What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Politics?

How to understand political debate

Photo by gaspar zaldo on Unsplash

Last month, the Free Press published a debate titled: Should Mahmoud Khalil Be Deported?

The strapline was: “Hussein Aboubakr Mansour says the Columbia student’s deportation is just and necessary. Eli Lake believes it sets a dangerous precedent for free speech.”

Two debaters, each earnestly holding opposite positions. This being politics, the debate will run on in the comments, at least until the next big debate comes up, and everyone moves on again.

Why? Why do we accept this never-ending debate so readily when it comes to politics? Why don’t we expect some kind of resolution? And what does the failure to find closure do to us?

In truth, as political psychologists have been telling us for decades now, it only makes sense if we accept that political debate isn’t really about policy at all, it’s about something else.