Is Political Polarization a Bad Thing?

Ted Glick
5 min readDec 18, 2022

Several months ago I heard long-time progressive activist George Lakey speak on a zoom call. One of the main issues he addressed was political polarization and how, though it may feel otherwise, it can be positive, a reflection of major changes for the better, potentially, taking place in society.

There is a very big, current macro example of this. Over the last seven years we have seen the Republican Party become dominated by extreme right-wingers, deniers of democracy and climate disruption and upholders of racism, patriarchy, heterosexism and deepening class…

Ted Glick

Author of Burglar for Peace: Lessons Learned in the Catholic Left's Resistance to the Vietnam War, climate and progressive activist, father, bicyclist, husband