When 精东影业鈥檚 Peter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology & Education, was , he warned 鈥� as he has throughout the past year 鈥� that political polarization in America is, by some measures, worse than it was after the Civil War. 鈥淪ince the 1970s, on the ground, we鈥檝e seen citizens become more and more estranged from members of the other party, having different value priorities, different news systems we attend to that basically present reality in fundamentally different ways,鈥� said Coleman, who directs TC鈥檚 . He paused, and added, in words that now sound eerily prophetic, 鈥淪o we haven鈥檛 tipped into a level of violence like the Civil War, and God forbid that happens, but we鈥檙e definitely on a dangerous trajectory.鈥�
AFTER AND BEFORE Alumnus and political consultant Basil Smikle (left), speaking after the attack, said the factors that led to it have been long in the making. Psychologist Peter T. Coleman, speaking days before the violence, warned that the nation is, by some measures, more divided than it was after the Civil War. (Photos: TC Archives)
Flash forward to Wednesday, January 6th. The nation watches, stunned, as an armed mob of President Trump鈥檚 supporters descends on the U.S. Capitol Building in an attack that leaves four dead and a score of police offers wounded.
鈥淭his was an absolute disgrace that was entirely predictable,鈥� TC alumnus Basil Smikle (Ph.D. 鈥�19), former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, tells Caroline Hyde, Romaine Bostick and Joe Weisenthal of Bloomberg鈥檚 Smikle, now a TC adjunct professor and lecturer at Columbia University鈥檚 School of International and Public Affairs, adds: 鈥淭his looks, to many of us, like an attempted coup.鈥�
For Smikle, there were two immediate takeaways from the bizarre scene.
鈥淓specially as an African American man, I look at the difference in treatment between Black Lives protesters and how they were talked about as being rioters, versus what we鈥檙e seeing here,鈥� he said.
Smikle was also incredulous at the ease with which the mob breached the Capitol Building.
鈥淗ow many of us who have been in politics have been in that building and realize how difficult it is to just get inside to walk around 鈥� particularly, if you remember, after those Capitol police officers were shot some years ago?鈥� he said. Yet in Wednesday鈥檚 debacle, there were 鈥減eople walking around with lecterns and podiums from the floor of the House and Senate. I cannot imagine how this could be possible with the kind of security I鈥檝e seen or assume would exist in that building.鈥�
That question, he suggested, is closely linked with the issue of Trump鈥檚 remaining days in office. 鈥淚 do think that as Americans we need to look very closely at our government and our government leaders, because there might be many others in the ranks who are still siding with Trumpism 鈥� and this is the impact of it.鈥�
More broadly, both TC commentators pondered the issue of how the nation can heal and begin to collaborate to tackle the vast problems it faces.
Since the 1970s, on the ground, we鈥檝e seen citizens become more and more estranged from members of the other party, having different value priorities, different news systems we attend to that basically present reality in fundamentally different ways. So we haven鈥檛 tipped into a level of violence like the Civil War, and God forbid that happens, but we鈥檙e definitely on a dangerous trajectory.
鈥擯eter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology & Education, speaking days before the mob violence
Coleman, who鈥檚 newest book, , will be published later this year by Columbia University Press, was hopeful that with 鈥渁 clear task ahead of them in terms of fighting COVID and trying to build a recovering economy,鈥� the incoming Biden administration 鈥渕ight capture the attention of the public鈥� with 鈥渟ome immediate wins.鈥� The 鈥済ood news,鈥� he said, is that 鈥渢here鈥檚 a growing group of Americans that are really fed up with the vitriol, hate, fear mongering and dysfunction of Washington. They really want functional government and compromise.鈥� The task for the Biden administration 鈥� and for all seeking to build bridges between different constituencies 鈥� is not about 鈥渢rying to change the minds of the more extreme voices, it鈥檚 about offering a different way of moving forward for people in the middle.鈥� [Read by Coleman on Medium offering advice to President-elect Biden on how to unite the nation.]
Smikle expressed his hope that 鈥淎mericans broadly will realize the consequences of their votes.
鈥淲hen they go to the polls in 2021 and 2022, whether at the federal or local level, with these images in mind鈥� voters will be 鈥渢hinking that the people they elect to office should perhaps be striking more moderate, conciliatory tones,鈥� he said.
I do think we can start to build on the message that your vote matters, that elections have consequences. Because unfortunately, this鈥� 鈥� the mob at the Capitol Building 鈥� 鈥渋s a consequence of an election that took place four years ago.
鈥擯olitical consultant and adjunct faculty member Basil Smikle (Ph.D. '19), speaking after the attack
Right now, politicians perceive a 鈥渞eelection disincentive鈥� to working with someone on the opposite side of the aisle, and the result is that 鈥渨e don鈥檛 have the kind of collaboration in Congress that we would like to see.鈥� That problem, in turn, stems from gerrymandering 鈥� the manipulation of voter district boundaries to favor party interests. With recent national census, there鈥檚 hope for changing that picture, Smikle said. In the meantime, he鈥檚 hopeful that 鈥渧oters really do understand the connections between policies and governance. And if we can hammer that home over and over and over again, then I do think we can start to build on the message that your vote matters, that elections have consequences. Because unfortunately, this鈥� 鈥� the mob at the Capitol Building 鈥� 鈥渋s a consequence of an election that took place four years ago.鈥�