Op-Ed: What happens when angry polarization takes over school boards and local government? (via latimesopinion)
Joyce Warshaw, the mayor of Dodge City, Kan., is resigning after receiving threats over her support of a mask mandate amid the coronavirus crisis.The polarization that characterizes so much of American society has seeped into even the smallest stages for power. In a trickle-down effect, the vitriol of state and national politics has reached the local level. And that unfortunate development will have a profound influence on the kinds of people who become the next generation of our leaders.
In 2021, that dynamic may be changing. Put yourself in the shoes of a concerned parent or committed citizen who is thinking about running for local office to make the schools better or to improve public safety. Now, it’s not just about the time commitment or the fundraising, but you also have to contemplate the possibility of death threats, anonymous abuse online, even people harassing you and your family outside your home.
What does that mean for American communities? To find the answer, it’s instructive to look at the extremes, in places where politics has been even more toxic than it currently is in the United States. Or take Thailand, for example. It’s a place where civilian politicians are regularly overthrown by generals in military coups d’état. Candidates who say the wrong thing end up in prison, their assets confiscated. As one promising member of Thailand’s elite put it to me during a recent research trip, “Why would I go into public service? That’s where you lose everything.”
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