HOUSTON and EDGEWATER, Md. — Shanna Berry and Alma Ong are friends, and one way they keep it that way is not talking politics. In January, the pair was asked what they thought of the U.S. capture of Venezuela's then-president Nicolas Maduro. Sitting in a cafe, they initially declined to speak, citing their friendship.
Berry is a Christian, a retired hairdresser and an Air Force veteran who has supported President Trump. When pressed, she relented and offered her take on Venezuela. "I feel like the end of the regime was necessary," said Berry, who is in her early 50s and wore a bright yellow cardigan.
"I'm not sure of the legalities of how it was done and I'm a little jaded by the notion that it also had a very strong leaning towards having access to the oil in Venezuela, but I know that there are a lot of Venezuelan people who are really happy." As Berry spoke, Ong's eyes widened. Ong, also in her early 50s, is more liberal and a Buddhist. She grew up in London, came to the US in the 90s and does not like the president.
"I agree with absolutely everything she just said," Ong said in astonishment. "That was amazing!" Political researchers say America is deeply polarized politically, but that the problem is not as extreme as people think. Surveys show there is a messy majority in the middle who share views that cross partisan lines.
Kristin Laurin, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, said Berry's and Ong's exchange matches a lot of research on political polarization. "That was just such a perfect example of two things that I see in the literature," Laurin said. One is that people don't want to talk about politics, because they're concerned about conflict.
And that failure to talk can lead people to overestimate their political differences. "These two friends were making assumptions about each other that turned out to be totally wrong," said Laurin. "It turned out, actually, they kind of believed the same thing." Laurin said politicians and political elites try to paint their opponents as extreme to frighten and fire up their voters.
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