(image by AI)

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really fed up with polarization in society and especially in politics.
More and more, politics feels like a battle. Constant shouting. Not a debate. Not a discussion. Just people yelling at each other. On TV. On social media. Even in parliament.

It’s not about listening anymore. Facts are often ignored or put away as “fake news”. It’s just about defending your own points of view and attacking those from others. Often just to keep your own supporters happy. And the truth? That seems less and less important.

It’s not only happening in the US with Trump, but I also see it happening in The Netherlands and other countries over the world.
And it looks to get worse by the day….

In the picture

Calm, reasonable politicians are boring. A polarizing politician is much more interesting. They make an interview more spectacular, which attracts viewers and likes…
This caused me to avoid news sites and talk shows more and more. Especially when there are politicians. Not because I don’t care, but I just can’t stand how they give these extreme voices so much attention.

But strangely, a lot of people seem to enjoy it. All the fighting. The drama. The clickbait. It draws viewers…

At least, it looks like that. Because the loudest people and their supporters get the most attention. The rest… stays quiet.

What happened to compromise?

Wasn’t democracy about working together? About finding a middle ground?

I remember times when politicians had different views, but still make deals. They would talk, not scream. They would try to work together, even if their views were far from eachother.

But now everything seems black or white. Left or right. For or against. No room for nuance. Not finding each other somewhere in the middle.

The mild majority

Last week I read something that sparked a bit of hope. There was an initiative of a group of people who promote themselves as: an action group of the mild majority.
This group states that the mild majority doesn’t like the polarization that is going on, but because they are silent, they don’t stand out..
This group of people is probably very big. They don’t want a fight. They don’t want theatre. They want democracy. They want politicians to stop shouting and work together to get things done.

But because the mild majority doesn’t yell, they don’t get a lot of attention. They don’t go viral, so won’t be seen….

This action group has been getting a lot of followers. Among them are a few celebrities from TV, sports and politics. They don’t want to become a political party, but form a bridge between society and politics.
They want to give the mild majority a voice that will be heard. A voice that hopefully drowns out the loudmouths on the extreme fringes of politics.

I really hope this initiative will become a success and we can go back to a civilized democracy again where we can achieve things together despite our different points of view.

Thanks for reading.
I would love to hear your thoughts.

Friendlymoose

I'm an amateur photographer with a love for indoor gardening, craft beer, and cycling. As the owner of the Cycling Community and the creator of the Topcomment initiative, I focus on fostering engagement and bringing like-minded people together.
Check out my projects below!