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A review by bluemoosetom
The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart by Bill Bishop
4.0
This book is a really fascinating look in to the growing partisanship of the American electorate, told in a reasonably non-partisan way (the author admits his liberal leanings, but shows how both liberals and conservatives contribute to "The Big Sort" and generally just looks at the trends and why they started).
So what is "The Big Sort?" Essentially, people beginning in the 1970s have started living in like-minded groups many. Many cities have become overwhelming Democratic and rural areas and exurbs are overwhelmingly Republican. This book looks into the trends of this polarization, and how it relates to group psychology, market research, the history of the political parties, the Social Gospel and the Great Commission philosophies of Christianity.
Some of the most interesting aspects were how there wasn't much difference in the two major parties through the 1940s and 1950s (and both were recruiting Eisenhower for a presidential candidate), but party affiliation was high and both parties had a mix of liberal, moderate, and conservative members. During 1965, public trust took a nose dive and party affiliation followed on a huge decline. Over the coming decades, the parties have realigned themselves.
The greatest value of this book is how it makes one realize how little civil discourse there is and how rare it is to have interaction with people who differ on many issues. Both sides have circled the wagons and are further polarized by a feed back loop of their own rhetoric. This makes it all the easier to vilify the "other". Looking at my own choices, of what I study, where I spend my time, my hobbies, and where I live, I see that I am part of "The Big Sort." It will be interesting to see if the trends continue.
So what is "The Big Sort?" Essentially, people beginning in the 1970s have started living in like-minded groups many. Many cities have become overwhelming Democratic and rural areas and exurbs are overwhelmingly Republican. This book looks into the trends of this polarization, and how it relates to group psychology, market research, the history of the political parties, the Social Gospel and the Great Commission philosophies of Christianity.
Some of the most interesting aspects were how there wasn't much difference in the two major parties through the 1940s and 1950s (and both were recruiting Eisenhower for a presidential candidate), but party affiliation was high and both parties had a mix of liberal, moderate, and conservative members. During 1965, public trust took a nose dive and party affiliation followed on a huge decline. Over the coming decades, the parties have realigned themselves.
The greatest value of this book is how it makes one realize how little civil discourse there is and how rare it is to have interaction with people who differ on many issues. Both sides have circled the wagons and are further polarized by a feed back loop of their own rhetoric. This makes it all the easier to vilify the "other". Looking at my own choices, of what I study, where I spend my time, my hobbies, and where I live, I see that I am part of "The Big Sort." It will be interesting to see if the trends continue.