Learning Species, Culture The problem in America today is not incivility or intolerance. It’s that each side thinks it is driven by benevolence, while the other is evil and motivated by hatred.  “Political scientists have found that our nation is more polarized than it has been at any time since the Civil War. One in six Americans has stopped talking to a family member or close friend because of the 2016 election. Millions of people organize their social lives and their news exposure along ideological lines to avoid people with opposing viewpoints. What’s our problem? “A 2014 article in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on ‘motive attribution asymmetry’ — the assumption that your ideology is based in love, while your opponent’s is based in hate — suggests an answer. The researchers found that the average Republican and the average Democrat today suffer from a level of motive attribution asymmetry that is comparable with that of Palestinians and Israelis. Each side thinks it is driven by benevolence, while the other is evil and motivated by hatred — and is therefore an enemy with whom one cannot negotiate or compromise.” Article: Our Culture of Contempt