Prickly City by Scott Stantis for July 07, 2021 July 06, 2021 ✂ “… “It goes beyond competition for power, and it goes beyond positions on public policy. It’s a really visceral dislike for one another,” said John C. Green, the former director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute for Applied Politics at the University of Akron. “There’s always been some of that, but it’s become much more common.” Experts say part of why people are so divided is because the two major parties have become more homogeneous, with citizens who identify as members of those parties sharing many of the same ideological values. They also tend to nominate candidates who are fervent in supporting the values that most appeal to the base rather than candidates who show a willingness to compromise.