How deeply divided, by hatred, is America?

Question

Is the U.S. a powder-keg ready to destroy itself?

Isn't it already destroying itself?

Woking stiff, I'd like to believe that, but I know that there are a lot of Americans doing their best to maintain conditions that will kill off the poor. Is that isn't "push comes to shove", I don't know what is.

Littlehorse... I'd like to respond but your email isn't active. ...Naturally.

Patois... :)

Answer 1

I think the nation isn't really that angry and polarized, as what you see on network news, or shows like CROSSFIRE or HANNITY & COLMES.

I think a lot of the perception of polarization in our country is manufactured by the news media. And it's all about ratings. So instead of picking a civil Republican and a civil Democrat to have a nice civil panel discussion, they instead look for two extreme partisans, and throw them together for the best ratings-driven cat-fight they can provide.

When they show protestors, of anything, they sift the crowd and look for the angriest most dramatic ones they can find. It's just good TV. And bad for the nation.

I do see that over time things have gotten increasingly less civil. Because it takes increasingly more noise and uncivility to get noticed.
And so it descends...

The problem is not anger or violence, but just completely different beliefs among multiple subcultures in America.
White conservatives get their news from one set of news sources.
White liberals get their news from another set.
And hispanics.
And blacks.
And native Americans.
And asians.
And Indians.
And arabs.

And we have all these separate subculture worlds in the same country going on every day, independently, but right next to each other.

My concern is not anger or violence, but that at some point we'll just cease to have any common ground, beliefs or language, and become a 50-state tower of Babel.

Answer 2

I had never really noticed so much hatred until I had started coming on here. I had before argued with friends of the other party and we would make jokes about each others politics but that was only as far as it would go. Than I came on here hoping to have more intelligent discussions, but I see both sides making irrelevant rude statements towards the other. In fact you even see it when something tragic has happened, like the bridge collapse. People come on here and make a pass towards Democrats. It almost makes me feel like people don't have as much heart as I once thought they did. I do believe that the only thing that can destroy America is Americans.

Answer 3

America is a truly unique entity. We can argue and fight endlessley about race, sex, sexual orientation, abortion rights, right to die rights, etc. One thing that truly amazes me though is how all of these self serving interests can come together when the nation is threatend. I should know, I have served in the military over 20 years. I have watched people of vastly different cultures and opinions come together for the common good. Come on America Wake Up!! There is no better more satisfying calling an American can choose than to be a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine. No I am not a recruiter. But I wish I was one.

Answer 4

no, i believe its much more all encompassing than that. America is already deeply divided. NOT because of people thinking for themselves, but by having other people, the "politicians" thinking for them.

It even goes further than just our own county, the united states of america. Its a fact of life wherever you are.

The best statement i can say to relate to anything would be the phrase "Having the wool pulled over thier eyes". People just dont care, and that phrase perfectly states that. Why should people care when they dont have to make the decisions?
We are just getting fat off of the political propaganda we are hand-fed every wakeing moment, and every moment we are alive. Rightist? Leftist? Moderate? Everything we see, read, and hear is just propaganda calling out for us to obey it, to become like another sheep in a herd, to think what The media wants us to think. In fact, We shouldnt be called "people, but "sheeple" instead. We need to break away from the crowd and learn to think for ourselves, and reject the propaganda everyone else is hand fed on a daily basis.

Humanity itself is like a stagnant pond, the problems just sit there and stew, creating even larger problems. This is a perfect description of EVERY form of government out there.
The politicians dont care how the people feel, They only care about what people think of them on election day. They can feed you their lies about how they will fix stuff like the educational system, Just so you vote for them, and if they win an election and get put into office, they ignore the real problems, and those problems will just get bigger and bigger, causing more and more problems, corrupting the governmental systems to the core.

What really should be asked is if people can truly think for themselves? that is there really such a thing as free will? Are we really just a group of beings just running around like crazed fools?

Answer 5

I think this, A LOT of the division is really just ignorance, I have a friend of mine with whom we have - let's just say a large number of differences of opinion regarding our stance on various matters.

I have found that when one or both of us chooses to educate ourselves on a particular matter we find that we come much closer to agreement.

There are issues with which we fundamentally differ, however, I think the whole red-state/blue-state think is exactly what was intended, entertainment and distraction cooked up, to enhance the drama of our political conditions. Give it a few years and that perception could become reality, where blue states, have all the environmental regulations and green power and biotech firms and red-states will have the military bases and more entrenched class-related economic problems.

However, I think the proof of the pudding. When you don't ask political affiliation but ask for people to explain their viewpoints without mentioning party or such and you get VERY similar answers.

Answer 6

Is it economic or is it the American way. I think people that vote can't understand their fate or the economy. Take a ride on my head. Push that little baby. It is a big powder keg and every recession it gets worse. The questions are a reality.

Answer 7

America has always been divided. The thing that keeps us together is the Constitution and the rule of law.

I have no idea what you mean by killing off the poor. I was talking to a gentleman from the Philippines. He said the "poor" here are like the middle class there. They get free health care. Free food, free housing. That's a helluva way to die.

Answer 8

bush/cheney have caused a great deal of damage to the USA, but the public is finally wised up to their simplistic view of the world. I trust most have now learned when we go to war it should be all out fromthe git go. A lesson that the two morons should have learned from 'Nam. It would also be nice if we had a justifiable reason to go to war in the first place, another lesson the 2 morons should have learned from 'Nam. We'll be fine if we get some leaders with both brains and guts.

Answer 9

diversity... been around since the beginning of the country. It's what makes us strong. Differences??? yes but when push come to shove Americans run to protect their own. divided??? not as much as the main stream media want you to believe.

have to respectfully disagree with your additional comment...
While the rich keep getting richer, the social economically challenged, have a surplus of avenues too success. Not an easy road by any means. but do-able....very do-able.

Answer 10

Not really, there's a lot of division, always has been. But I think a bunch of people complaining to each other on the internet, myself included, shouldn't be a basis for how Americans really feel. Most Americans just live day to day and hope for the best.