In a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 61% of Americans reported feeling stressed when talking to people with opposing political views. That figure alone paints a grim picture of our national dialogue. Faced with discomfort, most people retreat to one of two instinctual responses: confrontation or avoidance. And so, our politics divide.
On one end, we have the loud and combative. The are quick to vilify anyone who challenges their tribe. On the other, the silent and withdrawn. They keep their beliefs close and their conversations safer still.
Somewhere in between lies a quieter space, a middle ground where real, reflective conversation might still be possible. It’s sparsely populated.
Belief and Belonging
This shift away from respectful political discourse and toward the extremes of aggression and avoidance can be traced back to two simple human truths: we like to be right, and we like to be liked. Combine those with the passion of ideology, and it doesn’t take long before we start organizing ourselves into in-groups and out-groups. Within the safety of the in-group, we find acceptance. We’re affirmed. We belong.
Social identity theory explains this impulse well. Our sense of self is not just an internal construct; it’s tightly bound to the groups we identify with. So when our group is challenged, we feel challenged. When our beliefs are questioned, we don’t just hear disagreement. We feel threat.
Dogmatic Discomfort
Enter cognitive dissonance: that mental and emotional tension we experience when our thoughts, beliefs, or actions don’t align. Faced with dissonance, we can either examine and adjust our views, or find ways to justify maintaining them. With ideology, the second option is often easier. That’s where confirmation bias comes in. This is our tendency to seek out information that confirms what we already believe, and dismiss anything that doesn’t.
Between the Shouting and The Silence
Through this lens, the current state of political discourse begins to make sense. The loudest voices aren’t simply arguing a viewpoint. They’re defending a sense of self. And the quietest aren’t just indifferent. They’re protecting themselves from a perceived identity threat. Both responses are deeply human. Neither leads us closer to understanding.
Somewhere between the shouting and the silence, there’s a place where people still listen. It’s not easy to find, and even harder to stay in. But if enough of us start walking toward it, one honest conversation at a time, we might just change the direction we’re heading.
Rod Price has spent his career in human services, supporting mental health and addiction recovery, and teaching courses on human behavior. A lifelong seeker of meaning through music, reflection, and quiet insight, he created Quiet Frontier as a space for thoughtful conversation in a noisy world.