ABSTRACT
Negativity dominates American politics and government today, splintering the nation. Personal attacks and demonization crowd out respectful and productive discourse. Compromise is becoming a dirty word. Leaders spend more time spreading malice than promoting comity. Individual Americans and their representatives in Congress and other offices increasingly dismiss and deride those who don’t share their worldview. The growing divisions in our political culture are spreading to other areas of national life, straining regular social interactions and fostering a willingness to label as enemies and dismiss fellow Americans with differing lifestyles and views.
