases. We start to question everything. Sometimes this polarization leads to political unrest and protests which can turn violent. Moderate voices are shut down and compromise becomes difficult as there is no common ground between them.

Economic disparity is another divisive factor in our society. Prosperity could be limited to a few and there could be a disparity in wealth and income in the society. Certain studies have shown that globally the top 1% of society holds more than 40–50% of the wealth. Even in the US, the top 1% holds about 30–40% of the total wealth. This difference in wealth leads to a lack of opportunity for the have-nots. People with lower income backgrounds have fewer opportunities than the ones who come from wealthy families.

“Often this disparity in income leads to an increase in crime and violence due to the frustrations of meeting their basic needs.”

Education is another reason for this disparity. People with lower incomes have less access to quality education. The rates of school dropouts are much higher among them. Good quality education can lift the whole family out of poverty, lack of education perpetuates from one generation to the other making it harder for each generation to succeed. Healthcare differences also lead to divisions. Lower-income people have less access to good healthcare and they struggle to afford the basic medical care needed, leading to poor health, and thus contributing to the division in society. Often this disparity in income leads to an increase in crime and violence, due to the frustrations of meeting their basic needs. When a person struggling to get a square meal, a day sees someone get down in their swanky car and exhibit luxury around them, that can lead to a lot of angst.

Economic disruptions can cause depression and recessions causing job losses. People who are not affected by the job losses lead a life of stress and anxiety about the potential loss. This fear leads to insecurity and causes divisions. The fear causes stress in the family, leading to personal conflicts and breakdowns. The people who are affected lose their source of income and healthcare. Meeting monthly expenses becomes an issue. The financial instability in the family leads to frustrations and divisions.

“Stories are often, emotionally charged, and provocative often crossing the line towards sensationalism. People also start choosing and following media based on their ideology as that media supports their biases.”

Media like I said is a big factor in this destabilization and division. Media is either to the left or to the right. There is no balanced approach. Instead of presenting facts they start presenting their opinions and biases. They do selective reporting, often reporting stories that cater to their opinions or their audience. There is then a lot of misinformation and disinformation which is spread by the media. These inaccuracies and deliberate falsehoods are spread with the intent to deceive people and perpetuate their ideology.

Stories are often, emotionally charged, and provocative often crossing the line towards sensationalism. People also start choosing and following media based on their ideology as that media supports their biases. Media outlets have become partisan often supporting and propagating one side of the political spectrum they are aligned to. Lack of proper content sometimes leads to sensationalism or trivialization of a particular topic. So, media and people, both become polarized increasing the division in our societies.

“When such people engage with opposite views it often leads to a toxic environment of hate and discrimination. As people get these views reinforced it leads to conspiracy theories creating distrust, cynicism, skepticism, and apathy.”

Social media which is a more recent phenomenon, has increased this polarization further. Information has become available very easily and that makes it easier to spread fake news. Social media exposes its brand of readers to some extreme views. People adopt more extreme positions over time as their beliefs are reinforced through these outlets. Social media often presents stories based on the users’ browsing history. If someone is already biased, they get similar stories to see which will further make them more orthodox and stauncher in their beliefs. When such people engage with opposite views it often leads to a toxic environment of hate and discrimination. As people get these views reinforced it leads to conspiracy theories creating distrust, cynicism, skepticism, and apathy. People become more vulnerable to manipulations through those instruments.

There are some events which are outside our control. The same thing happened in the COVID pandemic. Our lives were disrupted and it caused a lot of distress and anxiety, among a large section of society. Allocation of resources, particular policies, and advice for people to follow during that crisis leads to division. Wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus, is a case in point.

“Ethnic and religious groups also carry their biases and cause these disruptions and tensions.”

There are historical injustices that have carried on. These could be related to racial discrimination or colonization and can cause deep divisions within the society. Ethnic and religious groups also carry their biases and cause these disruptions and tensions. These historical prejudices can carry over the generations. Territorial disputes can carry over as border issues remain unresolved among nations. Lack of empathy for others leads to biases for others with different viewpoints. Instead of engaging in a healthy debate the public discourse becomes confrontational.

Is there a way out?

There should always be hope. No matter how things may be there should be hope that things will get better. A few things can be done, to reduce or eliminate the divisions in our society. Education and access to quality education should be the priority of any government, right from early childhood to higher education. Our public schools offer free education but imagine how a struggling mom will send her kid to school if she must pick them up in the afternoon or evening. She may not get time from her work to do it. We need to have better facilities for her maybe a preschool or after-school boarding facility.

“The option of a more affordable healthcare for people will help. We need to increase transparency and accountability within the public and government.”

Our tax system is flawed. Wealthy people end up paying less taxes than those who struggle with their expenses. Higher taxes should be borne by people who earn more with fewer loopholes for them to evade taxes. An increase in the minimum wage will help most of the people. Cities have become unfordable for most of the population. Housing is out of reach of most people. Building more affordable housing could be one step in that direction. Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are struggling we need to think about ways to strengthen and save them. The option of a more affordable healthcare for people will help. We need to increase transparency and accountability within the public and government. There is no single way to tackle this but some steps need to be taken before it is too late.