Conservative cappuccinos? Labour lattes? How democracy has bled into everyday life - and why that’s a bad thing

Conservative cappuccinos? Labour lattes? How democracy has bled into everyday life - and why that’s a bad thing

Catherine Neilan

08:27 17th June 2021

When you go for a coffee, how do you decide where to buy? Is it just a case of going to the nearest cafe, or do you have a particular brand that you seek out?

I have walked well out of my way to avoid certain chains because of my views of their business practices - and according to Rob B Talisse, I’m something of a cliche who is wearing my political heart on my sleeve.

The Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, has identified a growing trend of democracy bleeding into our everyday lives to the extent that we express our political commitments in what we buy, how we decorate our homes and where we go on holiday.

If you have more clocks, you are likely to vote conservative, but those with more maps on their walls are likely to vote liberal, he argues. In the US liberal voters get their coffee from Starbucks, while conservatives opt for Dunkin Donuts.

“A liberal voter who is living in Massachusetts has more in common with a liberal voter in Nashville, Tennessee than he does with his conservative voting neighbours,” Prof Talisse says.

This leads to “belief polarisation”, in which we ascribe character flaws ranging from stupidity to depravity.

“People don’t disagree on policy any more than they did 30-40 years ago - they just think they do,” he adds. Views on social issues such as sexual morality, the use of stem cells or euthanasia are “either stable or have relaxed”.

What has intensified is animosity - but there is “no real reason for the animosity”.

But if we are surrounding ourselves with others who share our identity to the exclusion of others, we weaken our ability to have the kinds of debate that democracy requires to succeed.

Prof Talisse admits he is not optimistic, but he does have some potential solutions - if people are willing to make an effort to reach across the divide

Listen to the interview in full below.

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