Today, Americans have much to disagree on, and many do so vehemently. This disagreement is at the heart of the American experiment in democracy and is made possible by the robust protections guaranteed by the First Amendment. On the Fourth of July, celebrate this freedom and disagree — but do so with someone outside of your political bubble.
American democracy is premised on the free and open exchange of ideas. As Thomas Jefferson told his audience during his first inaugural address, “If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.”
More than two hundred years later, this principle still stands. Perhaps more than ever, citizens are empowered to challenge the government and do so on the streets, in the nation’s newspapers, on college campuses, and on the 21st century platform of social media — a mode of communication which would have been unimaginable to the Founding Fathers. These disagreements, virtual and in person, are at the heart of democracy and a commitment to this exercise of freedom of speech must transcend party lines and ideological leaning.
The threat to this fundamental underpinning of democracy is not the arguments raging on the Left or the Right but rather political polarization that means the Right and the Left talk less and less to rather than about each other.
Increasingly, arguments seem to be aimed at like-minded audiences and gauged to draw applause rather than facilitate active engagement or foster understanding. This reality has rendered politics spectacle and compromise nearly impossible. Those with opposing ideas have become enemies and reasoned discussions have been abandoned.
Today, Americans are far more hesitant to engage with those who will truly challenge their ideas — even when those people are family. After all, it is not just politicians tweeting or ranting to ideological echo chambers.
Yet, we must not shy away from difficult disagreements. To overcome the polarization that divides America, it is essential to try to understand and engage with the arguments made by those we disagree with. Without doing so, it is unlikely that we can convince anyone to change their mind or that we will consider diverse perspectives.
As Justice Robert Jackman explained in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, “freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order.”
To make use of that freedom, however, we must not be afraid to confront those with whom we disagree — and to be confronted ourselves.
