Although has it been debated whether or not the American public is polarized, scholars and political pundits generally agree that political elites including politicians are. Regardless of differing scholarly findings about public polarization, we cannot ignore the infiltration of polarizing Congress into general public because ample evidences support for the idea that polarization cues provided by political actors play a critical role in shaping public opinion. Bitter disputes delivered by political actors certainly create division among the public. For that reason, they are well planned by political actors for the sake of their political career. Before we lament the American public’s polarization, how to prevent the penetration of politicized polarization by political actors into the public should be discussed.
2012APR23
[Session 5] Social Polarization in the United States: Searching for Civility
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Panelist :
Kim Jiyoon, The Asan Institute for Policy Studies