Sasse Discusses Political Divisiveness At UNL Student Panel

LINCOLN--Society is going through a massive digital revolution, which has brought its upsides and downsides, but is starting to divide it as well, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse told the crowd during a panel discussion Feb. 11.

“I think what’s happening now is we’re hollowing out traditional tribes, tribes in place, and we’re trying to replace them with tribes of ideology that are probably not going to satisfy people,” he said. “Republicans and Democrats, they’re crappy tribes.”

Sasse and three students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln took part in a student-led conversation, “Why Don’t We Get Along? How Huskers Can Change the Future” earlier this week. The event was part of Charter Week, UNL’s celebration of its 150th anniversary.

The panel discussed the next 150 years for UNL and how the university and students can be less divided in ideas and political ideology.

“The point of tonight’s event is to think big and think honestly about how we can move forward, how students, faculty and higher education can make a difference and bring our society and nation back together,” said moderator Patrice McMahon, director and chair of the University Honors program.

A majority of the event involved a panel discussion with Sasse, senior political science major Hunter Traynor, junior sociology major Grace Chambers and junior political science major Kamryn Sannicks.

Sasse was introduced by Chancellor Ronnie Green, who asked the senator about his thoughts on the value of the university’s higher education. Green also asked Sasse whether or not a Runza was a sandwich, to which he answered “no.”

“Runza’s not a subset of some other category of food, Runza is a category of food,” Sasse said to applause.

During the panel discussion, Chambers, a senator of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska Lincoln, cited the divisiveness of people having fear for other groups of people.

“We’re afraid of what we don’t know, and so we dehumanize each other because of that,” she said. “And so, we’re not getting along because we’re not willing to get along and we’re not willing to get to know each other.”

For Sannicks, a member of the Nebraska National Guard and UNL’s Army ROTC program, the problem is usually caused by not listening to minority groups.

“In every situation, there’s always a voice of a lesser-known group, and that group often times has something to offer that the majority should take and listen to and encompass into what they’re trying to do,” she said.

Traynor, who is president of ASUN, said part of the blame lies with the media, whose pundits cause divisiveness.

“I do think that often times it’s easier and more cathartic to find out, ‘Oh, this person disagrees with me on that, so my knee-jerk is to yell at them,’” he said. “But in reality, 98 percent of the other things you think about and contemplate, you probably agree on.”

The panelists discussed multiple topics, including what UNL can do to help foster friendliness, how social media has influenced interactions and the invasion of identity politics.

“Having open and honest conversations with people and knowing that sometimes intentions don’t always meet language and probing people and asking questions that create honest dialogue is a way that we can bring people back together going forward,” Sannicks said.

Traynor said ASUN is currently working on a project called Converge Nebraska, which pairs people with different ideologies after filling out an online application. The pairs can then plan to meet up and discuss their differences.

“And I think that’s reflective of something that I try to do personally. I’m sure a lot of folks in the audience, by virtue of being at this event, try to do that as well, and that’s seeking out information that you disagree with on purpose,” Traynor said.

Sasse also brought up the topic of technology, citing his household’s requirement of having his children’s friends leave their cell phones at the door. He said they can be aids to production, but also consumption, causing divide on websites like Twitter.

“One of the main things we need to do is unplug a lot more and get distance,” he said.

Chambers said that ultimately, the problems that stem from differing views need to be changed institutionally to make people realize that they are more alike than they think.

“Because when you are so far away from each other, you don’t want to see each other. You don’t want to know who that person is,” she said. “So, forcing people to hear each other’s stories is how that begins and learning that when you meet somebody that’s different from you but you get along with them, they’re not an exception. That is something that you can encounter everywhere.”