Stop being Mr. Scrooge
It's very unlikely you'll win the Grossa lottery, but it's very likely you'll have a political argument on Christmas Eve. Specifically, you have a 20% chance of having a "heated" political discussion, according to the [unclear - possibly "lottery" or "political lottery"].Polarization Atlas 2025 From the organization More in Common. The landscape of social division that emerges from this and other research is worrying. One in four people in the country has felt "attacked or strongly criticized" for expressing their opinions in public.
Over the last few years, we have witnessed a deterioration of the public space for discussion. Not only in the Congress of Deputies, where members treat each other with increasing disrespect. Not only in talk shows, debate programs, and social media, where commentators who once exchanged views now despise one another. But also on the street. The evolution of international democracy barometers, which gather expert opinions, indicates a growing sense that we are becoming more intolerant of those with whom we disagree politically. And the weakening of this intangible—the perception that there is no political tolerance—poses a threat to the long-term viability of democracy.
Polarization has serious social effects beyond the psychological costs for people and the political costs for democracy. Polarization also makes us poorer. A month ago, the Financial Times He warned us about danger of economic paralysis in the US because of the increased political polarization this country has experienced so far this century. Firstly, because in the US, but also in Spain where the current budget is the one approved in November 2022, polarization leads to a breakdown in government action. It is very difficult to reach agreements with a political opponent when, as is happening now, you don't consider them an adversary, but an enemy. A traitor to the country or, following the reasoning of the Trump administration, a traitor to Western civilization.
To resolve political differences, one strategy is to transform them—like a divorcing couple—into quantitative issues: you keep 40, 50, or 60% of something and I get the other 60, 50, or 40%. But polarization turns political divergences into qualitative divisions: Good (which is what we defend) versus Evil (which is what you defend). Instead of "I want to reduce the workday by 4 hours and you by 1: we can reach an agreement around 2 or 3 hours," the prevailing sentiment is "I stand for freedom and you stand for oppression." Politicians have ceased to be economists who painstakingly negotiated the specific points of their electoral programs with a calculator, transforming into priests who accuse their political rivals of infidelity or heresy.
Polarization also affects private investment. Given the growing uncertainty—such as the US government shutdowns, the incompetence of Macron's governments, or the lack of budgets—economic agents may postpone their investment decisions. Spain is growing, but it will grow less if we remain as enraged as Mr. Scrooge. Christmas Song by Dickens.