Are You Part of the Exhausted Majority?

In the 2018 report “Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape,” Stephen Hawkins, Daniel Yudkin, Míriam Juan-Torres, and Tim Dixon report on their in-depth research that found seven segments of Americans (that they call “tribes”) distinguished by differences in beliefs and attitudes.   

While the “wing groups” on the two extremes (progressive activists and conservatives) dominate the political conversation, “this environment spawns increasing extremism” the authors argue. They add, “intolerance for the other is a grave threat to our democratic system, as political actors cast off the restraints of convention and even the rule of law, with a ruthless determination to crush the other side no matter the cost.” 

Crush the other side no matter the cost? Yikes! 

But there is hope! Their data shows that, “despite America’s profound polarization, the middle is far larger than conventional wisdom suggests.” They call this segment of the population the Exhausted Majority, those “who believe that Americans have more in common than that which divides them.” 

How to move forward?  The authors write: “A new understanding of the American political landscape is needed, one that no longer airbrushes this Exhausted Majority out of the picture, but puts them in the center. To bring Americans back together, we need to focus first on those things that we share, and this starts with our identity as Americans.”  

This is not easy work, but my hope is that the many of us in the Exhausted Majority can rise up and say enough!  We love our country and, like family, need to figure out how to get along. No, we don’t need to agree on everything – that is unrealistic. But we do have to find ways to disagree better! I will offer some suggestions in future writings.  

We each have an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, including our own. Don’t underestimate your impact!