aka Dain Fitzgerald.
You can read it here via Google Docs.
Thesis:
Political Polarization in recent decades is due to the intransigence of increasingly sophisticated ideologues – the same group, paradoxically, that is most politically engaged – and is unlikely to be remedied by more education or a more deliberative democracy, as informed by the findings of political psychologists and other scholars. Due to epistemological ignorance and social complexity, the use of stereotypes by ideological political actors, as outlined by Walter Lippmann, is unfortunately relied upon to determine one’s political beliefs. Civil society, with its more piecemeal and granular approach to problem solving, is relatively better able to take account of the uniqueness of persons, their beliefs, and their lifestyles, making it a superior arena for (an admittedly informal) deliberation when compared to its explicitly political alternative.
May 31, 2011 at 4:37 am
I didn’t get past the thesis, but I hate an argument instead of aspirationally good faith comprehensive (and self-skeptical) analysis.
Even more depthless analysis on my part- “Dain Fitzgerald” is awesomely coalition ethnic white (like Gov. Pawlenty’s ethnic ancestry) as a name.
May 31, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Yea, my first name sometimes gets an “oh, where is that from?” reaction, whereas my last name is more like “oh yea, totally Irish.”
June 5, 2011 at 11:30 pm
I don’t know the actual origin of “Dain” but I’m surprised most people don’t think “scandinavian”.
June 5, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Is it in that format because you plan on publishing it in dead-tree form?
June 6, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Nah, but actually I unsuccessfully tried getting this published elsewhere. With no luck I figured since it’s written, may as well not totally sit on it.