Compromise - Not a Dirty Word
Compromise is a requirement for progress. No matter how stubborn one might be there will always be a point where a choice needs to be made. Choosing one path or way over another always involves compromise as the paths all differ to varying degrees, each with their own pros and cons. Some pros always need to be let go of and some cons need to be accepted. No single party picks up all the spoils. But all win something. A compromise.
Maybe I need to be a little more specific. Compromise is important if what you desire is progress in a non-chaotic and steady way. If you equate pros and cons to steps forwards or backwards compromise does not eliminate the steps back but it does, I believe, lead in smaller steps backward while continuing on a forward motion. The steps forward may also be smaller but having more people in agreement the decisions taken are accepted and acted upon in a more unified and cohesive fashion. Let's just say that it is a more pleasant environment to work and live in.
Sadly compromise seems to be getting a dirtier and dirtier reputation in the mainstream. It seems to be morphing into a sign of weakness. It definitely is not catchy to compromise as it requires work and taking the time to understand choices in front of us. It takes time and time, it would seem, is better spent doing something else. Taking the time and discussing is supposedly elitist and intellectual. It does not appeal to the the population at large - or so we are led to believe.
While I see this trend in various circles of society the place where it is most pronounced, and potentially most dangerous, is in politics. I have always felt that politics is a dividing rather than unifying endeavour. Without differences and division there is little reason for politics. Rare is the politician who chooses to work on narrowing the divisions rather than enhancing them. It would appear that the latter is taking deeper root. Of course compromise does happen in the halls of power it is just that publicly the message is generally one of fighting, bashing and condescending words. Below I describe what I believe are the reasons why this behaviour has taken root and will continue to in the current environment unless citizens demand change.
First of all, to win an election one needs, ideally, a different idea, If not a different idea at least a different brand or approach to the idea. If there are no differences what is the point? Choosing between two identical apples on a grocer's shelf is simple and does not require any thought at all. Any apple can be picked. The job of a politician is to find a way to differentiate themselves from the others running in an election and then to convince us that their way is the one which should be chosen - ideally by the largest number of voters.
Now often times this job of creating differentiation does not fall upon the so-called "leader" of the party. It will often be the political machine of staffers and influencers which will cast the party and their leader in a way that they feel differentiates enough from their opponents to require a voter to make a relatively easy choice.
The second point is the thirty second world we live in. The world of short attention spans, thirty second video clips, reading diagonally, fast-forwarding between songs and headline scanning. We are all guilty of spending too little time to inform ourselves thoroughly on some topics and of being anxious to read the next article or story, watch the next video or listen to the next tune. This behaviour is facilitated by social media platforms which are becoming the primary source of information for so many.
Politicians therefore only have a few moments of attention to make their point during any one interaction with a voter. The result is an inability to clearly lay out arguments for their position. The why of what they want you to agree with is lost in the need for speed. The limitation to a headline or to thirty seconds requires a quick way to gain a voter's limited attention. The topic needs to be simple and quickly understood.
The easiest way to achieve that objective is via the third point. Playing on emotions. Most humans are quick to react on items that hit their core as they trigger emotions which are deep within but which can shoot out in very little time. The reaction is instinctual rather than requiring the luxury of logic and thinking. Topics that cause us pain, joy or anger of some sort are easy pickings for politicians as they trigger a quick reaction. Throughout our lives we are brainwashed into thinking there are certain fundamental truths on topics such as religion, economics, immigration, education, race and sexuality. We accept these truths and view of the word as the simple truth with little willingness to understand another view.
Putting it all together the easiest way for a politician to therefore gain votes and attention is to pander to this core emotion and to topics which they know will cause a quick visceral response (and and instinctual re-tweet or share!). Immigrants taking jobs away. Liberals destroying traditional values. Homosexuality being unrecognized. People of colour being profiled as criminals.
This type of pandering to populism does not require any kind of well thought out political platform developed over months or years. It doesn't require intelligent arguments for or against. It does not encourage compromise and discussion. It just simply divides and causes opposing camps with strong opinions and no time to hear the other side's views.
Ultimately. we the people, are letting ourselves be over-run by this kind of tactic by not questioning our politicians. By simply accepting their thirty second clips as the truth we are playing their game and simplifying their lives. We are letting ourselves be influenced rather than influencing them. If, rather, we would stop and ask questions, look at different opinions and ask our politicians to work together on solutions to our society's problems, we would be slowing the process down, yes, but we would at least be taking steps forward which we could all agree upon. Ask your representatives to reach across to their opponents and to stop dividing us to gain a simple and shallow vote.
Ask them to compromise and clean up their act.
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