Two Parties, One Culture

America may be politically polarized--and culturally homogenous at the same time

It’s almost cliché to say that America is more divided than ever. Countless columns, books, and news segments draw attention to the issue. It fuels the Right’s National Divorce meme. The Left blames social media for fanning the flames of division and fears we’re heading to civil war. Ironically, polarization may be the one political issue everyone agrees on.

While backed by clear evidence, our political divisions pale in comparison to our broader, shared monoculture.

The political divisions are obvious. Democrats and Republicans are more likely to hate each other than in the pre-Trump era. A 2022 Pew poll found that 72 percent of Republicans say Democrats are immoral while 63 percent of Democrats say the same about Republicans — a dramatic increase from the same poll results in 2016. Partisan hostility is also evident in polls about dating preferences, friendship choices, and college student roommate preferences.

Polarization leads some, particularly on the Right, to conclude that America is undergoing cultural balkanization. These voices insist Red America and Blue America are completely different nations with their own respective norms and values. It’s only a matter of time until our governing institutions reflect that cultural divide.

But reality paints a different picture. While the two political parties may be at each other’s throats, there’s one overarching culture that encompasses them both. America is arguably the most culturally homogenous it’s ever been. Regional differences are mitigated by internal migration and the internet. Rural and urban America both listen to the same music, watch the same shows, and, at least among the youth, speak the same way. We’re not like the late-stage Habsburg Empire with its dizzying array of separate cultures. We are multiracial, but nearly everyone assimilates to American mass culture. 

That homogeneity gives the left a significant advantage in the culture war, as only one side has the power to impose itself on the general population. 

This is due to the Left’s institutional and moral power.  We all know that America’s universities, media outlets, and government bureaucracies are dominated by liberals. But the Left also holds a monopoly over the majority’s values and norms. Black Lives Matter, gender theory, and feminism all appeal to our nation’s egalitarianism. They each claim to raise up an oppressed group to the level of dignity and respect. These ideological fads aim to fulfill the creed that “all men are created equal.” Coupled with Americans’ “live and let live” attitude, left-liberal culture dominates all other spheres of life. Leftist employees can send political screeds to the entire company without fear of backlash. Conservatives, meanwhile, face termination over a private Facebook post. 

Not all of America fits into these partisan camps. In fact, the great majority lies outside the warring tribes. They’re members of the complacent majority. Some of them may have strong political opinions, but they’re ultimately focused on the basics of life or personal hobbies. They’re not that bothered by the political conflicts of our time. They just want to be left alone to enjoy American prosperity. 

Tolerating leftist extremism is the price for that peace. The majority knows not to make a fuss about BLM propaganda or pronoun requirements for work emails. They see the punishment of the few dissidents as a warning to get in line. As long as they make a nice income and can watch the big game, the complacent majority will play ball by the left’s new cultural rules.

Red America’s most popular entertainment options all show a complacent majority that acquiesces to the left’s cultural hegemony.

The popular TV series Yellowstone is a particularly telling example. Conservatives absolutely love the show. It features alpha male cowboys defending their land with a minimal amount of wokeness. But the show’s creator Taylor Sheridan says the show’s message subverts conservative values. “The show’s talking about the displacement of Native Americans and the way Native American women were treated, and about corporate greed and the gentrification of the West, and land-grabbing. That’s a red-state show?” Sheridan told one interviewer. One TV critic found the Yellowstone spinoff 1923 as the embodiment of critical race theory, while the liberal outlet Slate says the show universe is “an ongoing critique of structural racism, misogyny, and the economic status quo.”

Country music is another red state entertainment option that abides by the Left’s standards. Country artists have to apologize for displaying the Confederate flag, but they’re applauded for waving the Pride emblem. Outspokenly conservative artists such as Jason Aldean are punished for their views. Some country singers hoped their popularity among rural Americans could convince their audience to support Black Lives Matter. The music itself has lately been heavily influenced by rap, indicating its proximity to the predominant American culture.

NASCAR has the most conservative fanbase of any sport, but even the racing league wants to make its audience conform to left-wing standards.  In recent years, NASCAR has banned the Confederate flag and began celebrating Pride Month. It even tried to prevent its fans from saying “Let’s Go Brandon” and “Fuck Joe Biden.” 

The only safe space for conservatives is their own media and the internet. This does push some consumers in a more radical direction. But this lone safe space also leads to a “stupidification” of the American right. Isolated from the mainstream and left to talk among themselves, the most ideological conservatives indulge in all kinds of fantasy to cope with the changes they see around them. Some dream of National Divorce or a Red Caesar. Others descend into the realm of harmless conspiracy theories where they foam at the mouth over the government’s alleged weather machine.

While the rhetoric online may seem radical, it doesn’t translate to real-world activity. Many of these would-be revolutionaries live in fear of their true beliefs being found out, for good reason. In real-life, these right-wing dissidents kowtow to the system’s dictates. Some may even include their preferred pronouns in their email signature. The internet is their escape, not their activism. Their radicalism isn’t impacting the world around them. If anything, it ensures they stay within a safely-confined ghetto.

It’s very different for the Left. While left-wing media certainly makes its audience dumber, their idiocy is capable of affecting the real world. The federal government spends millions of dollars investigating their conspiracy theories. Their activism even leads publishers to revise classic books to meet progressive norms. There is no comparable effort on the Right.

America may be politically polarized, but the complacent majority would rather tune out of partisan fights. As long as the Left maintains institutional and moral power, they can punish their enemies and force the majority to tolerate their excesses. Achieving institutional power and challenging the Left’s moral hegemony is critical for the Right. That’s the only way we can influence the complacent majority.