Why are we so politically polarized? Discuss.

[Rick345]

In 1950 the American Political Science Association issued a report expressing concern that Americans exhibited an insufficient degree of political polarization. Simply put the 1950 study concluded there wasn’t enough of a difference between those on the left and the right. That both republicans and democrats were in agreement on the problems facing the country and the solutions that needed to be allied.

What a difference a new millennium makes. As we approach 2024’s Election Day, the U.S. political landscape has become a Grand Canyon separating blue and red Americans. To the point were some are talking about Civil War.

So why is this happening?

I have my own theories and will express them at a later date but at the moment I’m interested in other peoples opinions to discover if I’ve overlooked something (I’m sure I have) and just get a picture on the mindset and feelings of others about why this came about. And how we got here.

 

[MajorRewrite]

People watch cable news channels all day everyday, and they absorb conspiracy nonsense that spreads online. These things cause brain damage.

I’d also like to point out that polarization has been building for a long time. It got a big boost when Nixon recruited the segregationist Dixiecrats to become the new base for the Republican party. Democrats were happy to not have to associate with those openly racist Southerners anymore, but it did clearly demarcate the parties in a way that they weren’t before.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

The Republican Party has taken a fascist turn, and mainstream journalism is so committed to the “both sides” narrative they can’t see what’s happening right in front of them.

The country is not divided, but so long as a small minority of noisy fascists is given equal time to everyone else, the appearance of a looming civil war can be manufactured.

 

[FotherMucker19]

IMHO it started in 1933...since then the gaslighting has increased exponentially. Unfortunately, people are very, very unimaginative and when I state anything, I get branded as one thing or another when, in fact, my beliefs are a mixture and not really based on "politics". But currently, most would brand me a conservative and from there it's a short stroll to being a Trumper. And I'm not confirming nor diconfirming that, but...I'm really just a scientist at heart, I base my beliefs on logic and/or empirical evidence and right this very moment, the left (which...last time I voted it was a left-leaning candidate though I've not voted for a "front runner" in forever) is for reasons I understand, in a pseudo-war against reality. But it's not even the left...the right is just as bad...sure, Biden is evil, not for his policies, he decides nothing. There IS one thing I really appreciated about Trump and that took a serious bit of putting aside confirmation bias...and that was he really fucked over the machinery. Big time. I don't vote for front runners because I know that none of them (Trump was the exception but I did not vote Trump in 2016, I thought he was a clown...nor Hillary because I thought then and know now she's not from this planet) actually decide a goddamn thing. That's why they hate Trump...he really fucked the deep state over and they just cannot allow that to happen again. I mean...no major conflicts? How the fuck are the three branches going to launder money absent a war or 5? Hell, they offed JFK for that...framed Nixon for the same thing. I have a strange affinity for the empirical or logical and...the left (for reasons) has abandoned all that. They're very clever, I will give them that, almost humorous how they point to the right and scream "genocide of trans" when in actuality it's the left! I mean, they do a pretty decent job what with old Margaret Sangers little shop but...the trans genocide is even more subtle...point their fingers at the other side while simultaneously...(hehehehe)...sterilizing the trannies! OMG...it is fucking HILARIOUS! "Gender is a spectrum, I'm a tranny!" which comes in two (binary, anyone) flavors, um...MtF...FtM. And...if it's a social construct (and I understand very well what a "construct" is) then...who needs a medical procedure? You want to ID as a woman? There you go! You are!...but wait, we have a very nice surgical/hormonal package deal to sell you...you'll be a patient for life!

P.S. Hint. There's an agenda...politicians treat all citizens (different groups at different times) as useful idiots. These days it's the so-called LBBTQhwhatever "community"...Community? Really? Get 10 of them in a room, start a conversation about anything, wait 15 minutes and come back...then tell me it's a "community". But seriously, here's the agenda and Part 2 is already begun. First, take a mental illness, then make it not only NOT a mental illness but make it illegal to even disagree with any patient displaying the mental illness (and...if that is a type of "body dysmorphia" why is it treated so differently than, oh, anorexia or Bodily Integrity Identity Disorder? That's the one where people with perfectly functioning limbs want them amputated? I don't see that going on...oh yeah, neither anorexics nor those with BIID can become lifelong patients! Oh ok). But...the hospitals doing this are now the "useful idiots" because here comes the Tsunami of lawsuits which will crumble the private medical industry here in the U.S. and in comes the gubment to the "rescue"...I hope nobody is studying to become a doctor because...you will be a government employee once they rescue the industry and take it over wholesale! I mean...the military is the current leading money laundering operation but medicine WILL compete!

 

[KeithD]

The Republican Party has taken a fascist turn,

Yep, and they did that without consulting with me.

 

[RoryN]

Trump made millions of people feel comfortable to open their mouths and reveal what stupid, bigoted assholes they are.

I can co-exist with and love good people, no matter what their political affiliation is. I can't do the same with bad people who tout hypocrisy and deny facts.

 

[adrina]

50+ years of conservative propaganda.

 

[Rotadom]

50+ years of conservative propaganda.

aka Fear Mongering.

 

[Rick345]

IMHO it started in 1933..
P.S. Hint. There's an agenda...politicians treat all citizens (different groups at different times) as useful idiots.

You are all over the place and a bit difficult for me to follow.

Just to repeat the question, "Why have we become so politically polarized as a nation in a single lifetime", a question seem to have skirted answering..

Yes, politicians rely on the fact we are too busy to remember what they said just months ago. They also rely on the fact we usually don't have the time to research what they say are the solutions they purpose or even if what they allege is a problem is actually a problem. Yes they treat us as idiots but that hasn't changed since the times of ancient Rome and Greece. Fathermore I don't think it truly addresses my question.

But your statement that political division in the country stated in 1933 is intriguing can you elaborate?

 

[Rick345]

Trump made millions of people feel comfortable to open their mouths and reveal what stupid, bigoted assholes they are.

That's a big part of it, but the left has sunk to Trump's level as well. There is no real attempt at conversation on either side..

I can co-exist with and love good people, no matter what their political affiliation is. I can't do the same with bad people who tout hypocrisy and deny facts.

"hypocrisy and deny facts" that's politics from the git go.. One of my favorite political quotes is from Will Rogers c.1921, "If you take lyin' out of it, it wouldn't be politics" When it comes to facts they have always been an inconvenience to politicians of all strips.

 

[Rick345]

50+ years of conservative propaganda.

That maybe a part of it but, propaganda has been the bread and butter of politics long before there were conservatives.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

That's a big part of it, but the left has sunk to Trump's level as well. There is no real attempt at conversation on either side..

"hypocrisy and deny facts" that's politics from the git go.. One of my favorite political quotes is from Will Rogers c.1921, "If you take lyin' out of it, it wouldn't be politics" When it comes to facts they have always been an inconvenience to politicians of all strips.

Barack Obama consistently tried to reach across the aisle and was always rebuffed. It’s not a “both sides” problem. It’s a Republican problem.

 

[Bray123]

In the 1930's, Europe saw the rise of Fascism / Communism. The Spanish Republican party (left-leaning, can you imagine?) formed the basis of a collaboration of Communists, Socialists and other factions to contest the Fascist Nationalists led by Franco and supported by Hitler. Subsequently Hitler declared war on the US in support of Fascist Japan and forced the US into a position aligned with Russia and Britain. If it had not been for that declaration it's possible that the US would have remained neutral or even joined with Germany. There were plenty of German heritage Americans willing to support that (not the Drumpf family who were busy hiding from conflict and profiteering from running their brothels).

After WW2 the US maintained the position of international policeman, managing such institutions as the UN, NATO, IMF, and plenty of other acronyms. That put the lid on the military expansionist ambitions of China and Russia. The former managed to expand into Korea and Vietnam; the latter formed the Communist Bloc countries of Eastern Europe but failed to expand much further than giving support to Cuba.

That meant that anyone espousing extremist right-wing views were swiftly reminded of Germany/Italy/Japan, and those with left-wing affiliations were reminded of the industrial delights of Eastern Europe (Trabant & Yugo cars anyone?). Americans sat back and made profits. Sod the politics, let's make money.

Nixon upset things by being an average dick in an important position, but it was Trump who made no attempt to do anything beyond appealing to the lowest common denominator. People daft enough to believe a TV show depicting businesses choosing management by foolish knock-out contests were able to support a candidate who mocked the disabled and disparaged the military.

What Trump could do was basic math. He added up the uneducated, the NRA membership and evangelicals and found that he didn't need a single vote from any other faction. Everyone else could go to hell.

In some countries the elected President resigns from their political party. They represent the entire country not just half of it. Trump has never pretended to be the leader of all Republicans, never mind all Americans.

 

[RoryN]

That's a big part of it, but the left has sunk to Trump's level as well. There is no real attempt at conversation on either side.

The Left is no Mary Sue to be sure, but there isn't a compelling reason to attempt a productive conversation with someone who's a bigot at this point. We've tried that for decades. My time is better spent on a tight, inner circle of friends.

"hypocrisy and deny facts" that's politics from the git go.

Of course - but, whereas before they were seen as negative, now there's a sense of righteousness in them. People tout their bad behavior as if it's a badge of honor.

 

[Rick345]

The Republican Party has taken a fascist turn, and mainstream journalism is so committed to the “both sides” narrative they can’t see what’s happening right in front of them.

While I agree the Republican Party has been taken over by extremist.. I don’t believe you're correct about the mainstream media or if that even matters. When I was growing up we three TV channels and the national news on all three was the same.. Everyone was equally informed about current events.. Washington may have lied to use from time to time but we were all consuming the same lies, we were all equally informed or misinformed.. And the news was offered as a public service..

Nowadays there are a vast array of news lets fighting for attention because market share means money.. So it is very possible that your next door neighbor could have a very different outlook on an event because their favorite news outlet presents an event completely differently than yours.

It used to be the news was presented in an objective way, just the facts. Nowadays what passes as news is usually editorials posing as news.

The country is not divided, but so long as a small minority of noisy fascists is given equal time to everyone else, the appearance of a looming civil war can be manufactured.

I’m skeptical that this country isn’t divided. I think the Civil War thing is overblown but it is more difficult to have a civil conversation about political issues than it has been in the past.. Nowadays it only takes a sentence or two before the conversation gets nasty and out of control.

A few days ago I watched the Nixon-Kennedy debates. JFK started with: “My opponent as been a statesman for years and is and excellent leader of his party. But the America must decide do they want republican or democrat leadership”

Nixon responds, “Senator Kennedy has done great things in his short time in congress, and has some excellent ideas, but the presidency requires someone with experience to guild the ship of state. I offer my experience to the American people.”

I’m sure that is exactly how the Trump-Biden debate will go down..

 

[MajorRewrite]

Another factor: crackpots and other assorted fat imbeciles used to ignore politics and just be loudly obnoxious sports fanatics. Then they crossed over from sports talk radio to political talk radio.

Now many of those crackpots and fat imbeciles have become political fanatics. They root for their political “team” in the same loud, obnoxious, moronic way they cheer for their sports teams.

 

[Rightguide]

The Republican Party has taken a fascist turn, and mainstream journalism is so committed to the “both sides” narrative they can’t see what’s happening right in front of them.

The country is not divided, but so long as a small minority of noisy fascists is given equal time to everyone else, the appearance of a looming civil war can be manufactured.

^^^
A collection of unmitigated lies.

 

[bijedi]

IMHO it started in 1933...since then the gaslighting has increased exponentially. Unfortunately, people are very, very unimaginative and when I state anything, I get branded as one thing or another when, in fact, my beliefs are a mixture and not really based on "politics". But currently, most would brand me a conservative and from there it's a short stroll to being a Trumper. And I'm not confirming nor diconfirming that, but...I'm really just a scientist at heart, I base my beliefs on logic and/or empirical evidence and right this very moment, the left (which...last time I voted it was a left-leaning candidate though I've not voted for a "front runner" in forever) is for reasons I understand, in a pseudo-war against reality. But it's not even the left...the right is just as bad...sure, Biden is evil, not for his policies, he decides nothing. There IS one thing I really appreciated about Trump and that took a serious bit of putting aside confirmation bias...and that was he really fucked over the machinery. Big time. I don't vote for front runners because I know that none of them (Trump was the exception but I did not vote Trump in 2016, I thought he was a clown...nor Hillary because I thought then and know now she's not from this planet) actually decide a goddamn thing. That's why they hate Trump...he really fucked the deep state over and they just cannot allow that to happen again. I mean...no major conflicts? How the fuck are the three branches going to launder money absent a war or 5? Hell, they offed JFK for that...framed Nixon for the same thing. I have a strange affinity for the empirical or logical and...the left (for reasons) has abandoned all that. They're very clever, I will give them that, almost humorous how they point to the right and scream "genocide of trans" when in actuality it's the left! I mean, they do a pretty decent job what with old Margaret Sangers little shop but...the trans genocide is even more subtle...point their fingers at the other side while simultaneously...(hehehehe)...sterilizing the trannies! OMG...it is fucking HILARIOUS! "Gender is a spectrum, I'm a tranny!" which comes in two (binary, anyone) flavors, um...MtF...FtM. And...if it's a social construct (and I understand very well what a "construct" is) then...who needs a medical procedure? You want to ID as a woman? There you go! You are!...but wait, we have a very nice surgical/hormonal package deal to sell you...you'll be a patient for life!

P.S. Hint. There's an agenda...politicians treat all citizens (different groups at different times) as useful idiots. These days it's the so-called LBBTQhwhatever "community"...Community? Really? Get 10 of them in a room, start a conversation about anything, wait 15 minutes and come back...then tell me it's a "community". But seriously, here's the agenda and Part 2 is already begun. First, take a mental illness, then make it not only NOT a mental illness but make it illegal to even disagree with any patient displaying the mental illness (and...if that is a type of "body dysmorphia" why is it treated so differently than, oh, anorexia or Bodily Integrity Identity Disorder? That's the one where people with perfectly functioning limbs want them amputated? I don't see that going on...oh yeah, neither anorexics nor those with BIID can become lifelong patients! Oh ok). But...the hospitals doing this are now the "useful idiots" because here comes the Tsunami of lawsuits which will crumble the private medical industry here in the U.S. and in comes the gubment to the "rescue"...I hope nobody is studying to become a doctor because...you will be a government employee once they rescue the industry and take it over wholesale! I mean...the military is the current leading money laundering operation but medicine WILL compete!

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”​

- Isaac Asimov

A perfect example of this observation in this post.

 

[Chernosoth]

When the nation was wealthier, the divisions were mostly bridged with wealth. Anyone who objected too much didn't get a seat on the gravy train. The threat of being labelled a Commie was enough to instantly end objections for a while. Now the nation is not that wealthy. Bribing and threatening entire demographics into compliance doesn't work anymore. We have more fighting for gravy. The two basic camps are the haves and have nots. The haves try to BS the have nots with the great economy, learn to code, etc. And now there's the internet, so people can circle jerk all day in their own beliefs instead of meeting people in their communities and have their beliefs challenged.

 

[Rick345]

The two basic camps are the haves and have nots.

There have been haves and have nots forever, and the have have always ruled while the have nots have always been in bondage to the haves..

And now there's the internet, so people can circle jerk all day in their own beliefs instead of meeting people in their communities and have their beliefs challenged.

That is one of the keys.. Prior to 1985 or so only the rich and/or powerful could have their voices heard. Nowadays everyone is a Guttenberg but it does lead to tribalism.. Yes before the '80's everyone consumed the same news. So everyone had the same level awareness of social issues more or less. Another thing no one has directly mentioned (you did very indirectly) is everyone was united against the USSR, with very few exceptions.

So both the democrats and republicans focused on how to stem the Communist threat. It was thought and taught the communists were united against the west and they were anything but.. Sure they probably didn't like the west but they were far from united.

One of my theories is when Russia fell American politicians realized they needed another enemy to keep their parties congealed/united or they would actually have to do the hard work or governance.. So libtards and neocons were invented otherwise they'd actually do a days work and that would kill'm.

 

[ll74]

The internet + echo chambers.

Stupid people were basically ignored before the Internet.And stupid people hang out on the extremes.

For every extreme,. There are some supporters along the middle.... Eventually pulling them towards the ends.

I enjoy being moderate.

 

[ll74]

I actually think ranked choice voting would help.

I like the coalition governments where multiple parties exist in smaller numbers and join up.

 

[Rick345]

The internet + echo chambers.

Stupid people were basically ignored before the Internet.And stupid people hang out on the extremes.

For every extreme,. There are some supporters along the middle.... Eventually pulling them towards the ends.

I enjoy being moderate.

I'm going to comment on your post in more detail later at the moment I'd like you to clarify/elaborate on something.

For every extreme,. There are some supporters along the middle....

Understand that part

Eventually pulling them towards the ends.

However, this I'm a little iffy on... Could you elaborate?

 

[ll74]

I'm going to comment on your post in more detail later at the moment I'd like you to clarify/elaborate on something.

My basic point is that conspiracy theorists and histrionic people tended to be left out of the conversation because of their non reasoning views. They weren't given a seat at the table and definitely did not get equal airtime for their views. That would actually force these types of people to be less confident in their views ... Less likely to dig deeper in and expand on their unreasonable exaggerations.

With friends who feed off each other, those views are enhanced, increased and emboldened.

And because of the internet, the entire concept is that everyone is allowed to be heard. Makes you feel like your views have value and are valid. When I was a kid, without the internet, people who said stupid things were ignored and mocked..... Nobody was there to hold them and tell them they weren't stupid except for their parents.

Understand that part

However, this I'm a little iffy on... Could you elaborate?

Yep, when you identify with someone even a little bit, you're more likely to want to find more things to identify with. That interaction tends to tug each of you towards each other. If politics is the discussion, a moderate would likely move towards the sides and the extreme person would likely move towards the middle. Not inevitable, but more likely.

 

[Rick345]

I actually think ranked choice voting would help.

I have a little different take but I think we are coming from the same place. A lot of the contention is that people feel they are not being heard that their vote doesn't count.. My solution to that is proportional voting like they do in Nebraska and Maine. In my state in 2024 Democrats should just stay home their vote doesn't count with winner take all. California is a better example there are more republicans in Cali than maybe any other state, but in 2024 because of winner take all they will be ignored.

The other thing I'd do is go back to 1788 were everyone ran as president and 1st place was the pres and 2nd place becomes the VP. So in 2016 Trump would have been president and Hillary the VP.. You could sell tickets to that.. But seriously it would help keep both grounded..