Why aren't other developed countries not nearly as polarized as the US is?

[Hardkill]

I've noticed that the political polarization in developed countries such as Canada, UK, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, etc. hasn't been nearly as great as it has been in the US. 

Do you any of you have any thoughts on why this is?

Edited August 15 by Hardkill

[Talinn]

It's because we only have two political parties, that differ comparatively little on economic issues - therefore whatever social and economic differences between the two parties exist must be amplified and constantly mentioned. Also the population here is much larger than in any single European country. When you have large amounts of people it is a little harder to maintain a democracy.

[ICURBlessings]

3 hours ago, Hardkill said:

I've noticed that the political polarization in developed countries such as Canada, UK, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, etc. hasn't been nearly as great as it has been in the US. 

Do you any of you have any thoughts on why this is?

That is a good question. I don't think the answer is simple.

For one thing politics in the US are more ego-energized. maybe this is because as a democracy it is struggling (as Talinn pointed out "When you have large amounts of people it is a little harder to maintain a democracy.")

In one Ranking of Countries by Quality of Democracy the US is ranked 36th and is classified as a "Deficient Democracy". All the countries in your list rank better and all are classified as a "Working Democracy".

I think that a Deficient Democracy would indicate that a minority has a lot of control over the Nation. Which in many ways it is the case here in the USA. 

https://www.democracymatrix.com/ranking

 

Since Trump became the leader of the Republican Party - the Polarization seem inevitable. That is because this Conservative Party has become an extreme of an extreme of an extreme.

The question become "How could a nation elect democratically such a man and raise such a party in power?" Although it is through Misinformation/Disinformation that such a coup was achieved - I can't help to trace the issue back to this country's history of "anti-intellectualism"... 

Edited August 16 by ICURBlessings
correction

[Bobby_2021]

Ethnically homogeneous welfare state with good healthcare and free stuff. People can enjoy life without getting concerned about politics at all.

But that also means they are more sensitive to immigration and any external events. US can take in migrants and still be stable while these European countries would become unstable.

[Buck Edwards]

1 minute ago, Bobby_2021 said:

Ethny homogeneous welfare state with good healthcare and free stuff. People can enjoy life without getting concerned about politics at all.

But that also means they are more sensitive to immigration and any external events. US can take in migrants and still be stable while these European countries would become unstable.

Is it because these countries are small? 

[Bobby_2021]

16 minutes ago, Buck Edwards said:

Is it because these countries are small? 

Yeah that too. Plus they don't spend a fortune on the military. 

[BlueOak]

Much of America loves Drama.
Your media plays to your love of Drama to keep you watching.
Your political process uses Drama to keep you interested
Your corporations sell America the drama it loves.

Etc.

America has a very active psyche that seems to be operating at 110% all the time.
He who shouts loudest gets listened to the most, is true in many places in the world, but its very true in America. Moreso when they engage people's love for a story, a narrative, a cause to feel good while simultaneously hating on the 'other', so they can feel like they've defined the problem and can see a solution.

*They created the problem.
*They created the solution.
*They created the feeling. etc.

I could keep editing this lol, you'll see countries like Russia love some of this too, as long its on state TV and they are being told who the bad guy is in simple terms. The hero, the villain, the victim. All well defined since childhood. (And yes they created the problem, solution and feeling too).

Edited August 16 by BlueOak

[something_else]

A lot of European states are becoming increasingly polarised too. Not as much as the US but it’s still increasing.

[DocWatts]

A big part of it has to do with antiqueted Institutions that allow for minority with outsized political power to impose their will on the rest of the country. This is driving polarization because the most extreme factions within the country get an outsized influence on setting the agenda for the rest of the country.

In a country with more proportional representation, Christian Nationalists who represent perhaps %20 or 30 of the country wouldn't be able to impose their unpopular policies on everyone else.

This would also explain why polarization is worse in the US, because our institutions are more undemocratic than the far more representative parliamentary democracies that exist in Western Europe, Canada, etc.

I would highly recommend 'Tyranny of the Minority' by Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky who explore this issue in depth.

____________

 (Summary From ChatGPT):

"Tyranny of the Minority" by Daniel Ziblatt explores the troubling phenomenon in American democracy where electoral minorities are able to dominate the majority due to the structure of counter-majoritarian institutions. Here is a summary of the key points:

Counter-Majoritarian Institutions: The book highlights how institutions like the Electoral College, the U.S. Senate's representation system, the filibuster, and a politicized Supreme Court allow a political minority to govern, even when they do not represent the majority of the population.

Democratic Challenges: Ziblatt argues that these institutions, designed to protect democracy, are instead enabling a shift towards authoritarianism. This is seen as a particular issue with the Republican Party, which relies on these mechanisms to maintain power despite demographic changes that should diminish their influence.

Proposed Reforms: The authors recommend reforms to make American democracy more representative. This includes abolishing the Electoral College, reforming the Senate, and making it easier to amend the Constitution. However, they acknowledge that these reforms face significant obstacles and may not be achievable soon.

Global Context: The book compares the U.S. to other democracies, particularly in Latin America, where less counter-majoritarianism has sometimes allowed populism to dismantle democracy. The authors argue that while such institutions can protect against authoritarianism, the U.S. has taken them to an extreme that hampers majority rule (LSE Blogs) (ReVista) (Harvard Gazette).

This analysis provides a critical look at the fragility of U.S. democracy and the urgent need for reforms

Edited August 16 by DocWatts

[ICURBlessings]

Countries that are less divided do not look at the Government the same way as those that are more divided.

When the citizens turn a party into a cult-like organization then you institute division. When the citizens look at their party as servants of a Government - which is an organization design to run the country - looking at the Government body more as a machine (for lack of a better word) instead of some kind of Demi-God.

[zazen]

 

[ryandesreu]

One is the U.S. has very divided media, with many channels, news sites, and radio shows that only support one side. In other countries media is more centralized or publicly funded. U.S. media is focused on profits through high ratings. This leads to more polarized stories that pander to certain people.

Some news channels have strong political leaning that mostly just reinforce the views of people. This makes media bubbles where people only hear opinions that match theirs making it harder to see different perspectives. This increases division.

Social media uses algorithms to show users content they are more likely to agree with. This causes echo chambers, where people only see content that confirms their beliefs, making more division. Social media also spreads misinformation quickly, and without much regulation, false ideas can easily influence public opinion and add to polarization.

[enchanted]

You guys gave good reasons. I would guess it's because democracy inherently is polarized with multiiple sides competing for power. Dictatorships by definition don't allow other poles. 

Since the US is the largest, most influential, and globally impactful country (culturally, economically, and militarily etc) the stakes are higher, it gets more attention, and there are more interested parties trying to lobby for influence. Thus more news coverage, influencers, and attention.

Interesting question. 

Edited August 17 by enchanted

[Hardkill]

34 minutes ago, ryandesreu said:

One is the U.S. has very divided media, with many channels, news sites, and radio shows that only support one side. In other countries media is more centralized or publicly funded. U.S. media is focused on profits through high ratings. This leads to more polarized stories that pander to certain people.

Some news channels have strong political leaning that mostly just reinforce the views of people. This makes media bubbles where people only hear opinions that match theirs making it harder to see different perspectives. This increases division.

Social media uses algorithms to show users content they are more likely to agree with. This causes echo chambers, where people only see content that confirms their beliefs, making more division. Social media also spreads misinformation quickly, and without much regulation, false ideas can easily influence public opinion and add to polarization.

So, the media isn’t divided in countries like the U.K., Canada, France, and Australia? 

[enchanted]

5 minutes ago, Hardkill said:

So, the media isn’t divided in countries like the U.K., Canada, France, and Australia? 

He could have a point. American media (like their medical system) is shamelessly for profit. This can have undesirable consequences such as higher levels of polarization. 

[Treewatcher]

@Hardkill Lack of good education for all has led to masses of people that get indoctronated easily in the US

[PurpleTree]

canada, uk, france are very polarised 

[Leo Gura]

I blame it on America's hyper capitalism. It has completely warped American media into a drama to fuel clicks, where no meaningful sense-making of goverance actually happens. All of American politics has been turned into a drama battle for profit, clicks, and greed. Rampant greed and bias corrupts the entire information ecosystem. And then you mix fundamentalist religion into that.

Edited August 17 by Leo Gura

[LSD-Rumi]

The US is a very vast country with a substantial population. It is almost half of Europe's entire population. The vastness of the US allowed for people to develop radically different mindsets in different states. This goes way back to the Civil War era. When a country is so vast, people will develop different ideologies and world views because of the disconnection between them through distance, geography, and culture. A lot of states were isolated in their conservative ideology for a long time and now the internet allowed for such isolated communities to come together and aggregate as a politically aggressive party.

The US was polarized for ages, but the internet and the worsening economy made the problem 10x worse.

Edited August 17 by LSD-Rumi

[zazen]

10 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

I blame it on America's hyper capitalism. It has completely warped American media into a drama to fuel clicks, where no meaningful sense-making of goverance actually happens. All of American politics has been turned into a drama battle for profit, clicks, and greed. Rampant greed and bias corrupts the entire information ecosystem. And then you mix fundamentalist religion into that.

A similar phenomena is happening on youtube where every next podcast title is filled with 'doomsday, civil war, collapse' rhetoric and a shocked face as a thumbnail - nauseatingly cheesy. Perverse incentives. You see the same podcasts and guests being recycled between each others shows discussing the same plight of the West and the world.

Not that what they are saying isn't valid, or partially so - just that the circle jerking over it to profit of off clicks and ads is so boring and played out. It's like, why not have a convention where all these guys come together to discuss and brain storm solutions. But obviously that wouldn't result in the numerous videos, clicks and pay outs each youtuber would receive.