SUCCESS!! No one probably ever saw this coming. Political divisiveness and Congressional gridlock have transitioned in to reality television entertainment. We have the Kardashians. We have Honey Boo-Boo. We have Real Housewives. Welcome Senator Jeff Flake (R- AZ) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) on Rival Survival.
It’s often said Americans know more about and care more about how they will be entertained than about the events and people that impact their daily lives. People can tell you the smallest detail about their favorite celebrity but can’t tell you who represents them at any level of government. They will spend hours on social media but maybe a few minutes, if we’re lucky, on news and current political affairs. So how could having two opposing politicians join the media where Americans spend their time be a bad thing?
It could be good if they were discussing and resolving their political differences. But according to The Hollywood Reporter “The duo will be given a modest choice of items from which they can select only three. They’re forced to use the limited resources and work together as they attempt to spear fish, build shelter and find enough water to survive for a week on Eru in the Marshall Islands, where the reefs alone are littered with venomous stonefish, lionfish and scorpion fish.”
Politicians meeting in social settings away from the confines of the legislative structure, taking time to talk about anything but politics has proven to be an effective tool in legislating. This is not what Senators Flake and Heinrich are doing. By making their differences entertaining, they are feeding the media frenzy. Reality TV will not make people rise up and demand an end to hyper-partisanship. On the contrary, this is reality TV. People will want more divisiveness so the show can stay on the air.
In an earlier blog post, “Bipartisan Policy Center Recommendations and Nevada Election Modernization and Reform Act Go Hand-In-Hand”, I highlighted a recent study that showed how partisanship impacts almost every aspect of our daily lives from who we socialize or speak with to who we allow our children to marry. Bill Maher, in USA Today, puts the study into plain language; “Does everything in America have to be political?” … Two generations ago, hippies came up with the idea that “the personal is political,” but it didn’t really affect anything because there was, frankly, a pretty limited connection between ending the arms race and Janis Joplin not washing her hair. Now, it’s really come true.” You don’t have to like or agree with Bill Maher to appreciate his column. Read the rest here.
Political divisiveness has now become entertainment. That will make it harder to overcome. It also makes efforts to bring the debate back to the realm of civility even more important.