Is Covid-19 the tragedy we have been waiting for?

A decline in polarization.
by Peter T. Coleman

The extraordinary shock(s) to our system that the coronavirus pandemic is bringing has the potential to break America out of the 50-plus year pattern of escalating political and cultural polarization we have been trapped in, and help us to change course toward greater national solidarity and functionality. It might sound idealistic, but there are two reasons to think it can happen.

The first is the “common enemy” scenario, in which people begin to look past their differences when faced with a shared external threat. COVID-19 is presenting us with a formidable enemy that will not distinguish between reds and blues, and might provide us with fusion-like energy and a singularity of purpose to help us reset and regroup. During the Blitz, the 56-day Nazi bombing campaign against the Britain, Winston Churchill’s cabinet was amazed and heartened to witness the ascendance of human goodness—altruism, compassion and generosity of spirit and action.

The second reason is the “political shock wave” scenario. Studies have shown that strong, enduring relational patterns often become more susceptible to change after some type of major shock destabilizes them. This doesn’t necessarily happen right away, but a study of 850 enduring inter-state conflicts that occurred between 1816 to 1992 found that more than 75 percent of them ended within 10 years of a major destabilizing shock. Societal shocks can break different ways, making things better or worse. But given our current levels of tension, this scenario suggests that now is the time to begin to promote more constructive patterns in our cultural and political discourse. The time for change is clearly ripening. (Politico, March 19, 2020)

In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the title protagonists fall in love but they each belong to long-standing enemy families, the Capulets and the Montagues, respectively. The tension in the tragedy is between of the lovers’ between their new found love for each other and their loyalty to their respective families. In the drama, the youths encounter supporters and detractors of their relationship and they navigate how to be together. In their efforts to deceive their families, they tragically die. It is their death that brings an end to the feud between the families.  The loss of their respective children opens a way for the Montagues and the Capulets to make peace with each other.

Looking at the deep political divide in the US which we have been in for at least 30 years, I have often wondered what tragedy would be necessary before we can put away our differences to find common ground. I thought perhaps a war, or some catastrophe. We are now in the midst of an epidemic that is impacting the entire world. It is an invisible enemy and we are severely hampered by insufficient testing, who is a carrier and no vaccine. In the meantime, we will have to shelter in place, as our economy takes a nose dive and the infections continue to surge. Perhaps this the tragedy that will bring us together.