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Polarization In United States Media: From Barry Goldwater's 1964 Nomination To Nbc's Parks And Recreation
Wagner, Janne Elise
Wagner, Janne Elise
Abstract
The social sorting taking place in the US is the division of social identities, such as race and religion, between the Democratic and Republican Party, thereby creating radically different political parties both in beliefs and social identity. This sorting fuels affective polarization, measured by the amount of dislike and hatred towards out-groups compared to in-groups. Hostilities and animosities between partisans due to affective polarization are increasingly visible in political and social relationships today. As a result, partisans dislike and mistrust members of the other party, change their behavior, fostering government gridlocks, and threatening democratic institutions by eroding democratic norms essential to its survival. This master’s thesis is divided into two parts. Part one employs a comparative analysis to explore a crucial moment in the process of social sorting among American voters, specifically the extent to which the African American newspapers addressed Goldwater's 1964 nomination for Republican presidential candidate through the lens of civil rights in ways that mainstream and conservative newspapers did not. All while shining light on the social sorting taking place and how attitudes on civil rights aided the transformation of the party system. The second chapter addresses a notable gap in the literature by examining the largely unexplored relationship between comedy and affective polarization. Using examples of the sit-com Parks and Recreation, I argue comedy can mitigate affective polarization by changing perceptions of party members by providing the right conditions to decrease the misperceptions that increase animosity towards members of the other party.
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2024-01-01
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American Studies
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.21220/s2-5pr0-3449