Don’t Marry Her– The Beautiful South
A new poll suggests that partisan antagonism has severely calcified in recent years. The crucial finding:
A pair of surveys asked Americans a more concrete question: in 1960, whether they would be “displeased” if their child married someone outside their political party, and, in 2010, would be “upset” if their child married someone of the other party. In 1960, about 5 percent of Americans expressed a negative reaction to party intermarriage; in 2010, about 40 percent did (Republicans about 50 percent, Democrats about 30 percent).
Kevin Drum finds this to be pretty disturbing. I don’t really share his surprise, though. Some factors to consider.
1) While people seem to have grown more intolerant on this front, they have grown far more tolerant on many others. Ask the same question about race or sexuality, for example, and see what you find.
2) The meaning of party identification has changed a lot over the last 50 years. There are far, far fewer liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats are fading away. It’s a lot harder for people to imagine someone who fits all your other expectations for a good match (shares your values, etc.) who just happens to be of the other party.
3) The fading of locality. This connects with point #2. Lots of people in the 50s lived in parts of the country where the local brand of Republican or Democrat was shaped more by geography than grand party ideology.
4) Building off the previous two points, people are far more likely to see the extreme pictures of the opposing party now than they once were. If you’re a liberal Democrat, you just have to turn on Fox News to see what the other guys think. And the crazy things said by a small minority come to stand for the whole party. This is compounded by the ease of insular group associations provided by the internet. If you’re at all inclined politically and have a settled party position, you will probably seek out like-minded people who will share your complaints about the other side.
Points 1-3 attempt to explain why this looks like more of a shift than it really is. Point 4 argues that to the extent that there is a shift, it’s not too difficult to explain.
But I also want to suggest that #4 is not merely a matter of irrational dislike, of epistemic closure, or what have you. To some extent, the changes in information culture have just made it easier for people to realize/express their preferences.
Which is to say: political identity matters! It matters a lot to some people. Why shouldn’t you prefer that your son/daughter marries someone who shares a worldview, a set of values, and a general attitude toward the world? Party identification includes those things, especially these days.
That is not to say that all Republicans or all Democrats are the same. Of course they’re not. There are plenty of Republicans I get along with great and would welcome into my family any time. Just like there are tons of Democrats who are total scumbags.
But absent ANY other information, would I prefer my hypothetical child marry someone who supports my team? Well, yes. Would I be ‘upset’ about it? Not precisely, but maybe a little. Just like I would be ‘upset’ if my kid wanted to marry a Yankees fan, or someone whose favorite band is Nickelback. And those things matter a heck of lot less than politics!