I think you hit the nail on the head and the Republican Party has been pushing that narrative of fear since forever and that idea has stuck in the minds of small minded people. They are now scared out of their minds that those “ others” are stealing their way of life and there is nothing you can say that will sway them. We can thank the cowardly Senators and Congressmen in the Republican Party for dividing this country and placing tRump on his idolatrous golden throne. If something isn’t done, they will surely destroy this great American Experiment.
David you neglected to include a very important theme in your analysis of the divide in America: FEAR. Your framing of the divide with fear or worse , fear mongering. Threat is always perceived through fear . And Trump and Maga are in the fear mongering business. Seen more openly we can deal with now rather than rushing to cancel future possibilities. Because seen through fear what are only possibilities seem imminent or inevitable. But the reframing of the divide cannot be done without love and patience and support and respect. In today’s culture of nastiness and ill will it seems almost impossible. All the best!
If God wanted one race on earth, he would have never made different nationalities. We all are suppose to love everyone, regardless of there creed, color, nationalities, preference, etc. Christians are to hate only their sin and pray for others, not judge and be mean to others. God & The Father are true judges. Did you all know there is a satanic bible? A lot of Hypocrites whom claim to be Christians, must use it, because they are evil and have no compassion toward others. No one is better than anyone else.
I believe in Jesus and always have. The Bible is a sure word of prophecy. Read it for yourself. KJV ...Most folks do not read the Bible, they believe what people say, even so called pastors. They must be fact checked as well. Read the Bible and ask for wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Then God will help you will understand what is going on in the world.
Maga does not get the real facts, they believe false news they hear. Never be like them.
I invite you to my church The Isreal of God on YTube. Salvation is for everyone!
If you want to talk rude and ugly, keep your comment to yourself. I have not time for it. I will have you blocked.
God has nothing to do with politics...We are to use wisdom when voting. A few things we may not like from anyone running for office, however; not follow someone with Djudas character. He & maga are not of Christ.
i really do believe it comes down to differences in cognitive phenotype, or temperament: people are inclined to pay more attention to one or the other as an evolutionary strategy.
we've evolved to live in tribes and ingroup-outgroup dynamics vs cohesion seeking drive were both highly useful for survival.
this divide does not seem to be easy to bridge in mass societies, however
. education might not prove to be the silver bullet to solve it all, if the divide really stems from phenotypal differences. further polarization doesn't seem to make things better, either.
what might ultimately work then remains an open question
Well said David. I had a conversation with an old friend and she offered that if we were dogs as a group, people in China would be squirrels… I’ve pondered that so often and keep thinking- we’re all dogs- just different breeds of dog! I can’t believe she actually sees some groups as another species. But her actions follow that rationale. That’s the fear. :(
When looked at in this context the divisions make total sense. Why same has grown deeper however is the result of propaganda and hatred being spewed by extremists who benefit from this divide.
If only it was so simple, David. There really are mouthpieces of Project 2025 making every effort to convince our citizens that they are under threat, whether it is wearing masks or making sure division is sown on other issues. Check the monologues of people like CK
and others on both sides and compare the language and catch phrases. They are being scripted by our old friends at the Heritage Foundation (some say they are puppets of other organizations and governments as well) Your ear will catch the nuance, reminiscent of propaganda from other ages. AI should be able to nail down an exact comparison, even determine the origins. Do not become a willing amplifier. Keep thinking and writing with your excellent brain. We are desperately relying on those of you who can analyze and synthesize data, connecting the dots.
Et obsviously que l'appartenance est le progrès, le changement... Rien n'est immuable . . Même dans la vie de tous les jours nous devrions appliquer la roue de Deming... Plan Do Check Act ...
America's divisions can be partly explained by סִנְאַת חִנָּם (baseless hatred) promoted by the likes of Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and the like.
David, sir, as a political activist in the LGBTQ+ circle of influence (and concern), this really encapsulates what most of us who're focused on our one piece of change fail to realize about the deeper undercurrent of the nation's divide. In our tunnel vision, of course working towards what we see as right and just (equal rights under the law in my case), we do see the racial, class, religious, and geographical divide but through a filter of our respective main goals of change. Belonging and inclusivity are indeed fundamental and foundational values for agents of change and we extend that in focus on intersectionality within our main actions towards that change. The difficulty in what we do, and this supports what you've proposed, is even with these robust training methods inside of our circles of influence, we either (or both) can't manage a successful bridge over the fracture or recognize that there is no purpose in even trying, realizing that meeting halfway is an impossibility (a judgement of sorts) electing to stack smaller wins along the way wherever they can be gained. We are lost in incremental wins and have no plan to tackle this much larger belonging vs threat divide, at least without a coalition, a bid one. In a divide of belonging vs threat, and some would say that the message on the other side (threat) is being actively and effectively also portrayed as belonging in and of itself. How does knowing this, seeing this, provide for any functional step toward either coexistence or resolution or commonality in the gray between. Like, if this is truly the case, where do we (agents of change and belonging) go from here? -Andy II
I think you hit the nail on the head and the Republican Party has been pushing that narrative of fear since forever and that idea has stuck in the minds of small minded people. They are now scared out of their minds that those “ others” are stealing their way of life and there is nothing you can say that will sway them. We can thank the cowardly Senators and Congressmen in the Republican Party for dividing this country and placing tRump on his idolatrous golden throne. If something isn’t done, they will surely destroy this great American Experiment.
Hit the nail on the. Head..
Coming across this after this popped up as a notification coincidentally and this is true.
David you neglected to include a very important theme in your analysis of the divide in America: FEAR. Your framing of the divide with fear or worse , fear mongering. Threat is always perceived through fear . And Trump and Maga are in the fear mongering business. Seen more openly we can deal with now rather than rushing to cancel future possibilities. Because seen through fear what are only possibilities seem imminent or inevitable. But the reframing of the divide cannot be done without love and patience and support and respect. In today’s culture of nastiness and ill will it seems almost impossible. All the best!
you are right, now there is also fear unfortunately! Gioia From France
If God wanted one race on earth, he would have never made different nationalities. We all are suppose to love everyone, regardless of there creed, color, nationalities, preference, etc. Christians are to hate only their sin and pray for others, not judge and be mean to others. God & The Father are true judges. Did you all know there is a satanic bible? A lot of Hypocrites whom claim to be Christians, must use it, because they are evil and have no compassion toward others. No one is better than anyone else.
If God really existed you be in this mess..
I believe in Jesus and always have. The Bible is a sure word of prophecy. Read it for yourself. KJV ...Most folks do not read the Bible, they believe what people say, even so called pastors. They must be fact checked as well. Read the Bible and ask for wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Then God will help you will understand what is going on in the world.
Maga does not get the real facts, they believe false news they hear. Never be like them.
I invite you to my church The Isreal of God on YTube. Salvation is for everyone!
If you want to talk rude and ugly, keep your comment to yourself. I have not time for it. I will have you blocked.
God has nothing to do with politics...We are to use wisdom when voting. A few things we may not like from anyone running for office, however; not follow someone with Djudas character. He & maga are not of Christ.
i really do believe it comes down to differences in cognitive phenotype, or temperament: people are inclined to pay more attention to one or the other as an evolutionary strategy.
we've evolved to live in tribes and ingroup-outgroup dynamics vs cohesion seeking drive were both highly useful for survival.
this divide does not seem to be easy to bridge in mass societies, however
. education might not prove to be the silver bullet to solve it all, if the divide really stems from phenotypal differences. further polarization doesn't seem to make things better, either.
what might ultimately work then remains an open question
What on earth are you talking about?.
fair enough.. but i really can't be bothered to put the thought in more detail in a substack comment. Thank You For Your Attention To This Matter!
Brilliant analysis!
Well said David. I had a conversation with an old friend and she offered that if we were dogs as a group, people in China would be squirrels… I’ve pondered that so often and keep thinking- we’re all dogs- just different breeds of dog! I can’t believe she actually sees some groups as another species. But her actions follow that rationale. That’s the fear. :(
When looked at in this context the divisions make total sense. Why same has grown deeper however is the result of propaganda and hatred being spewed by extremists who benefit from this divide.
If only it was so simple, David. There really are mouthpieces of Project 2025 making every effort to convince our citizens that they are under threat, whether it is wearing masks or making sure division is sown on other issues. Check the monologues of people like CK
and others on both sides and compare the language and catch phrases. They are being scripted by our old friends at the Heritage Foundation (some say they are puppets of other organizations and governments as well) Your ear will catch the nuance, reminiscent of propaganda from other ages. AI should be able to nail down an exact comparison, even determine the origins. Do not become a willing amplifier. Keep thinking and writing with your excellent brain. We are desperately relying on those of you who can analyze and synthesize data, connecting the dots.
Complètement d'accord
Analyse fine et juste
Et obsviously que l'appartenance est le progrès, le changement... Rien n'est immuable . . Même dans la vie de tous les jours nous devrions appliquer la roue de Deming... Plan Do Check Act ...
Merci et bonne continuation David
Gioia From France
Belonging vs threat makes complete sense to me. Thanks David.
Interesting. I believe Heather Cox Richardson traces this divide back to at least the Reconstruction period after the Civil War.
America's divisions can be partly explained by סִנְאַת חִנָּם (baseless hatred) promoted by the likes of Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and the like.
David, sir, as a political activist in the LGBTQ+ circle of influence (and concern), this really encapsulates what most of us who're focused on our one piece of change fail to realize about the deeper undercurrent of the nation's divide. In our tunnel vision, of course working towards what we see as right and just (equal rights under the law in my case), we do see the racial, class, religious, and geographical divide but through a filter of our respective main goals of change. Belonging and inclusivity are indeed fundamental and foundational values for agents of change and we extend that in focus on intersectionality within our main actions towards that change. The difficulty in what we do, and this supports what you've proposed, is even with these robust training methods inside of our circles of influence, we either (or both) can't manage a successful bridge over the fracture or recognize that there is no purpose in even trying, realizing that meeting halfway is an impossibility (a judgement of sorts) electing to stack smaller wins along the way wherever they can be gained. We are lost in incremental wins and have no plan to tackle this much larger belonging vs threat divide, at least without a coalition, a bid one. In a divide of belonging vs threat, and some would say that the message on the other side (threat) is being actively and effectively also portrayed as belonging in and of itself. How does knowing this, seeing this, provide for any functional step toward either coexistence or resolution or commonality in the gray between. Like, if this is truly the case, where do we (agents of change and belonging) go from here? -Andy II
I think a better word for threat is fear.