Why We're Polarized
Why We're Polarized
Ezra Klein
Steve Kerr
Highly recommend this book. - Steve Kerr
Bill Gates
Fundamentally about American politics, but it’s also a fascinating look at human psychology. - Bill Gates
Mark Zuckerberg
Goes through this decades-long analysis in the US. - Mark Zuckerberg
Julia Galef
Really enjoyed it! - Julia Galef
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Why We're Polarized

Why We're Polarized

Ezra Klein
Ezra Klein
By
Ezra Klein
4.2
1919
ratings on Goodreads

In "Why We're Polarized," Ezra Klein, a seasoned journalist and political commentator, peels back the layers of America's deeply entrenched political divide, offering an incisive examination of the forces that have shaped the current landscape. With a keen analytical eye, Klein traces the historical currents that have led to a confluence of identity and ideology, revealing how these intertwined allegiances forge the bedrock of today's polarized society. Through meticulous research and engaging prose, Klein not only maps the contours of American political polarization but also delves into its profound implications on governance, societal cohesion, and the democratic process itself. This book serves as a critical lens through which readers can understand the underpinnings of the 2016 election and the broader dynamics that continue to define and deepen the divide within American politics. Klein's narrative is both enlightening and unsettling, as it lays bare the complex web of factors—racial, religious, geographic, and cultural—that have conspired to create a political environment more fractious than any in recent memory. "Why We're Polarized" goes beyond the surface level of partisan bickering, exploring the feedback loops between polarized identities and political institutions that threaten to exacerbate the crisis. With its clear framework and compelling insights, Klein's work is not just an analysis of the status quo but a call to understand the roots of our divisions. It is an essential read for anyone seeking to comprehend the forces that have turned American politics into a battleground of identities, offering a glimpse into the mechanisms that drive polarization and a reflection on what it means for the future of the nation.

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Released
2020
28 Jan
Length
336
Pages

4

recommendations

recommendation

Highly recommend this book. - Steve Kerr
Really enjoyed it! - Julia Galef
Goes through this decades-long analysis in the US. - Mark Zuckerberg
Fundamentally about American politics, but it’s also a fascinating look at human psychology. - Bill Gates
Unfortunately, the term “identity politics” has been weaponized. It is most often used by speakers to describe politics as practiced by members of historically marginalized groups. If you’re black and you're worried about police brutality, that’s identity politics. If you’re a woman and you’re worried about the male-female pay gap, that’s identity politics. But if you’re a rural gun owner decrying universal background checks as tyranny, or a billionaire CEO complaining that high tax rates demonize success, or a Christian insisting on Nativity scenes in public squares — well, that just good, old fashioned politics. With a quick sleight of hand, identity becomes something that only marginalized groups have.The term “identity politics,” in this usage, obscures rather than illuminates; it’s used to diminish and discredit the concerns of the weaker groups by making them look self-interested, special pleading in order to clear the agenda for the concerns of stronger groups, which are framed as more rational, proper topics for political debate. But in wielding identity as a blade, we have lost it as a lens, blinding ourselves in a bid for political advantage. WE are left searching in vaid for what we refuse to allow ourselves to see.
— Ezra Klein, Why We're Polarized

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