Call-Out Culture & Tribalism
The rise of “call-out culture” has made an already dangerously tribal society (politically left vs. right) even worse. People are being called out, not just for things they say and do today, but from tweets they wrote a decade ago. And people get social credit from their peers for successfully calling out "problematic" enemies. Anyone on either side can label someone an enemy, and if anyone on their side doesn’t agree, they will be labeled an enemy as well. If someone gets unfairly called out, rather than voicing dissent and criticizing their own side for going too far, they remain quiet for fear of being ostracized from their tribe. Each side is forced to become more extreme because they have to agree with the most extreme liberal/conservative voices.
Each side is terrified of moving toward the center because they don’t want to be rejected by their respective tribes. Liberals are forced to be as liberal as the most liberal liberal and vice versa for conservatives. If you’re a libertarian or rational centrist, forget it. The liberal/conservative tribe won’t have you.
This is the reason society is becoming more and more polarized. Social media, the internet, cable news, and talk radio have allowed people to become more tribal by only watching, reading, and listening to news sources they agree with. They don’t hear perspectives from the other side, or even from the center. It’s all extreme bias all the time. Though “bias” is the wrong word because that implies people are purposely creating news with a bias. They’re usually not. They’re biased without even realizing it. They think they’re actually balanced and fair in their extreme liberal/conservative opinions. But they can’t both be balanced and fair because people from both sides holding polar-opposite opinions think this. So which one is right?
Neither. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Democrats and Republicans need to wake up and realize they’re being irrational by being so liberal/conservative. Rational people on each side need to stand up and say this is too far. That doesn’t mean joining the other side, but moving toward the center. However, people are terrified to do this.
Think about it. If you were to say, “Maybe we're overreacting. I don’t think this [insert hated person on your side] is as bad as everyone says [he/she] is.” How would people on your side react? They wouldn’t. Because you would never say that. You’d be terrified to.
The best example of this is the 2016 presidential election. If a liberal told liberals, “This Trump guy isn’t that bad,” or a conservative told conservatives, “This Hilary lady isn’t so horrible,” they would be shunned—completely rejected by their tribe. People from each side were forced to agree with everyone else, fostering more extreme opinions because of their bubbles and echo chambers. “This is the worst person ever. They are EVIL. We must vote against them.” People didn’t even care about their own candidate; they were simply voting against the enemy.
But there are no enemies in life. There’s no such thing as “evil.” Sure, sadistic psychopaths exist, but they are extremely rare. Most people are generally trying to do good, but their definition of good varies according to their own moral values. Moral values are affected by many things, but essentially, it’s due to a combination of genetics and environment. So stop thinking people you don't agree with are evil. You can disagree and debate them, but don’t assume a disagreement means they are evil.
The country is doomed if society continues to become more polarized, left vs. right, Democrats vs. Republicans. “Call-out Culture” needs to shift from the political extremists calling out the moderates for being too moderate, to the moderates calling out the extremists for being too extreme. It never works if the criticism comes from the other side. Neither side will listen to critiques from the other. Rational people from each side need to step up and convince their side to move toward the middle. Become less tribal and more rational. Realize the other side is not evil. That doesn’t mean liberals must become conservative, nor do conservatives have to become liberal. But they can both meet halfway in the middle and become more libertarian.