An NPR Article Furthers the New Civil War Narrative

Yesterday I wrote about an article in the Guardian considering the prospect of civil war in the US. My take was that 'civil war' was the wrong way to frame escalating conflict in the country. Today, an long NPR article tackled the subject in more detail. Titled "Imagine another American Civil War, but this time in every state," this new piece attended more closely to the problem of geography than the Guardian article did.

To be honest, I had been hoping the Guardian article was a fluke. But now it looks like it was just one small part of a larger developing media narrative. The NPR piece reinforces the message that the next civil war will be fought along partisan lines. It then uses voting data to draw those lines roughly between areas of high and low population density.

To its credit, NPR provides historical context about the Civil War that would seem to preclude comparing what's happening now in America to that. But then it includes this quote from Brookings Institute people:

"We already are seeing 'border war' with individual states passing major legislation that differs considerably from that in other places," says Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, and William Gale, a Brookings senior fellow in economic studies, who have written a pair of articles on the fraying of the American social and political fabric.

Clicking on that Brookings link will bring you to a page asking "Is the US headed for another Civil War?" Taking a step back, this means that a prominent think tank and major news organizations are shaping a public narrative together. The elements included in NPR's contribution to this narrative tell an interesting story.

One of these elements was the fight over abortion rights. The implication was that states might enter into conflict with each other over the issue. Another of these elements was gun ownership. The implication was that the population was already armed for war. Polling data was used to suggest that this armed population was likely ready for conflict, having lost faith in the broken government.

The NPR piece ends on a circumspect note. It compares what we're approaching to 'the troubles' in Ireland in the 1990s, quoting Irish Times writer Fintan O'Toole, and finishing off with a reminder of Jan. 6:

It doesn't do to behave as if our divisions must compel us to bloodshed, he adds, because dwelling on such thoughts and making such predictions may bring that prospect closer to reality, even if intended to do the opposite. That makes sense, especially if you believe that too much thinking about the unthinkable can become acceptance of the unacceptable. And however you personally regard the meaning of what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, we know now that nothing in American politics is unthinkable.

On the surface, ending on this note leaves the reader feeling like NPR is acknowledging responsibility for the potential consequences of spreading new civil war messaging. But that last sentence is weird. Of course nothing in American politics is unthinkable. If there was ever any doubt, JFK's assassination proved that a long time ago. To me, it seems like the article is implying that thinking about Jan. 6 might make the prospect of a new civil war more acceptable.

Perhaps this is merely journalism fulfilling its obligation to make sense of events for readers. Yet the subjects NPR connected don't naturally fit together in my mind at all. Widespread discontent. Abortion rights. Gun ownership. Jan. 6. Civil War. To me, that sounds like partisan fear mongering, not sense-making.

If the reds and the blues are really preparing for war, that's bad news for everyone. Hopefully, the media will stop pushing this narrative soon.

(Feature image from Pixabay.)

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