Social Increasing political polarization is ruining everything

[Wingslaught]

According to this article, politics is seeping into every facet of American life turning once benign, joyous activities like sports and entertainment into fields of battle for which each person must choose sides against their fellow American citizens. What will be the long-term outcomes if this trend continues?

Interestingly, this article also shares insight into the now-commonplace idea that different political groups occupy different realities with each side claiming their reality is the true one. Sounds reminiscent of certain religious attitudes, imo, i.e. "My God is the one true God while yours is a false idol."

https://reason.com/2021/02/17/polit...r-daily-life-and-ruining-everything/#comments

The researchers find that people's chosen political identities become self-reinforcing through associations with groups with shared beliefs. Our associations can even create a "group-specific shared reality" that makes it harder to relate to those with opposing views.

Of course, in the group's reality, their members are the "good guys" fighting the "bad guys" in the other group and vice-versa. These are some current examples of this phenomenon in action.

Obama: GOP Candidates Occupy 'Different Reality'


US News: Republicans and Democrats live in different universes

Democrats and Republicans are living in two different worlds, parallel universes in which the major parties have deeply divergent views of the nation's problems and how to solve them. This is one of the most salient realities of the 2016 campaign so far, with the balloting for president a year away.

https://www.usnews.com/news/the-rep...democrats-are-operating-in-parallel-universes

 

[genecop]

Political Polarization satisfies our nature, the real problem is us..

 

[Richard Nixon]

Well, we were warned of the commies yet nothing was done, now this is the cake to be eaten.

 

[Perturabo]

No it isn’t, liberal.

 

[Wingslaught]

Political Polarization satisfies our nature, the real problem is us..

I disagree, I think it's the natural outcome of electing a left-wing, extremely ideological, University Liberal to be President. Jonathan Haidt has been talking about this for a while. The Universities in this country, where Obama marinated for many years, have become so insular, ideological, political, and single-minded in their leftist views that once sacred values of free thought and truth-seeking have largely been abandoned.

 

[Trotsky]

You're describing two separate phenomena: polarization and the substitution of group fantasies. Politics can be passionately polarized without any pole requiring substituting an alternative to reality. It just requires that both poles have a political charter that is logically defensible and itself based in reality. In the case of the United States, there are two designated poles by design, but one ran out of policies based in reality by which to justify itself. Simply put, tax cuts for billionaires and no gay marriage just wasn't persuasive enough to win elections, and policy-based rejections of other-party policies (see: the ACA) simply haven't existed. This was pretty well known in 2008. Yet there were fundamental incentives toward retaining and gaining political power, and there were generational desires for party faithful to remain faithful. So the consequence was creating a political charter based in fiction.

I disagree, I think it's the natural outcome of electing a left-wing, extremely ideological, University Liberal to be President.

Wait...Obama? You think fucking Obama was left wing and extremely ideological? The guy whose most notable achievements were a market-based private healthcare insurance expansion and bringing immigration to net zero for the first 8 year period in decades?

Akso, dude...your last post was this:

The French could fix their most pressing problems by deporting all the Muslims from their land and implementing strict immigration policies. Instead, they'll continue with the status quo and suffer the occasional gruesome decapitation at the hands of people they were kind, or foolish, enough to take in.

 

[Day Drinking]

Sports were always super political. Thats why the country had massive widespread riots when Jack Johnson beat Jim Jeffries in 1910.

 

[Wingslaught]

Wait...Obama? You think fucking Obama was left wing and extremely ideological? The guy whose most notable achievements were a market-based private healthcare insurance expansion and bringing immigration to net zero for the first 8 year period in decades?

Uhhh...yes. His own wife admits he lays awake at night pondering things like income inequality. He's an ideological fanatic like many University Liberals, yourself included most likely. It's like a religion to them.

Akso, dude...your last post was this:

And?

​

 

[Trotsky]

Uhhh...yes. His own wife admits he lays awake at night pondering things like income inequality. He's an ideological fanatic like many University Liberals, yourself included most likely. It's like a religion to them.



And?

​

Being concerned with income inequality makes someone a left wing ideologue? In that case, the vast majority of Americans are left wing ideologues. In reality, Obama was a centrist liberal pragmatist, but certain features of him as a person were unacceptable to you. So you had to convince yourself he was some type of extremist.

I bring up that post because it represents an extremely polar position: that all of a country's most pressing problems could be cured by deporting a minority population. That's not based in reality. It's based in ideological fantasy: that ridding a country of a small group and its small influence on any number of issues can majorly restore the country and solve a myriad of problems that have little or nothing to do with that population.

 

[essie]

We just went through four years of the most divisive president in American history, whose entire platform was about alienating anyone who didn't support his specific worldview. Now that he lost it is time for unity and to end the division? I always find it curious how the ideology that no longer is in power strives for the middle ground.

 

[Asatru]

My humble opinion is that the majority of people are mid center with some swaying to left or right depending on certain issues . What the problem is the more vocal sides are to the extremes on both sides and make the loudest noise to make people think that either they are with the majority of which everside is screaming the loudest at that time. Extremes are bad in any aspect whether it be religion, politics, sports fans or sexuality. People and countries for that matter are generally good. Governments and extremists are the problem.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

"I don't like how divided everything has become, the problem is those damn left wingers."

 

[Wingslaught]

Being concerned with income inequality makes someone a left wing ideologue? In that case, the vast majority of Americans are left wing ideologues. In reality, Obama was a centrist liberal pragmatist, but certain features of him as a person were unacceptable to you.

Narcissism should be disqualifying for public office, period. In other words, it should be unacceptable to everyone.

Obama is the most far left-wing President America has ever elected and we can see the results. Unfortunately, Americans couldn't wait to get all his people back in the White House again so we could re-live the nightmare. Also, even The Atlantic admits Obama was far-left directly refuting your assertions.

The Atlantic - Time for Truth in Labeling: Obama was not a Centrist

Pew Research Center Founding Director Andrew Kohut wrote an important Washington Post column last month highlighting the Democratic drift leftward during the Obama administration. Backed by decades of Pew data, Kohut concluded that Democrats have grown just as liberal as Republicans have become more conservative in recent years. "They are much more socially liberal than they were even a decade ago, more supportive of an activist government, more in favor of increased regulation of business," Kohut writes.

In the piece, Kohut instinctively labels the Obama administration as centrist. But on all five major issues that divide the Democratic Party's liberals and moderates — the budget deficit, income inequality, the environment, social issues, and America's role in the world — Obama is on the leftward side.

I bring up that post because it represents an extremely polar position: that all of a country's most pressing problems could be cured by deporting a minority population. That's not based in reality. It's based in ideological fantasy: that ridding a country of a small group and its small influence on any number of issues can majorly restore the country and solve a myriad of problems that have little or nothing to do with that population.

I said most pressing problems, not all. The immediate health and safety of their citizens is certainly a pressing problem, in my view.

 

[shockaholic12]

I disagree, I think it's the natural outcome of electing a left-wing, extremely ideological, University Liberal to be President. Jonathan Chait has been talking about this for a while. The Universities in this country, where Obama marinated for many years, have become so insular, ideological, political, and single-minded in their leftist views that once sacred values of free thought and truth-seeking have largely been abandoned.

This is a bunch of hysterics and pearl clutching lol. Stop spazzing the sky is not falling at colleges.

“Wahhh, once sacred values are gone and only singular thought exists! Ahhhhhhh!!!!!”. Go spend a fall visiting different events like tailgates at any of the dozens and dozens and dozens of colleges across the south, SEC, Bible-belt, Midwest, or up north in places like Montana. If you think you’re going to find a singular “leftist” view or one ideology in these places that’s the same as what you hear at NYU, well then you’d be an idiot.

 

[Wingslaught]

We just went through four years of the most divisive president in American history, whose entire platform was about alienating anyone who didn't support his specific worldview.

Obama had two terms remember? It was eight years, not four years.

 

[essie]

Obama had two terms remember? It was eight years, not four years.

Yes we get it, Black man bad.

 

[Milton_Gracie]

Uhhh...yes. His own wife admits he lays awake at night pondering things like income inequality. He's an ideological fanatic like many University Liberals, yourself included most likely. It's like a religion to them.



And?

​

Wtf? He stays up at night thinking pondering income inequality? I thought he stayed up all night watching reruns of himself on Fox And Friends

 

[Milton_Gracie]

"I don't like how divided everything has become, the problem is those damn left wingers."

Lol!

 

[forum poster]

Sports are NOW becoming political?

Lol.

 

[StoneColdSteveAustin]

Imagine how warped you’d have to be to say “Obama divided the country,” with a straight face.