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.
That is exactly what I say to people. God said love everyone he did not say everyone but gay people or everyone but Black people. They’re are no buts in the Commandment .. It doesn’t say everyone but…
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.
It is not God, Jesus, Bible that is the problem. It is the bastards telling us their interpretation. I get shivers when people pop off about God and Jesus as if they just had a direct email line to the almighty.
There is a place for religion, but not in the hands of politicians who are now using it for their sanctimonious actions. Posting the 10 commandments has got to be the ultimate insult as T has violated most of them. What is the point?
I take issue with David on the power of class and the rich. While the uber rich may be small in numbers, their power, combined with corporate power far outweighs the rest of us to counter them.
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
Being able to say what you mean clearly, quickly and to the point takes talent. I remember in English class teacher saying get to the point fast, then elaborate, don't leave it to the end for the reader to figure it out.
Thanks, same here. That intellectual gobblygook is similar to how Kamala Harris talked. If truth be told, her lack of communication skills contributed to her defeat. I voted for her only because the alternative turned out to be worse than I thought. Also her hyena laugh sent chills down my spine.
ahhahhah 😃 pls forgive my lack of linguistic elegance, i'm working with what i got here.
funny you mention harris, because the way she talked made Absolute intuitive sense to me. i regret to say that even the likes of jordan peterson are crystal clear to me in their speech 😂 not to say i necessarily agree with them or anything, it's just i have no trouble deriving actual statements or get what they're trying to get at while many people are baffled by what they see as obfuscated speech or whatnot
back to the topic at hand
context is, when i try to understand people and their behaviour i approach it from a cog/developmental/evolutionary psych lense because that's what i studied, and what David was talking about above points to such distinctions, differences in sociocognitive strategies among individuals.
it would take a lot longer to detail exactly where these distinctions may lie or how they work in action but the aforementioned difference between prioritizing "threat elimination" vs "seeking belonging" gives a good intuitive shorthand imo
these might be deeply ingrained in one's general outlook on the world, but one has to remember they're also embedded in sociocultural frameworks
for example i follow a couple of people who were christian nationalists for decades, and got neck deep in the maga cult before snapping completely out of it and becoming people with a lot more empathy and "justice for all" approach, or "woke" if you will. it's quite an interesting thing imo!
In the political realm, most people are not deep thinkers. Trump won the little brain group whose attention span is just a few minutes. To that end, Dems need to come up with Sesame Street for Repubs to win the next election.
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 blame the press for exploiting religion at every election. They are constantly testing candidates about a person's faith in large measure to discredit them. Religion should be off limits during elections. "Let those without sin cast the first stone".
Much of religion is about the hereafter. We have a mess on our hands in the here and now. Lets deal with that.
would be nice if it was this simple, really. religion is much more than just teachings. for most people i assume it's their sole path to community, culture, safety. people live more by their community than the teachings, how could they not
Amen. I remember when NewT Gingrich as speaker of the house, thought he was appointed King with his "Contract With America". He was going to change America, went no where and now he has Trumps ear hoping to make it happen.
Regrettably, I don't think the civil war ever really finished. Not necessarily a North/South division but one that appeals to a specific thinking. One also should wonder whether slavery ever ended. It may be called all sorts of things but for, possibly, the richest Western country in the world vast numbers of American work on minimal wage, poor education, lack of health services, vacation time, and numerous aspects of "normal" life in other countries. Maybe that is why so much anger seems to simmer whether in politics, religion, race and attitude. Look back in history towards the French Revolution and compare the parallels.
Look to the first century of the country’s growth - 3m during Jefferson’s presidency to 31 million at Lincoln’s presidency, a span of 60 years - and note the continuing resistance of legislators from the South to fund infrastructure, public education, and a myriad of other needs that would benefit the growing economic vitality of the country. In his opening of the 35th Congress Lincoln noted that the responsibility of governing was to lift the burdens from the shoulders of the burdened so that they could find success. The achievements of that Congress to set the stage for making opportunity possible for all was picked up by Teddy Roosevelt and was fundamental to the Progressive Era. This is largely missing in the message of Democrats today. Not only civil rights but opportunity for all should be our rallying cry.
I have it, and I'm going to fight to keep it. versus I don't have it, and I'm going to fight to get it. I know that is simplistic, but it was what I was taught in junior high in 1952. The rise of socialism in the 19th century? The rise of communism in the 20th century? How will we describe the 21st century? sigh
I'm neither Anti American nor in favour of Trump but he has, in one way, exposed a failure in the USA. For decades undocumented or "illegals" have been exploited. The only way was to use these people as cheap labour to run much of agriculture and basic industry. Cheap employment was a cornerstone for too much business in the US. Strange that Europe, Australia, Canada and much of the rest of the Western world haven't gone broke and there are still plenty of millionaires in those countries. Now that "illegals" are been either deported or threatened too many businesses are failing. Wonder why? The American success was too often at the expense of others.
From Europe, I don't find this surprising considering many Americans are themselves treated as quasi-slaves...
But to be fair other Westerners benefit from quasi-slaves in countries like China (sometimes) and Bangladesh (often), I believe.
What if the solution for a more sane globalization was better workers' protection? But tragically it would require an international economic left wing movement, not the "nationalist socialistic" trend we see today. Any similarity with an historic party name is voluntary.
As a British follower of yours from the UK, it seems to me that the divide is clearly those that believe that Trump is the chosen saviour of the US and those who believe that Trump is a fraud.
We have a situation in the UK now where subsequent governments have effectively failed in the eyes of the electorate, so many voters are turning to 'fraudulent' 'false hopes' who promise a 'new beginning' away from the traditional parties. These are 'Trump imitators' like Farage who is backed by his party of self-serving people and promise everything without having the ultimate ability or intention of delivering.
I'm afraid that a significant number will always follow anyone who promises them the world and freedom from what they perceive to unrepresentative of them.
I wouldn't say that these people are wrong or not intelligent but they are unlikely to pay much attention to the facts on which to base decisions of this nature because that's not their level of thinking.
'And then. of course there are the voters who are fully aware of Trump's total incompetence and believe they can use it for their own benefit. These people are part of the statistic but do not represent either side because their purpose is purely personal.
Of course there are millions of voters who couldn't really give a toss either way and will just follow their friends or family or neighbours or usually not bother with politics at all.
I have lived through the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s politics and I do not believe I have seen anything that actually represents the true lives of the ordinary, everyday person and most of politics is simply circular and not linear. Historically, all people remember are cherry-picked, out of context 'sound bites'!
I do believe that we are at an all time low at the present time globally.
I think it was always inevitable at some time soon but I believe that the likes of Trump are accelerating the snowball of 'global demise' and the split in the US was always going to happen, as it will in the UK and across the world.
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. :(
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..
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
Coming across this after this popped up as a notification coincidentally and this is true.
Interesting. I believe Heather Cox Richardson traces this divide back to at least the Reconstruction period after the Civil War.
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.
That is exactly what I say to people. God said love everyone he did not say everyone but gay people or everyone but Black people. They’re are no buts in the Commandment .. It doesn’t say everyone but…
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.
It is not God, Jesus, Bible that is the problem. It is the bastards telling us their interpretation. I get shivers when people pop off about God and Jesus as if they just had a direct email line to the almighty.
There is a place for religion, but not in the hands of politicians who are now using it for their sanctimonious actions. Posting the 10 commandments has got to be the ultimate insult as T has violated most of them. What is the point?
I take issue with David on the power of class and the rich. While the uber rich may be small in numbers, their power, combined with corporate power far outweighs the rest of us to counter them.
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!
Being able to say what you mean clearly, quickly and to the point takes talent. I remember in English class teacher saying get to the point fast, then elaborate, don't leave it to the end for the reader to figure it out.
Thanks, same here. That intellectual gobblygook is similar to how Kamala Harris talked. If truth be told, her lack of communication skills contributed to her defeat. I voted for her only because the alternative turned out to be worse than I thought. Also her hyena laugh sent chills down my spine.
ahhahhah 😃 pls forgive my lack of linguistic elegance, i'm working with what i got here.
funny you mention harris, because the way she talked made Absolute intuitive sense to me. i regret to say that even the likes of jordan peterson are crystal clear to me in their speech 😂 not to say i necessarily agree with them or anything, it's just i have no trouble deriving actual statements or get what they're trying to get at while many people are baffled by what they see as obfuscated speech or whatnot
back to the topic at hand
context is, when i try to understand people and their behaviour i approach it from a cog/developmental/evolutionary psych lense because that's what i studied, and what David was talking about above points to such distinctions, differences in sociocognitive strategies among individuals.
it would take a lot longer to detail exactly where these distinctions may lie or how they work in action but the aforementioned difference between prioritizing "threat elimination" vs "seeking belonging" gives a good intuitive shorthand imo
these might be deeply ingrained in one's general outlook on the world, but one has to remember they're also embedded in sociocultural frameworks
for example i follow a couple of people who were christian nationalists for decades, and got neck deep in the maga cult before snapping completely out of it and becoming people with a lot more empathy and "justice for all" approach, or "woke" if you will. it's quite an interesting thing imo!
In the political realm, most people are not deep thinkers. Trump won the little brain group whose attention span is just a few minutes. To that end, Dems need to come up with Sesame Street for Repubs to win the next election.
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 blame the press for exploiting religion at every election. They are constantly testing candidates about a person's faith in large measure to discredit them. Religion should be off limits during elections. "Let those without sin cast the first stone".
Much of religion is about the hereafter. We have a mess on our hands in the here and now. Lets deal with that.
I agree Russ...Shame on the unlearned candidates. Let's pray for the nation that their eye be open to the truth in everything.
would be nice if it was this simple, really. religion is much more than just teachings. for most people i assume it's their sole path to community, culture, safety. people live more by their community than the teachings, how could they not
America's divisions can be partly explained by סִנְאַת חִנָּם (baseless hatred) promoted by the likes of Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News.
Amen. I remember when NewT Gingrich as speaker of the house, thought he was appointed King with his "Contract With America". He was going to change America, went no where and now he has Trumps ear hoping to make it happen.
Brilliant analysis!
David, your article and analysis seems spot on. Here's another The Atlantic article perspective that seems just as powerful/meaningful. Have a read...
LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES REACT IN WILDLY DIFFERENT WAYS TO REPULSIVE PICTURES
To a surprising degree, our political beliefs may derive from a specific aspect of our biological makeup: our propensity to feel physical revulsion.
By Kathleen McAuliffe
MARCH 2019 The Atlantic ISSUE...
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/the-yuck-factor/580465/
Regrettably, I don't think the civil war ever really finished. Not necessarily a North/South division but one that appeals to a specific thinking. One also should wonder whether slavery ever ended. It may be called all sorts of things but for, possibly, the richest Western country in the world vast numbers of American work on minimal wage, poor education, lack of health services, vacation time, and numerous aspects of "normal" life in other countries. Maybe that is why so much anger seems to simmer whether in politics, religion, race and attitude. Look back in history towards the French Revolution and compare the parallels.
David from Australia
Look to the first century of the country’s growth - 3m during Jefferson’s presidency to 31 million at Lincoln’s presidency, a span of 60 years - and note the continuing resistance of legislators from the South to fund infrastructure, public education, and a myriad of other needs that would benefit the growing economic vitality of the country. In his opening of the 35th Congress Lincoln noted that the responsibility of governing was to lift the burdens from the shoulders of the burdened so that they could find success. The achievements of that Congress to set the stage for making opportunity possible for all was picked up by Teddy Roosevelt and was fundamental to the Progressive Era. This is largely missing in the message of Democrats today. Not only civil rights but opportunity for all should be our rallying cry.
I have it, and I'm going to fight to keep it. versus I don't have it, and I'm going to fight to get it. I know that is simplistic, but it was what I was taught in junior high in 1952. The rise of socialism in the 19th century? The rise of communism in the 20th century? How will we describe the 21st century? sigh
I'm neither Anti American nor in favour of Trump but he has, in one way, exposed a failure in the USA. For decades undocumented or "illegals" have been exploited. The only way was to use these people as cheap labour to run much of agriculture and basic industry. Cheap employment was a cornerstone for too much business in the US. Strange that Europe, Australia, Canada and much of the rest of the Western world haven't gone broke and there are still plenty of millionaires in those countries. Now that "illegals" are been either deported or threatened too many businesses are failing. Wonder why? The American success was too often at the expense of others.
From Europe, I don't find this surprising considering many Americans are themselves treated as quasi-slaves...
But to be fair other Westerners benefit from quasi-slaves in countries like China (sometimes) and Bangladesh (often), I believe.
What if the solution for a more sane globalization was better workers' protection? But tragically it would require an international economic left wing movement, not the "nationalist socialistic" trend we see today. Any similarity with an historic party name is voluntary.
As a British follower of yours from the UK, it seems to me that the divide is clearly those that believe that Trump is the chosen saviour of the US and those who believe that Trump is a fraud.
We have a situation in the UK now where subsequent governments have effectively failed in the eyes of the electorate, so many voters are turning to 'fraudulent' 'false hopes' who promise a 'new beginning' away from the traditional parties. These are 'Trump imitators' like Farage who is backed by his party of self-serving people and promise everything without having the ultimate ability or intention of delivering.
I'm afraid that a significant number will always follow anyone who promises them the world and freedom from what they perceive to unrepresentative of them.
I wouldn't say that these people are wrong or not intelligent but they are unlikely to pay much attention to the facts on which to base decisions of this nature because that's not their level of thinking.
'And then. of course there are the voters who are fully aware of Trump's total incompetence and believe they can use it for their own benefit. These people are part of the statistic but do not represent either side because their purpose is purely personal.
Of course there are millions of voters who couldn't really give a toss either way and will just follow their friends or family or neighbours or usually not bother with politics at all.
I have lived through the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s politics and I do not believe I have seen anything that actually represents the true lives of the ordinary, everyday person and most of politics is simply circular and not linear. Historically, all people remember are cherry-picked, out of context 'sound bites'!
I do believe that we are at an all time low at the present time globally.
I think it was always inevitable at some time soon but I believe that the likes of Trump are accelerating the snowball of 'global demise' and the split in the US was always going to happen, as it will in the UK and across the world.
How we sort that out out is another 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. :(