STORY: Tilted America: Us vs. Them
DATELINE: June 23, 2023
LENGTH: 00:05:22
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the United States
2. STANDUP 1 (English): ZHANG LI, Xinhua correspondent
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DANIELLE CALVA, U.S. citizen in Indonesia
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MARIAM ARTHUR, U.S. citizen in Cambodia
5. STANDUP 2 (English): ZHANG LI, Xinhua correspondent
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANNA MALINDOG-UY, Vice President of Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute
7. STANDUP 3 (English): ZHANG LI, Xinhua correspondent
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): RICH HERRERA, Florida resident
9. STANDUP 4 (English): ZHANG LI, Xinhua correspondent
10. SOUNDBITE 5 (Arabic): HEBA GAMAL, Professor of political science at the Cairo-based Institute of National Planning
11. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): JEAN PARK, Student from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
12. SOUNDBITE 7 (English): WEST, New York resident
13. SOUNDBITE 8 (English): X.N IRAKI, Professor of Economics at the University of Nairobi
14. SOUNDBITE 9 (Turkish): MURAT TUFAN, Analyst with Turkish broadcaster Ekoturk

STORYLINE:

STANDUP 1 (English): ZHANG LI, Xinhua correspondent
"Over the past years, the United States has seen significant divisions on various social fronts. And partisan politics is a contributing factor. It can foster an 'us vs. them' mentality. Individuals view those from opposing parties as adversaries rather than fellow citizens. Social relationships are damaged, with strain occurring within communities, friendships, and even families."

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DANIELLE CALVA, U.S. citizen in Indonesia
"It's sad for me to see how separate everyone has become and chosen sides. It's affected a lot of families."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MARIAM ARTHUR, U.S. citizen in Cambodia
"Division between Republicans and Democrats, right and left, white and black, rich and poor, everyone is divided about something and won't listen to opposing views."

STANDUP 2 (English): ZHANG LI, Xinhua correspondent
"Divisions are widening from issues related to race, politics, and religion to healthcare, immigration, climate change, gun control, taxation, and even abortion.
This polarization can lead to gridlock in Congress and difficulty in finding common ground on important policy matters."

Questioning, criticizing, blaming, abusing have become the norm in Capitol Hill debates.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANNA MALINDOG-UY, Vice President of Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute
"U.S. democracy is profoundly and intensely challenged by many factors, domestic factors, most often than not these days. One is the worsening political polarization between the two political parties existing in the United States, which is causing so much political violence in the United States. One example of that is what happened on Jan. 6 (2021) when an insurrection on Capitol Hill occurred. And as party polarization worsens, it is expected that more political violence is likely to occur in the United States."

STANDUP 3 (English): ZHANG LI, Xinhua correspondent
"In April, former U.S. President Donald Trump was arraigned at a court in Manhattan, New York City, formally becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges.
And this has become a new climax of today's U.S. partisan politics."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): RICH HERRERA, Florida resident
"I think it (indictment) will harden a lot of the ones that were already supporting Trump anyway. The divide I see is just getting wider. There are a lot of extremist congressmen and a lot of extremist politicians on either side, and I just hope the ones in the middle can pull it together."

Stephen Collinson, a reporter for CNN Politics covering the White House, wrote in an analysis that "Trump's criminal indictment unleashes a bitter new phase in American politics" and that it "creates a uniquely perilous moment for a polarized republic already repeatedly driven to the brink."

STANDUP 4 (English): ZHANG LI, Xinhua correspondent
"While divisions are going broader, hatred is going deeper."

A study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, shows that 15 major U.S. cities saw double-digit growth in hate crimes between 2020 and 2021, and an increase of about 5 percent in bias-motivated incidents till August 2022.

SOUNDBITE 5 (Arabic): HEBA GAMAL, Professor of political science at the Cairo-based Institute of National Planning
"Many crimes in the U.S. are hate crimes targeting African Americans, Latinos, and people who don't have European ancestry. Racism is rooted in American society and has become part of its culture. We see it daily before and after the murder of George Floyd."

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): JEAN PARK, Student from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"I started a 'Stop Asian Hate' walk because during the pandemic especially, there was just a rise in Asian hate just in our town, but also within our school. There have been a lot of microaggressions. And a lot of people think that because of the coronavirus, they can start blaming Asian Americans. So we created this walk in order to find this sort of unity."

According to a Pew Center poll, 65 percent of Americans believe that the American democratic system needs major reforms, while 57 percent of respondents believe the United States is no longer a model of democracy.

SOUNDBITE 7 (English): WEST, New York resident
"I lost faith in America. They made it divided. I'm very scared of this country. It used to be a great country. No more. No more. So it's gonna be tit-for-tat instead of being fair. I want us to have free speech again, not to be divided. I want us to get together, sit down and stop blaming everybody else. We have to stop that. I want us to be united again. I want us to put parties to get together to stand at a table."

SOUNDBITE 8 (English): X.N IRAKI, Professor of Economics at the University of Nairobi
"The circumstance has been changing but I think in my opinion, the laws in the U.S. have not changed fast enough."

SOUNDBITE 9 (Turkish): MURAT TUFAN, Analyst with Turkish broadcaster Ekoturk
"Today, humanity has changed, people's demands have changed, and the world has changed, but America's constitution did not."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)