The Perceived Difference Between Political Parties Is A Narcissism Of Minor Differences

I was in line at the punch clock this afternoon, eavesdropping on a couple conservative coworkers talking about how soft Biden was being on immigrants. The one was saying how people wouldn’t receive such kindness on the border of North Korea, as if that’s the standard we want to set for ourselves. A couple of years ago I overheard a conversation between liberals about how cruelly Trump was treating immigrants. I’m guessing those two people aren’t saying “boo” about what’s going on with the Haitian migrants in the picture above.

The urge to insert myself in both conversations was great, but the desire to punch out and go home was greater. I really would have wanted to tell both parties that far more people were deported by the Obama/Biden administration’s first term than under Trump, but I’m sure neither side would have been interested in the raw numbers.

I sometimes buy the local Gannett-owned newspaper, which dedicates exactly one page to national and world news. The top three stories all pointed out to me how little difference there is between the Trump and the Biden administrations.

The first was written by an AP writer, who points out: “His (Biden’s) pitch for greater global partnership comes at a moment when allies are becoming increasingly skeptical about how much U.S. foreign policy really has changed since Donald Trump left office.” Zing.

The second article, also from the AP, begins thus: “The United States acted Sunday to stem the flow of migrants into Texas by blocking the Mexican border at an isolated town where thousands of Haitian refugees set up a camp, and American officials began flying some of the migrants back to their homeland.” If Trump had been president when this was written, his name surely would have been mentioned. Trump supporters would have cheered at the bold action taken. Democrats would have screamed at the cruelty of it. Both are silent on the issue now.

The third article, also from the AP, deals with the U.S. undercutting a submarine deal NATO ally France thought they had with Australia. Again, this is a classic Trump move, one that would have outraged Democrats and delighted Trump supporters. Again, there is silence on both sides of the issue. Because it doesn’t fit their narratives.

When it comes to the similarities between Trump’s actual policies and Biden’s, it seems nearly impossible for most people to rationally evaluate them. The desire to draw a line between the two of them, to make distinctions, is too great. There is some great psychological need for people to believe there is someone watching out for them. Some need to make a clear black and white division between right and wrong, good and bad. And, of course, there is apparently some deep human urge to divide ourselves according to different tribes or castes. I suppose it is much easier to create a group upon which we can place all the blame than to ask how we can make a difference.

Sigmund Freud referred to such a condition as the “narcissism of minor differences”. While he viewed this proclivity as being mostly harmless, he did recognize its existence. Later research, however, points out the dangers in this tendency of thought. As D.S. Werman says, “in the social sphere it harbors the potential for a pernicious escalation into hostile and destructive actions on a widespread scale.”

I agree. But whether it is relatively benign or destructive, we should at least bring it to people’s attention when it exists. Because it is that which lurks in the subconscious, that which is obvious to the disinterested viewer and yet cannot be contemplated by those suffering most from it, that is always most dangerous to society. This narcissism of minor differences between the two parties needs to be pointed out whenever it shows itself, regardless of the discomfort it brings to those on both sides of the political divide.