how has america become so ideologically polarized?

[shart_attack]

Though I grew up in a quaint, idyllic 80s American town, I was not the least bit uninformed about new social dilemmas like the introduction of crack cocaine and the AIDS epidemic into the American metropoli.

Political correctness was slowly being introduced in the once-hallowed halls of academia, but—likely thanks in large part to the threat of the Cold War Doomsday Clock—it wasn't the nemesis which many proclaim it to be now.

In the 11th-hour-of-the-first-Cold-War America in which I was raised, the boisterously salient opinions of the ideological extremes of today did not exist.

It seemed that, despite our differences, we always found ways to work together back then.

What has changed?

Were our leaders simply better at reaching compromises, or was the picture somehow more complicated even then, just as it is today?

Please rank the poll options from what are in your view the most destructive to the least in terms of contributing to the marginalization of the average American of today.

What is causing America to implode?

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Though I grew up in a quaint, idyllic 80s American town, I was not the least bit uninformed about new social dilemmas like the introduction of crack cocaine and the AIDS epidemic into the American metropoli.

Political correctness was slowly being introduced in the once-hallowed halls of academia, but—likely thanks in large part to the threat of the Cold War Doomsday Clock—it wasn't the nemesis which many proclaim it to be now.

In the 11th-hour-of-the-first-Cold-War America in which I was raised, the boisterously salient opinions of the ideological extremes of today did not exist.

It seemed that, despite our differences, we always found ways to work together back then.

What has changed?

Were our leaders simply better at reaching compromises, or was the picture somehow more complicated even then, just as it is today?

Please rank the poll options from what are in your view the most destructive to the least in terms of contributing to the marginalization of the average American of today.

What is causing America to implode?

You are viewing the past through rose-colored glasses.

The "ideological divide" right now is not a new thing. The only difference is that the internet has made the loonies on either side louder.

 

[Sherry]

The internet and 24 hour cable news cycle.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

The internet and 24 hour cable news cycle.

That too.

 

[shart_attack]

The internet and 24 hour cable news cycle.

Good work!

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Though I grew up in a quaint, idyllic 80s American town, I was not the least bit uninformed about new social dilemmas like the introduction of crack cocaine and the AIDS epidemic into the American metropoli.

Political correctness was slowly being introduced in the once-hallowed halls of academia, but—likely thanks in large part to the threat of the Cold War Doomsday Clock—it wasn't the nemesis which many proclaim it to be now.

In the 11th-hour-of-the-first-Cold-War America in which I was raised, the boisterously salient opinions of the ideological extremes of today did not exist.

It seemed that, despite our differences, we always found ways to work together back then.

What has changed?

Were our leaders simply better at reaching compromises, or was the picture somehow more complicated even then, just as it is today?

Please rank the poll options from what are in your view the most destructive to the least in terms of contributing to the marginalization of the average American of today.

What is causing America to implode?

You are viewing the past through rose-colored glasses.

The "ideological divide" right now is not a new thing. The only difference is that the internet has made the loonies on either side louder.

Indeed, the internet is responsible for many of the loonies themselves.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Though I grew up in a quaint, idyllic 80s American town, I was not the least bit uninformed about new social dilemmas like the introduction of crack cocaine and the AIDS epidemic into the American metropoli.

Political correctness was slowly being introduced in the once-hallowed halls of academia, but—likely thanks in large part to the threat of the Cold War Doomsday Clock—it wasn't the nemesis which many proclaim it to be now.

In the 11th-hour-of-the-first-Cold-War America in which I was raised, the boisterously salient opinions of the ideological extremes of today did not exist.

It seemed that, despite our differences, we always found ways to work together back then.

What has changed?

Were our leaders simply better at reaching compromises, or was the picture somehow more complicated even then, just as it is today?

Please rank the poll options from what are in your view the most destructive to the least in terms of contributing to the marginalization of the average American of today.

What is causing America to implode?

You are viewing the past through rose-colored glasses.

The "ideological divide" right now is not a new thing. The only difference is that the internet has made the loonies on either side louder.

Indeed, the internet is responsible for many of the loonies themselves.

No, the crazies are just crazies to begin with. The Internet just connects them.

 

[westwall]

Indeed. As the Doctor said, it is nothing new. Take a look at the pamphlets that were published in the late 1700's and early 1800's...they were terrible and duels were fought because of some of them.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Indeed. As the Doctor said, it is nothing new. Take a look at the pamphlets that were published in the late 1700's and early 1800's...they were terrible and duels were fought because of some of them.

Exactly. We may have a lot of bluster from both sides now, but it's been awhile since the last fistfight on the floor of Congress.

 

[westwall]

Indeed. As the Doctor said, it is nothing new. Take a look at the pamphlets that were published in the late 1700's and early 1800's...they were terrible and duels were fought because of some of them.

Exactly. We may have a lot of bluster from both sides now, but it's been awhile since the last fistfight on the floor of Congress.

Or pistol shot for that matter! Thankfully!

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Indeed. As the Doctor said, it is nothing new. Take a look at the pamphlets that were published in the late 1700's and early 1800's...they were terrible and duels were fought because of some of them.

Exactly. We may have a lot of bluster from both sides now, but it's been awhile since the last fistfight on the floor of Congress.

At least they don't beat each other with canes anymore.

Canefight! Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner [ushistory.org]

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Indeed. As the Doctor said, it is nothing new. Take a look at the pamphlets that were published in the late 1700's and early 1800's...they were terrible and duels were fought because of some of them.

Exactly. We may have a lot of bluster from both sides now, but it's been awhile since the last fistfight on the floor of Congress.

At least they don't beat each other with canes anymore.

Canefight! Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner [ushistory.org]

That's exactly the event I was thinking of. Sumner was beaten almost to death.

 

[shart_attack]

Though I grew up in a quaint, idyllic 80s American town, I was not the least bit uninformed about new social dilemmas like the introduction of crack cocaine and the AIDS epidemic into the American metropoli.

Political correctness was slowly being introduced in the once-hallowed halls of academia, but—likely thanks in large part to the threat of the Cold War Doomsday Clock—it wasn't the nemesis which many proclaim it to be now.

In the 11th-hour-of-the-first-Cold-War America in which I was raised, the boisterously salient opinions of the ideological extremes of today did not exist.

It seemed that, despite our differences, we always found ways to work together back then.

What has changed?

Were our leaders simply better at reaching compromises, or was the picture somehow more complicated even then, just as it is today?

Please rank the poll options from what are in your view the most destructive to the least in terms of contributing to the marginalization of the average American of today.

What is causing America to implode?

You are viewing the past through rose-colored glasses.

The "ideological divide" right now is not a new thing. The only difference is that the internet has made the loonies on either side louder.

I kinda lean toward making the Internet my answer to the poll, too, yeah. But the fact that I also love the First Amendment gives me a genuine dilemma in making that my answer.

At any rate, I don't think the single biggest antagonizer, the biggest catalyst toward imploding America can be religion, as we have always (supposedly) had freedom of worship since this great republic's inception.

It can't IMHO be special interest groups, as also per the First Amendment, we've always had those.

The Prison-Industrial Complex has sadly essentially always been a part of America, as it was simply called slavery in our republic's earliest days.

We have not, however, had these problems throughout our country's history:

A.) The Military-Industrial Complex. We Americans haven't always gone to war to proliferate the interests of military contractors at the expense of the poor under the guise of patriotism, or merely because we simply wanted to go to war.

B.) Overreaching big government. I'm pretty sure that Andrew Jackson wouldn't have been especially partial toward the contemporary definition of the concept.

C.) Climate change, and restrictions on commerce because of it. A problem that is for better or worse still in its infancy stage as we speak.

D.) Money from hostile foreign interests/ multinational corporations that is having too great an influence on all sorts of American policies. Our Founding Fathers would've nipped that problem in the bud really quickly, had it ever presented itself to the extent that it has today — which brings us to ...

E.) Economic disparity and the end of the middle class. The evils of slavery notwithstanding, there was actually a time when we didn't have the equivalent of a caste system in America. Upward social mobility actually used to be possible here.

F.) Political correctness/ First Amendment restrictions. Hard to imagine someone's ever having told President George Washington that he couldn't utter a racial or ethnic or gender or religious or sexual orientation slur, isn't it? And that's a problem.

G.) Advocacy journalism. Though I don't myself necessarily believe in the concept of an "objective media" in the purest sense of the word, there have been times in our precious country's history when The Fourth Estate actually made a point of taking our government to task for its missteps, on whatever avenues those missteps may have presented themselves. Not today.

H.) The Sports-Industrial Complex. Some American kids no longer dream of raising their class status by way of actually getting an education. Why should they, when they can make umpteen trillion by simply being professional athletes? That makes the Sports-Industrial Complex a genuine contemporary American dilemma.

I.) The American Idol-Industrial Complex and the obsession with fame over an education and/ or pioneering industrialism and/ or philanthropy. See letter "H" above. And that brings us to the next problem, which in my view is also a factor in the obsession with becoming famous — not necessarily better Americans.

J.) The Internet/ 24-hour news cycle. A contemporary antagonist of social cleavages in America which can be exacerbated by interference from hostile foreign interests which hasn't been a problem for the entirety of our republic's history.​

Heck, I may just go with wild dogs or Miley Cyrus, if for nothing save the sheer thrill of it all.

 

[Sherry]

Though I grew up in a quaint, idyllic 80s American town, I was not the least bit uninformed about new social dilemmas like the introduction of crack cocaine and the AIDS epidemic into the American metropoli.

Political correctness was slowly being introduced in the once-hallowed halls of academia, but—likely thanks in large part to the threat of the Cold War Doomsday Clock—it wasn't the nemesis which many proclaim it to be now.

In the 11th-hour-of-the-first-Cold-War America in which I was raised, the boisterously salient opinions of the ideological extremes of today did not exist.

It seemed that, despite our differences, we always found ways to work together back then.

What has changed?

Were our leaders simply better at reaching compromises, or was the picture somehow more complicated even then, just as it is today?

Please rank the poll options from what are in your view the most destructive to the least in terms of contributing to the marginalization of the average American of today.

What is causing America to implode?

You are viewing the past through rose-colored glasses.

The "ideological divide" right now is not a new thing. The only difference is that the internet has made the loonies on either side louder.

I kinda lean toward making the Internet my answer to the poll, too, yeah. But the fact that I also love the First Amendment gives me a genuine dilemma in making that my answer.

At any rate, I don't think the single biggest antagonizer, the biggest catalyst toward imploding America can be religion, as we have always (supposedly) had freedom of worship since this great republic's inception.

It can't IMHO be special interest groups, as also per the First Amendment, we've always had those.

The Prison-Industrial Complex has sadly essentially always been a part of America, as it was simply called slavery in our republic's earliest days.

We have not, however, had these problems throughout our country's history:

A.) The Military-Industrial Complex. We Americans haven't always gone to war to proliferate the interests of military contractors at the expense of the poor under the guise of patriotism, or merely because we simply wanted to go to war.

B.) Overreaching big government. I'm pretty sure that Andrew Jackson wouldn't have been especially partial toward the contemporary definition of the concept.

C.) Climate change, and restrictions on commerce because of it. A problem that is for better or worse still in its infancy stage as we speak.

D.) Money from hostile foreign interests/ multinational corporations that is having too great an influence on all sorts of American policies. Our Founding Fathers would've nipped that problem in the bud really quickly, had it ever presented itself to the extent that it has today — which brings us to ...

E.) Economic disparity and the end of the middle class. The evils of slavery notwithstanding, there was actually a time when we didn't have the equivalent of a caste system in America. Upward social mobility actually used to be possible here.

F.) Political correctness/ First Amendment restrictions. Hard to imagine someone's ever having told President George Washington that he couldn't utter a racial or ethnic or gender or religious or sexual orientation slur, isn't it? And that's a problem.

G.) Advocacy journalism. Though I don't myself necessarily believe in the concept of an "objective media" in the purest sense of the word, there have been times in our precious country's history when The Fourth Estate actually made a point of taking our government to task for its missteps, on whatever avenues those missteps may have presented themselves. Not today.

H.) The Sports-Industrial Complex. Some American kids no longer dream of raising their class status by way of actually getting an education. Why should they, when they can make umpteen trillion by simply being professional athletes? That makes the Sports-Industrial Complex a genuine contemporary American dilemma.

I.) The American Idol-Industrial Complex and the obsession with fame over an education and/ or pioneering industrialism and/ or philanthropy. See letter "H" above. And that brings us to the next problem, which in my view is also a factor in the obsession with becoming famous — not necessarily better Americans.

J.) The Internet/ 24-hour news cycle. A contemporary antagonist of social cleavages in America which can be exacerbated by interference from hostile foreign interests which hasn't been a problem for the entirety of our republic's history.​

Heck, I may just go with wild dogs or Miley Cyrus, if for nothing save the sheer thrill of it all.

I definitely agree with advocacy journalism. Back in the 80's, people who were really informed on politics knew that there was always a leftist slant, but at least they attempted to conceal it from the average viewer/reader. Now there is no shame in the MSM to openly pushing an agenda, which has made people very distrustful towards those who they used to depend on to keep them informed.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The most recent problems are a President that wastes no effort attacking his political opponents with hateful derogatory language and encourages his allies in Congress to do the same. The last President we had that spent so much time vilifying his opponents was Nixon. And like Nixon Obama uses the Government agencies to carry out political attacks.

It helps that 90 percent of the news organizations have spent the last 6 years fluffing Obama rather then reporting the news and vetting him.

 

[sameech]

Though I grew up in a quaint, idyllic 80s American town, I was not the least bit uninformed about new social dilemmas like the introduction of crack cocaine and the AIDS epidemic into the American metropoli.

Political correctness was slowly being introduced in the once-hallowed halls of academia, but—likely thanks in large part to the threat of the Cold War Doomsday Clock—it wasn't the nemesis which many proclaim it to be now.

In the 11th-hour-of-the-first-Cold-War America in which I was raised, the boisterously salient opinions of the ideological extremes of today did not exist.

It seemed that, despite our differences, we always found ways to work together back then.

What has changed?

Were our leaders simply better at reaching compromises, or was the picture somehow more complicated even then, just as it is today?

Please rank the poll options from what are in your view the most destructive to the least in terms of contributing to the marginalization of the average American of today.

What is causing America to implode?

The short answer is that we are in continuous campaign mode now, and polarization is good for fundraising which is the lifeblood of campaigns. Thanks to the brilliance of the Citizens United ruling, it is just going to get worse. If you want to stop it, then people are going to have to push back against campaign messages on both sides and try to be reasoned moderates in spite of the rhetoric, looking for a middle ground.

 

[shart_attack]

Though I grew up in a quaint, idyllic 80s American town, I was not the least bit uninformed about new social dilemmas like the introduction of crack cocaine and the AIDS epidemic into the American metropoli.

Political correctness was slowly being introduced in the once-hallowed halls of academia, but—likely thanks in large part to the threat of the Cold War Doomsday Clock—it wasn't the nemesis which many proclaim it to be now.

In the 11th-hour-of-the-first-Cold-War America in which I was raised, the boisterously salient opinions of the ideological extremes of today did not exist.

It seemed that, despite our differences, we always found ways to work together back then.

What has changed?

Were our leaders simply better at reaching compromises, or was the picture somehow more complicated even then, just as it is today?

Please rank the poll options from what are in your view the most destructive to the least in terms of contributing to the marginalization of the average American of today.

What is causing America to implode?

The short answer is that we are in continuous campaign mode now, and polarization is good for fundraising which is the lifeblood of campaigns. Thanks to the brilliance of the Citizens United ruling, it is just going to get worse. If you want to stop it, then people are going to have to push back against campaign messages on both sides and try to be reasoned moderates in spite of the rhetoric, looking for a middle ground.

I'm not even sure that's possible any longer, given how tacitly uninformed advocacy journalism and single-issue driven speech—i.e. abortion, gun control, all things gay, etc.—has made us.

Just because we have more options from which to choose with regard to the many avenues we can take to get our news today doesn't mean we know more than we did yesterday.

 

[Bush92]

You left out "liberal bias" in the media. What the ****is the "prison-industrial' complex? I got a solution to mass incarceration of common criminals...more death penalty.

 

[shart_attack]

You left out "liberal bias" in the media.

No, I didn't. The "advocacy journalism" option covers that very thing.

What the ****is the "prison-industrial' complex? I got a solution to mass incarceration of common criminals...more death penalty.

The Cliff's Notes version for you:

Prison?industrial complex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I covered this in one of my posts on the first page of this thread already, but basically the prison-industrial complex says that in the US—the most incarcerated country in the whole of the world, ironically enough—the penal system has become industrialized, so to speak, because of things like the Drug War and "three strikes laws" which have effectively incarcerated the poorest Americans at a rate disproportionate to their place in the population. This is a point of view very well illustrated in the American private prison paradigm.

And greater, more broad use of the death penalty would:

1.) only address—not solve, necessarily—the perceived problems with convicts' manipulating the judiciary (with use of the word "perceived" to illustrate that convicts' manipulating the system depends on one's point of view); and

2.) not address cases in which Americans have been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death because of fraudulent evidence gathered by law enforcement agencies.​

No, greater usage of the death penalty is not necessarily the answer. And the decline in its usage is not the reason we are so polarized today.

 

[sameech]

I'm not even sure that's possible any longer, given how tacitly uninformed advocacy journalism and single-issue driven speech—i.e. abortion, gun control, all things gay, etc.—has made us.

Just because we have more options from which to choose with regard to the many avenues we can take to get our news today doesn't mean we know more than we did yesterday.

People are increasingly incapable of processing the information they have available to them, so they are more apt to just go with whatever bias confirming version of truth they happen upon instead of critically thinking about the merits of policies/positions IMO. It is not impossible, but it is certainly improbable.