How have you experienced political polarization most viscerally in your life? Here's what I get:

From partisans on BOTH the Left and the Right, I've received versions of: "I used to believe you were innocent, but now that you've expressed view X, I believe you are guilty."

Or: "I always thought you were guilty, and now that you've expressed view Y, I KNOW you are guilty."

From the Left, I'm attacked for my identity: "You're a privileged white girl, so your unjust imprisonment doesn't matter. Not compared to X."

From the Right, I'm attacked for my morality: "You're a slut and a traitor (Trump supported you!), so you deserve to suffer."

The extreme partisans on both sides judge my innocence not by facts, but by the ideological tribe they think I belong to. Both tell me I should just shut up & disappear.

These messages are cruel, and they hurt. But I count myself fortunate to have this direct experience with how allegiance to political ideology can warp people's perspectives.

It's one thing to look at QAnon or Pizzagate and shake your head in disbelief. It's quite another to be at the center of a conspiracy theory (literally, the theory that I conspired with two men I barely knew to rape and kill my roommate).

And to see people embrace or deny that conspiracy theory based on my politics... that's a window into human psychology that I'm grateful for.

And it's one reason I was drawn to @waitbutwhy's long series about political polarization, "The Story of Us." https://waitbutwhy.com/2019/08/story-of-us.html

I interview @waitbutwhy about political polarization during the pandemic on this week's episode of LABYRINTHS. Don't miss it!

https://apple.co/3fjMPpY