Over the past five years as I have been working in the political space, I have noticed several issues threatening the fabric of American society. But this one might be one of the most pernicious.
To say that America is divided would be a massive understatement. Many have gone further into their political bubbles, and members of the chattering class on both sides of the divide have encouraged this. Of course, the situation is exacerbated on social media and other digital methods of communication. For the most part, people in real life are not at each other’s throats.
But there is still a divide, and it is has resulted in a type of toxic hyperpartisanship that has had a deleterious impact on far too many folks. This is precisely the thought that came to mind when I saw the latest in the Rebekah Jones saga.
Jones is a former employee of Florida’s government. She was fired in 2020 from the state’s Health Department because she falsely claimed she was pushed to alter COVID data in a way that gave a favorable impression of the government’s handling of the pandemic.
But earlier this week, Jones took to Twitter to make some rather dubious claims about her son and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. She announced that her son had been “taken on the [governor’s] orders,” and that she “had to send my husband and daughter out of state for their safety.”
She continued:
THIS is the reality of living in DeSantis’ Florida.
There is no freedom here. Only retaliatory rule by a fascist who wishes to be king
My family is not safe. My son has been taken on the gov's orders, and I've had to send my husband and daughter out of state for their safety.
THIS is the reality of living in DeSantis' Florida.
There is no freedom here. Only retaliatory rule by a fascist who wishes to be king
— Rebekah Jones (@GeoRebekah) April 6, 2023
The Miami Herald and other activist media outlets seemed to bolster her claim that Jones’ son was “kidnapped” for “posting memes.”
The former government employee went on to post a GoFundMe, soliciting donations from her followers to supposedly help her family through this difficult time. After all, when the governor of your state orders your son’s arrest, you need all the help you can get, right?
But, as always, there was a problem: Her story was completely false.
As it turned out, the authorities did not arrest her 13-year-old son because DeSantis ordered them to. What really happened was that he had made multiple threats to other kids about carrying out a mass shooting at his school. The messages, which were sent on Snapchat, were given to law enforcement, which then issued a warrant for his arrest.
But even worse, it was also revealed that the police never came to Jones’ home to arrest her son. Instead, she actually transported him to the police station to turn him in. Camera footage outside of the building clearly showed her walking the boy into the facility on Wednesday.
Rebekah Jones clearly has some issues. The fact that she was willing to exploit her own son in a politically-motivated attack against DeSantis is the type of bizarre behavior that would be absolutely shocking, if we weren’t living in 2023 and hadn’t been paying attention to American politics over the past decade. But now, the nation has become so hyperpartisan that people are capable of all kinds of insane behavior if it means getting one over on the other side.
Hyperpartisanship is one of the greatest threats to our democracy today. It is tearing apart the fabric of our society, and preventing us from working together to address the challenges we face. The hyperpartisan mindset is characterized by a willingness to put loyalty to one’s party above the needs of the country, and to demonize those who disagree with us. This is a dangerous and destructive way of thinking that must be overcome, if we are to move forward as a nation.
One of the most dangerous aspects hyperpartisanship is that it makes people do, say, or believe all kinds of crazy things when it comes to their political opposition. Even further, when politicians and influencers are more concerned with winning political points than with actually doing their jobs, it becomes impossible to find common ground. This leads to gridlock, which in turn makes it impossible to address the urgent problems facing our country. From healthcare to immigration, from climate change to economic inequality, there are no shortage of issues that require solutions. But hyperpartisanship makes this quite challenging.
In Jones’ case, hyperpartisanship has poisoned her brain to the point that she might actually believe her son’s arrest was politically-motivated, and that her son was only sending jokes to his friends. Or, she might know that this is all false and is lying about it to deceive people into believing DeSantis is misusing his position. Either way, it reveals a sickness in her thinking. It is worth noting that she likely has other mental issues contributing to this behavior; while many are hyperpartisan, they would not resort to such trickery. But the fact remains, this type of political obsession is not healthy for anyone – including the country.
Ultimately, hyperpartisanship is a form of tribalism, and it is antithetical to the values that underpin our society. There has to be a way to reject this type of mindset, but it would require leaders who are willing to put the country first, and who are committed to finding common ground. It will also require citizens who are willing to engage in civil discourse, and who are open to considering viewpoints different from their own. If we can do this, we can begin to heal the divisions that are tearing us apart, and build a stronger society.
