Overcoming Social Polarization

Jessica L. Neu is adjunct instructor in the field of Communication at Duquesne University and Carlow University.

• Chapter 1: An Introduction of Deliberative Democracy and Identity PoliticsChapter 2: An Exploration of Ronald C. Arnett’s ScholarshipChapter 3: An Arnettian Understanding of Philosophy of CommunicationChapter 4: What is the Post-Truth Era and How Did We Get Here?Chapter 5: Our Current Historical Moment in the Post-Truth EraChapter 6: An Exploration of Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth TurningChapter 7: How Themes in Heroes of the Fourth Turning Promote Democracy Through Engagement of Otherness Chapter 8: What Are We Trying For? Exploring the Divisiveness of Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town”Chapter 9: Public Response to “Try That in a Small Town and Aldean’s DefenseChapter 10: Can Society Get Closer by Watching The Closer? How Comedy Functions as a Self-Reflective Tool in Developing a Deliberative Democratic Social Model Chapter 11: A Rhetorical Turn - The Return of Stories and VirtuesChapter 12: Conclusion: A Return Home

With political, cultural and social contestations at a fever pitch, Neu’s book commendably realizes its goal of providing a rhetorical détente in an ever-increasing polarized world. As theoretically sound as it is practical, Neu offers a sanguine and aspirational approach to maintaining democracy through dialogic civility.