Two different people shared this with me today.

These stats are very telling, and what they tell me is that the US is a very polarized and divided nation.

It runs deeper than party politics. It runs deeper than any of the categories that are measured in the stats shared in the video. They are, individually, mildly interesting and perhaps you could even say expected. But the collection seen together says a lot.

I wonder what it would take to make the US less politically polarized? I wonder if there is a voice for the centrist, for the center? It seems to me that people cannot take a centrist view without alienating people on both sides of the political spectrum… and I find that sad.

There only seems to be space for voices on the edges, voices that focus on attacking the opposition. Argument over discourse. Debate rather than discussion. Ad hominem attacks instead of reasoned responses.

Is civil unrest the next step? A 3-party system? Martial law? Or can a peaceful way forward be found? I’d like to think a peaceful approach is possible, I just don’t see it when the country is so divided.