Is it possible to depolarize out politics?

[Rumpole]

Why do you indulge in nothing but polemics in a thread where you started off by asking if it is possible to depolarize?

If you want to know why it is impossible to depolarize, I would suggest you March into your bathroom, find the sink and look directly forward. You will find your answer by asking the fellow you see when you do so.

simple, after inquiring about the possibility, the overwhelming response is that it's not possible

so, it's not possible, and I act accordingly thereon.

In the meantime, you haven't done squat for that objective, either, so I sure as hell don't need the lofty perch treatment from the likes of you.

Cheers,
Rumpole.

 

[Mac1958]

On an individual, one on one personal basis, sure. On a wider scale, very difficult. We have media that literally brainwashes people with partisan spin. We have a system in which high-powered, heavily-financed special interest groups which have corrupted our political system -- legally and in plain view. And we have heavily gerrymandered districts such that one party in particular gets its base of support from a particular demographic.

The system is undemocratic and designed to be highly partisan. I don't see any way to undo that unless everyone agrees to certain ground rules and standards of fair play.

I'm glad that you bring up "the system", looking at things from a macro perspective, if only because that's how I naturally look at things as well. An individual politician is not the problem, an individual party is not the problem, and discussions on this topic almost always end up being a pissing match over this person or that person. Boring.

I'm seeing two significant problems here:

First, this continues to decay because our political/electoral system incentivizes and rewards the very worst behaviors of its participants. That's why I'm literally a one-issue voter now. The only party that is serious about changing that is the Forward Party, so I'm with them regardless of what they may say about any other issue. This is the top priority to me, and it's not particularly close. There is a list of changes we could make that would change incentives and behaviors fairly quickly.

Second, an even bigger possible problem is the fact that this polarization has now fully seeped into our very culture, the fundamental structure of our society. Our politics have now become a sociological crisis. It seems to me that once something becomes ingrained in a culture, it becomes far more difficult to eradicate, and that's my biggest concern. We just don't trust each other any more. Communication is broken. In any organization or group, once communication is truly gone, the clock starts ticking.

 

[multivita-man]

I'm seeing two significant problems here:

First, this continues to decay because our political/electoral system incentivizes and rewards the very worst behaviors of its participants. That's why I'm literally a one-issue voter now. The only party that is serious about changing that is the Forward Party, so I'm with them regardless of what they may say about any other issue. This is the top priority to me, and it's not particularly close. There is a list of changes we could make that would change incentives and behaviors fairly quickly.

I don't see how a third party of any kind succeeds in doing anything other than producing the opposite result of what they set out to achieve. Third parties are partly the reason why we ended up with George W Bush and Donald Trump as presidents. They could make Trump a 2nd term president if he can put off his criminal trials long enough.

Second, an even bigger possible problem is the fact that this polarization has now fully seeped into our very culture, the fundamental structure of our society. Our politics have now become a sociological crisis. It seems to me that once something becomes ingrained in a culture, it becomes far more difficult to eradicate, and that's my biggest concern. We just don't trust each other any more. Communication is broken. In any organization or group, once communication is truly gone, the clock starts ticking.

Indeed, our politics now have become our identities. There are political culture warriors and enforcers on both sides, unfortunately, but there's a difference. With the left, culture warriors fight over who's a good American and who's a bad one. Conservatives are fighting for what they see as a dying version of America. Both sides see the stakes as being pretty high.

 

[Mac1958]

I don't see how a third party of any kind succeeds in doing anything other than producing the opposite result of what they set out to achieve. Third parties are partly the reason why we ended up with George W Bush and Donald Trump as presidents. They could make Trump a 2nd term president if he can put off his criminal trials long enough.

I don't see the Forward Party running anyone in the 2024 presidential race. They're starting off locally -- which strikes me as pretty smart -- and right now they're more about fixing the system than they are about pushing a partisan agenda. For now, they're just trying to raise the conversation. Then we'll see what happens later, if anything.

Indeed, our politics now have become our identities. There are political culture warriors and enforcers on both sides, unfortunately, but there's a difference. With the left, culture warriors fight over who's a good American and who's a bad one. Conservatives are fighting for what they see as a dying version of America. Both sides see the stakes as being pretty high.

I agree, but I refer to the Left and the Right as the "ends", not the "sides". I think there's a pretty wide swath of Americans who lean in one direction or the other, but who would also much prefer to see the two ends get over themselves, communicate and collaborate. However, if you were to argue that this segment is shrinking, I'm afraid I'd have to agree.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

simple, after inquiring about the possibility, the overwhelming response is that it's not possible

so, it's not possible, and I act accordingly thereon.

In the meantime, you haven't done squat for that objective, either, so I sure as hell don't need the lofty perch treatment from the likes of you.

Cheers,
Rumpole.

Lofty perch?

You just don't like the fact that somebody knocks you off yours by calling bull shit on you.