There Can Be No Unity In America

"The fact is this: a large percentage of people in this the country, and an even larger percentage of my own generation, do not believe in objective truth; they do not believe in objective morality; they do not believe, really, in God — or at least a God that I recognize. They do not believe in scientific realities like the definition of "man" and "woman." They do not believe in the family as the foundation for human civilization. They may even hate the family and consider it a tool of patriarchal oppression. They would look at me, and the way I live my life, and find it all quite weird and foreign. I look at them, and the way they live their lives, and think the same. We have not a single substantial thing in common. That is simply the reality of the situation."

"If a people will not be united by their beliefs or ideas then they must at least have a common heritage, a common tradition, a common language. We have none of those things. In fact, even worse, those things are themselves causes for further division and contention. A Thanksgiving cannot go by without arguments over the alleged atrocities of the pilgrims. A statue of a national hero cannot be erected without a mob clamoring to tear it down.

So I ask all you "unifiers" yet again: where can I find this unity? On what basis can I find it? Even the most superficial sources of unity — sports, movies, literature — have now become sounding boards for political quarrels. What is left? Can we unify around our shared affection for the idea of unifying? I suppose we will try.

I'm not optimistic about the results."

Unity will come and go and never be perfect. We’re just in a bad part of a cycle right now. It’s discouraging, I know, but it’ll end sooner or later. Eventually we’ll stop being entertained by division and no longer demand it.

The most striking thing about this phenomenon, to me, is that the people most responsible for the division in the US are completely and totally oblivious to the fact that they are the cause of it.

I think this is a whole lot worse than just a typical rough patch. And its about to get way more heated with this SCOTUS nomination.

(06-28-2018 05:47 AM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  I think this is a whole lot worse than just a typical rough patch. And its about to get way more heated with this SCOTUS nomination.

I don't think so. Being people, we tend to give a lot of weight to the times we currently live. Every moment during my lifetime has been "pivotal". I'm pretty sure nobody can remember a time where they didn't think a moment was the most "pivotal" and important moment ever. It's the availability heuristic.

(06-28-2018 06:03 AM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  

(06-28-2018 05:47 AM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  I think this is a whole lot worse than just a typical rough patch. And its about to get way more heated with this SCOTUS nomination.

I don't think so. Being people, we tend to give a lot of weight to the times we currently live. Every moment during my lifetime has been "pivotal". I'm pretty sure nobody can remember a time where they didn't think a moment was the most "pivotal" and important moment ever. It's the availability heuristic.

I do think so. I'm not some teenager who has never experienced tough political times. Every moment of my lifetime has also been called "pivotal" in certain circles.

What separates the time we live in is the modern internet and social media age. This is a DRAMATICALLY different world today than it was 20 years ago. That world does not even exist anymore.

This is not just a pivotal time for America, its a pivotal time for all mankind.

I'm old enough that we've "pivoted" several times in my life. Each time, we survived. Politics are not what make us. We make the most out of whatever situation politics present. When Richard Nixon gave us the 55 mph speed limit, we learned how to use CB radios. We will survive.

We are very divided now. We have been before. We survived. I could see the differences becoming so great that we split and decide to go separate ways. We would survive that, too. As long as the Mississippi/Missouri River system continues to flow through the richest farm land on earth, we really can't screw it up.

There are those who feel that the very diversity some insist on is the thing that will end up dividing us even farther. Unlike most "homogeneous' societies we don't share a heritage or cultural mores but rather it seems that many prefer to be defined by a hyphen before "American". I've been saying for years that what we need to bring us all together is a good extraterrestrial invasion.

(06-28-2018 06:19 AM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote:  There are those who feel that the very diversity some insist on is the thing that will end up dividing us even farther. Unlike most "homogeneous' societies we don't share a heritage or cultural mores but rather it seems that many prefer to be defined by a hyphen before "American". I've been saying for years that what we need to bring us all together is a good extraterrestrial invasion.

Even if it wasn't a violent invasion, the realization that the biggest things in the universe aren't "what I think" and "how my opposition wants to ruin me" would do the trick.

(06-28-2018 06:19 AM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote:  There are those who feel that the very diversity some insist on is the thing that will end up dividing us even farther. Unlike most "homogeneous' societies we don't share a heritage or cultural mores but rather it seems that many prefer to be defined by a hyphen before "American". I've been saying for years that what we need to bring us all together is a good extraterrestrial invasion.

We are literally getting one, its just not the fantasy science fiction version people want. Instead we are going to get the antichrist and then Christ Jesus Himself coming down and judging the wicked and setting up His glorious kingdom. The entire bible points to the generation of the 6000-year mark since Adam, and here we are.

(06-28-2018 06:10 AM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  

(06-28-2018 06:03 AM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  

(06-28-2018 05:47 AM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  I think this is a whole lot worse than just a typical rough patch. And its about to get way more heated with this SCOTUS nomination.

I don't think so. Being people, we tend to give a lot of weight to the times we currently live. Every moment during my lifetime has been "pivotal". I'm pretty sure nobody can remember a time where they didn't think a moment was the most "pivotal" and important moment ever. It's the availability heuristic.

I do think so. I'm not some teenager who has never experienced tough political times. Every moment of my lifetime has also been called "pivotal" in certain circles.

What separates the time we live in is the modern internet and social media age. This is a DRAMATICALLY different world today than it was 20 years ago. That world does not even exist anymore.

This is not just a pivotal time for America, its a pivotal time for all mankind.

I didn't mean to make it seem like I was belittling your life experience.

I agree that social media has exacerbated the issues, but the era can't last forever as we know it. It's a new implementation and we were totally what the technology could do. We'll get used to it and moderate over time.

(06-28-2018 06:35 AM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  

(06-28-2018 06:10 AM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  

(06-28-2018 06:03 AM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  

(06-28-2018 05:47 AM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  I think this is a whole lot worse than just a typical rough patch. And its about to get way more heated with this SCOTUS nomination.

I don't think so. Being people, we tend to give a lot of weight to the times we currently live. Every moment during my lifetime has been "pivotal". I'm pretty sure nobody can remember a time where they didn't think a moment was the most "pivotal" and important moment ever. It's the availability heuristic.

I do think so. I'm not some teenager who has never experienced tough political times. Every moment of my lifetime has also been called "pivotal" in certain circles.

What separates the time we live in is the modern internet and social media age. This is a DRAMATICALLY different world today than it was 20 years ago. That world does not even exist anymore.

This is not just a pivotal time for America, its a pivotal time for all mankind.

I didn't mean to make it seem like I was belittling your life experience.

I agree that social media has exacerbated the issues, but the era can't last forever as we know it. It's a new implementation and we were totally what the technology could do. We'll get used to it and moderate over time.

I didn't take it personally. No problem.

(06-28-2018 06:15 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I'm old enough that we've "pivoted" several times in my life. Each time, we survived. Politics are not what make us. We make the most out of whatever situation politics present. When Richard Nixon gave us the 55 mph speed limit, we learned how to use CB radios. We will survive.

We are very divided now. We have been before. We survived. I could see the differences becoming so great that we split and decide to go separate ways. We would survive that, too. As long as the Mississippi/Missouri River system continues to flow through the richest farm land on earth, we really can't screw it up.

Owl's right. It seems worse because the information age gives every loony in the country a platform to spew whatever garbage they think.

But honestly, do any of us really take some of the lunacy we hear and see as "well, that's what everyone thinks" or do we read it and chuckle and say "Oh great, another loony fringe person".........and forget about it and go on with our day.

In the grand scheme - the vast majority of this stuff is no more than silly background noise........................

(06-28-2018 07:50 AM)Crebman Wrote:  

(06-28-2018 06:15 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I'm old enough that we've "pivoted" several times in my life. Each time, we survived. Politics are not what make us. We make the most out of whatever situation politics present. When Richard Nixon gave us the 55 mph speed limit, we learned how to use CB radios. We will survive.

We are very divided now. We have been before. We survived. I could see the differences becoming so great that we split and decide to go separate ways. We would survive that, too. As long as the Mississippi/Missouri River system continues to flow through the richest farm land on earth, we really can't screw it up.

Owl's right. It seems worse because the information age gives every loony in the country a platform to spew whatever garbage they think.

But honestly, do any of us really take some of the lunacy we hear and see as "well, that's what everyone thinks" or do we read it and chuckle and say "Oh great, another loony fringe person".........and forget about it and go on with our day.

In the grand scheme - the vast majority of this stuff is no more than silly background noise........................

I think most people won't pay attention to a person on the fringe. The problem is that those people on the fringe can still have 100k followers on social media and there are a bunch of them like that.

Even if we really don't believe the crazy guy, there are some kernels of ideas that can influence how we interpret the world without us even knowing it.

The difference between today and those in the past.....

today we are instantly connected world wide

(06-28-2018 08:10 AM)WKUYG Wrote:  The difference between today and those in the past.....

today we are instantly connected world wide

Which is EXACTLY why I'm more pessimistic that many of the others on here seem to be.

Sure, the instant connection would make it appear that there's large numbers of people on the fringe. Sure, many of us dismiss that as being just a small number of very vocal people.

The opposite is true as well. That instant connection allows people who, in the past, might have kept their thoughts and beliefs to themselves, to be part of the "group". One reads something others believe to be garbage and they think to themselves, "hey, that's how I feel" and next thing you know, people who would have never known of let alone joined a movement, become part of it.

It's the pedophile argument. Do we have more pedos now or are we just hearing about in more? I tend to think that access to sites on the web has brought people out of the wood work that wouldn't have acted on their urges int he past. I think the same applies here.

Well, at least as it relates to the issue of unity and the current hysteria from the left at what is happening today, I think I know the reason for their meltdown.

When the Magic Man won his second term, after everyone had gotten a good look at what he had to offer during his previous term, I'll be the first to admit that I thought it was all over for the America I grew up knowing and loving. I figured that with that election, we were on an unstoppable path towards the producers being sucked dry by the entitled with a government hell-bent on helping them achieve that goal. Toss in the immigration issues, etc, and I figured there was no turning back, we were toast, done, history. I'm betting the left felt the same way as I.

Trump has turned the entire thing on its head.

And not only has he stopped what the Magic Man put in motion, he'll likely get a second term to continue his agenda and, as everyone knows, his Supreme Court picks can change the course of history for decades to come.

Now, I fully expect we'll elect more presidents who will follow the Magic Man's lead and push the country towards European-style socialism (with similar results), but Trump sure has thrown a major monkey wrench in their plans.

This is why there's such doom & gloom from the MSM and lib politicians. They know they've experienced a serious setback.

Jason Whitlock had a tweet yesterday that sums up this thread:

"We're turning our republic, democracy into Twitter. We're just trolling people we disagree with and organizing outrage mobs to bully them. This is really sad. Love is the only answer."

(06-28-2018 08:50 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  Jason Whitlock had a tweet yesterday that sums up this thread:

"We're turning our republic, democracy into Twitter. We're just trolling people we disagree with and organizing outrage mobs to bully them. This is really sad. Love is the only answer."

Bullshyte. The extreme left is the enemy of the America our Founding Fathers envisioned and fought and died for.

(06-27-2018 11:50 AM)200yrs2late Wrote:  There Can Be No Unity In America

"The fact is this: a large percentage of people in this the country, and an even larger percentage of my own generation, do not believe in objective truth; they do not believe in objective morality; they do not believe, really, in God — or at least a God that I recognize. They do not believe in scientific realities like the definition of "man" and "woman." They do not believe in the family as the foundation for human civilization. They may even hate the family and consider it a tool of patriarchal oppression. They would look at me, and the way I live my life, and find it all quite weird and foreign. I look at them, and the way they live their lives, and think the same. We have not a single substantial thing in common. That is simply the reality of the situation."

"If a people will not be united by their beliefs or ideas then they must at least have a common heritage, a common tradition, a common language. We have none of those things. In fact, even worse, those things are themselves causes for further division and contention. A Thanksgiving cannot go by without arguments over the alleged atrocities of the pilgrims. A statue of a national hero cannot be erected without a mob clamoring to tear it down.

So I ask all you "unifiers" yet again: where can I find this unity? On what basis can I find it? Even the most superficial sources of unity — sports, movies, literature — have now become sounding boards for political quarrels. What is left? Can we unify around our shared affection for the idea of unifying? I suppose we will try.

I'm not optimistic about the results."

That common heritage that the Trumpers believe in is white, Chrisitan, supremacy.

The common heritage that the non-Trumpers believe in is 'equal rights for all'.