Kervoskia
10-03-2005, 04:25
What do you believe causes polarization, and does ideology worsen and maintain it, or does polarization initially start with ideology but worsens by other causes. Please post your theories here.
Niccolo Medici
10-03-2005, 05:52
"What do you believe causes polarization, and does ideology worsen and maintain it, or does polarization initially start with ideology but worsens by other causes. Please post your theories here."
I believe true polarization must have a motive, and there also is a defining moment or actions that turns the polarization from a background issue to a foreground one.
Ideology is one possibility, but more often it can be confused with motives more basic; such as greed, jealousy, fear, resentment, etc. Many people use ideology to justify stances that their feelings or situation already promotes. History teaches us that economic factors play a key role in polarization; ideology can be created through the manipulation of economic theory, making it seem like polarization, in in truth it was merely conflicting economic interests.
For example; take the Russian Revolution, and Segregation/Aparteid. The Russian revolution was influence by ideologies that took advantage of the economic disaster that was Russia in the early 1900's. The Aparteid regime was put in place to help one class of land-owning people to maintain a strong grip on their economic situation in South Africa.
These economic factors will often blend into more basic social factors to product a feeling of "Us vs Them", very quickly polarizing the populace. This simmers in the background until one side or another lashes out too strongly, crosses some line, and starts a greater struggle.