In today’s hyper-polarized America, people have forgotten how to engage in civil discourse. The inescapable partisan social media bubbles only add fuel to the fire, allowing for the demonization of those with whom we disagree. After another close election, civil discourse is more important than ever.
As Americans who value freedom of expression, we should strive to respect each other’s views and build trust. However, instead of attacking ideas and arguments, we attack each other as people. Continuing down this path of increasing polarization and individual bickering only further erodes democracy. Pretending that the opposition’s views do not exist is not a good strategy for a civil society.
At Tulane University, BridgeUSA strives to combat this polarization one person at a time. BridgeUSA is a national multi-partisan political discourse organization striving to fight against the political division tearing Americans apart.
Justin Turpan, the founder of Tulane’s chapter, had the idea for this club during his first year. Turpan saw a series of campus protests during his first year in 2021, and it led him to believe that productive and open political dialogue among those who disagree was non-existent in Tulane.
In response, he hoped to create a place on campus where students could safely discuss and learn from each other about controversial issues through open and non-partisan roundtables.
According to Turpan, “it has been an honor to see BridgeUSA grow to be one of the largest political clubs on campus” in two years, demonstrating students’ interest in becoming more informed.
Through starting the club, Turpan realized that everyone has much more in common than he realized, and it is unnecessary to have differences define relationships. It is his hope that BridgeUSA can be the place where students can share their opinions on important topics, free from judgment.
As Thanksgiving break approaches and we expect awkward family dinners complete with a conservative uncle and liberal aunt, there is no better time to create change and preserve democracy.
No matter what side of the political aisle you’re on, we are all Americans at the end of the day. This country is greater than us, and sometimes, we should engage with views that may contradict our own.
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