I wrote an article several months ago arguing that the two sides of the political aisle live in entirely separate, borderline fictitious realities. I said that, beholden to their most radical wings, their differences are nearly irreconcilable. “Irreconcilable differences” are often cited in divorce proceedings, and are not an option if Americans want a future together. The questions our country faces are soul-searching and divisive; we have to answer by establishing common ground where we can.
The culture war we’re waging is about deeply personal issues best solved around the dinner table and in the town square. Dialogue is far more forgiving than legislation, which is fundamentally based on force. The government hammer bludgeons hard, and compromise is much tougher when one side says the other has a head injury. Solving difficult problems requires serious discourse, and politicians must allow time for it to happen.
Earlier this year, the College Board wanted to pilot an AP African American Studies course. Its lessons were deemed controversial, and Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis chose to bar it from being taught in his state, calling it “woke indoctrination.” He was wrong. The class wasn’t indoctrination; it was optional, an opportunity for interested students to take in different ideas.
Real conversation between different ideas is what we need. That requires free exchange — one side can’t be backed by Ron DeSantis’ pen. Floridians should have been able to show where they landed on the topic of AP African American Studies when course registration came out. Instead, DeSantis jumped in front of his citizens and prevented the discussion from happening entirely. Like every culture war battle, settling on a collective interpretation of our history will be an arduous process — but that’s how it should be.
America is a big and diverse country — there’s going to be a fair amount of push and pull. But we should be reacting to each other, not our politicians. The Bud Light and Target boycotts show how the culture war should be fought. The companies involved themselves in the public forum and faced backlash for it. In late April, the beer giant partnered with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney in an advertising campaign that led to a nearly 25% decrease in sales. In May, Target rolled out a collection of LGTBQ+ themed merchandise and suffered a 14% drop in its stock price.
What’s the common denominator? Does Bud Light taste any different than it did in March? Do Target shirts fit any better or worse than they used to? Of course not. Americans are providing feedback on proposed new cultural norms. Consensus seems a long way away, but the debate is happening. That’s a good thing.
While we’re hashing it out, politicians must take a pause. Average Americans are settling the questions of our time with their checkbooks and voices — DeSantis and other governors and lawmakers should stay an arm’s length away and let it play out. Overreaching with legislation won’t settle the culture war, it will set off tempers. Give us time to catch up, learn from each other and find the common ground that keeps this marriage together. This will happen on store shelves, school boards and city councils.
When politics is necessary, it is best kept close to home. A fifth grade teacher in Florida was put under investigation by the state for showing the PG-rated Disney film “Strange World” to her class because of the openly gay lead character. But the state’s fury did not match that of her hometown, and she was fiercely defended by students and colleagues alike at a school board meeting. Different communities can, and should, have different standards that keep the people living there satisfied. Blanket solutions from higher levels of government don’t make sense.
If state or national politicians want to get involved, which they often do, they should use language that tries to win people over. They may only need 51% of Americans to win an election, but the country needs more unity than that to survive. When U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., says “Bud Light, or t***** fluid, they have lost $27 billion in revenue because you took a stand,” at a press conference, she should be met with boos. Because she wasn’t disagreeing, she was hating. Disagreements can be resolved, but hatred never can be.
Before change can happen in America, people have to talk about change happening. The road to legalizing gay marriage was long, and politicians from both sides of the aisle, including then-Vice President Joe Biden, opposed it. But we got there. Yes, the rhetoric was heated, as it is now. But we moved forward. So don’t reject the heat we’re seeing on Bud Light and Target. Reject hatred, like Boebert’s, but never discussion.
My final message to politicians on both sides of the aisle: Avoid the spotlight on culture war issues. Let the news stop covering you for a moment and let it cover how real people are responding to what’s going on. Put the hammer down before everyone starts swinging it, and give us a chance to think and breathe. I know “careful” and “restrained” don’t make good campaign slogans, but they’re what we need right now.
Jack Brady is an Opinion Columnist writing about American politics and culture. He can be reached at jackrbra@umich.edu.