If You Can Keep It…

One of America’s founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, when asked what the then-newly formed United States would be, famously remarked, “A republic, if you can keep it.” In other words, America would function as it was designed as long as the American people not only cared to keep it that way but actively pushed for it, in both good times and bad.

Throughout the generations, the nation has faced moments that threatened not only to break the country apart but also to shape the course of world history. These moments include the Civil War, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the September 11 attacks, among others.

Despite these challenges, Americans have continually found ways to come together and move forward.

But then, something fundamental changed.

America gradually moved to the extremes of its political spectrum, initially driven by a few individuals and politicians pushing boundaries.

Over time, these actions became more prominent, shifting the entire culture.

Through evolving laws, responses to world events, and long-term strategies, the fringes of both political parties grew more vocal and influential within Republicans and Democrats.

While political blame is not new, rhetoric shifted from political disagreements to personal, hostile, and aggressive attacks, permeating American culture.

Whether it be the Tea Party Movement rapidly gaining influence within the Republican Party, ultimately contributing to the election of President Donald Trump, or the rise of the Occupy movement and far-left ideological thinking in the Democratic Party, represented by figures such as Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren, and Jamaal Bowman, the core message from both sides, despite their radical differences, became the same: the other side was the enemy, working not to unite, but to divide.

Both parties' agendas, though based in many ways on common sense, often get lost in translation. These include creating a better world for everyone to thrive, regardless of where a person comes from, and ensuring not only safety and security but also equitable opportunities based purely on ability.

Ultimately, both sides seek a future where everyone can achieve their fullest potential.

However, you would never know it if you looked at how discourse is done today.

Even an event such as January 6, a moment that should have, theoretically, unified the country in shock and horror as American protesters stormed Washington’s Capitol Building and attempted to stop a democratic and bipartisan process, did not do so. By this point, America was too far gone.

Even when the instigators of said rhetoric are faced with direct danger, for which the motivation to change tone and tactic should become paramount, they instead choose to continue, dividing the country even further, not to serve the people who elected them but rather themselves.

However, the blame cannot be placed directly on the politicians. It cannot be held towards any one group. A complex problem such as this requires a complex solution—a solution we are ready to look for.

A solution, or rather, a series of solutions, we are going to find.

Nothing is more important in a democracy than a well-informed electorate. This is where we come in.

“divided.” is a multimedia, investigative journalism project focusing on the people, stories, and direct causes behind America’s polarization issue. Year by year, we hope to tackle causes one at a time, with the first being America’s mental health, its state of mind, and how that contributes to the polarization issue.

To make it clear, there is no agenda here. There is no left or right. We intend to bring old-school journalism from the days of Murrow and Cronkite into the new-school age. There will be no sensationalism and no intentional playing on emotions. You want the facts; we will bring the facts in abundance while keeping it in a human context.

The experts we bring on are not only highly credentialed but also the best people who can tell the story and help you, the audience, better understand it. We will not blame just one individual or one action purely because it is not only simplistic but also shortchanges you, the audience, from actually getting an answer.

By January 2025, two things will happen: we are guaranteed a 47th President of the United States…and we will find actionable and achievable solutions to improving America’s mental health…if you can keep it.