By JP Akter
As the result of multiple allegations and public actions by elected officials, many believe there is a political polarization issue in Derby. From my perspective, this is definitely the case and this is having negative effects across the community.
On Saturday, October 29, news broke that one of our town’s aldermen was involved in the January 6, 2021 capital riot only six months before he was elected. He said to an NBC reporter “Yeah, I was there. And obviously, you got the pictures to prove it…I was there, I went inside there, and, you know, I didn’t damage or break anything.” In a poll published for the students in AP Government and AP U.S History classes asking about political polarization in our town, one student said “A Derby alderman was exposed for being involved in the January 6th storming of the Capital. And many of the kids feel so strongly about the American government they refuse to stand for the Pledge of allegiance.” Another student commented, “People in this town always take everything too far.” Overall 50% of students surveyed said that there may be political polarization in Derby, while 23.1% said yes and 26.9% said no.
Political polarization can affect all parts of a community both inside and outside of elected offices. For example, an assistant elementary school principal from Greenwich Connecticut was put on administrative leave for admitting to being biased in his hiring practices, asking certain questions in interviews to “weed out” Catholics and conservatives. Another example of political polarization locally is DHS students joking about the attempted assassination of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the assault on her husband, Paul Pelosi. Jokes like these can be heard multiple times in DHS hallways, and the polarizing comments come from both sides of the political spectrum. It makes sense that people have different political beliefs, but evidence of polarization is troubling.
Political polarization occurs when people of different political attitudes become extremely divided in their opinions and find it very difficult to find common ground in their ideas. Strong divides along political lines is currently occurring in the US at large, and in Derby locally; political polarization makes it difficult for democratic communities to function because democratic societies rely on compromise. According to Pew Research, America is more ideologically divided than in the past. For example, 27 percent of Democrats and 37 percent of Republicans view the opposite party as a “threat to the well-being of the nation.”
This polarization issue needs to be solved. If it is not solved, then democracy will be at risk. To address this problem in Derby, we need stronger political education in school. Specifically, at Derby High School, it would be helpful to have specific lessons about political polarization, its causes, and its effects in our civics and government classes. With more information and education, students will be able to combat the issue with more skill.
The Raider Press 