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In your opinion, what is the *one* instance in memorable history that has contributed toward such a dramatic incline in political or cultural or racial divisiveness. Our younger son (middle school) has many questions regarding racism as he pays more attention to current events... He asked us how we perceive the increasing racial and political conflict, and even asked his grandmother what things were like when she was a young adult (MLK years)... Her answer was that she thinks things are worse for my and his and his older brothers generation in terms of the current "vibe" of lack of respect for diversity of thought for younger generations.
Can or would you put your finger on just one turning point?
I'm not sure what mine would be... Rodney King riots is probably what I would have said years ago, maybe, but things just seem to continue to deteriorate now week by week ("Can it get any worse?").
The turning point in racial divisiveness was during the Obama years when the charge of racism was the response to virtually all criticism and opposition to his administration. Divisiveness is also connected with the theories mentioned below.
The political and cultural turning point was in the 1980s. Look into the origin of the theories (critical, deconstructionist, etc.) mainstreamed in education since then. Read this 1989 NYT article for a starting point EDUCATION - The Mainstreaming of Marxism in U.S. Colleges - NYTimes.com
I recommend that your son read a broad range of as many primary sources as possible. Independent study of primary sources is discouraged in education in favor of modern day deconstructed cultural analysis carefully crafted from myopic political viewpoints.
In your opinion, what is the *one* instance in memorable history that has contributed toward such a dramatic incline in political or cultural or racial divisiveness. Our younger son (middle school) has many questions regarding racism as he pays more attention to current events... He asked us how we perceive the increasing racial and political conflict, and even asked his grandmother what things were like when she was a young adult (MLK years)... Her answer was that she thinks things are worse for my and his and his older brothers generation in terms of the current "vibe" of lack of respect for diversity of thought for younger generations.
Can or would you put your finger on just one turning point?
I'm not sure what mine would be... Rodney King riots is probably what I would have said years ago, maybe, but things just seem to continue to deteriorate now week by week ("Can it get any worse?").
The "turning point" was January, 1995.
That's when hyperpartisan un-American chickenhawk Newt Gingrich became speaker of the house and launched the current coarsening political atmosphere, laced with plenty of divisive hate speech and racist dog whistles.
The Beer Summit. It made previously well-behaved racists fear that Obama would be a Black President, as opposed to a president who happens to be black. It's challenged there previously and articulated commitment to white supremacy, and they decided they would rather see America and its stated principles destroyed than cede white dominance. They've been in bracing obstruction, treason and even anarchy since.
I don't think there is any one point in recent history but clearly the assassination of King has had the largest affect. The assassination itself is demoralizing to the black community but the loss of his leadership caused untold damage and is the more important long term factor.
Excellent post. A viewpoint i had never given thought to.
Imagine if MLK would have been the first black POTUS in the '92-2000 era, what an incredibly different, perhaps far more cohesive society we'd have today.
That aside, my turning point came with Jimmy Carter. I grew up in a union/blue collar northern Detroit suburb, very much indoctrinated into the democrat fold from birth. By the time the Ford/Carter election came along, it was clear the entire country had had quite enough of the Republican "brand" at that point.
Although to young to vote, I supported Carter, and his "hope and change" campaign. Fast forward another four years, that same feeling of the country having had quite enough of the Democrat "brand" had returned.
Carter had managed, in four years to poison a large chunk of that generation against the Democrats. I have never been able to pull the lever for anyone with a (D) in all my voting years. I have for (I) and (R). The Dems since that time, have only reinforced what I learned from the Carter years. Dems have a tendency to squander the gains made by our nation, weakening us considerably down the road. Carter gave the Panama canal back to the Panamanians.......Today the Chinese run that operation.......just one example of the harm Democrats do, as a matter of habit.
I'd say the biggest turning point was when the Republican party finally stopped the evil democrat parties creation and endorsement of the KKK and freeing the slaves from the Democrat plantations
then I'm sure you've turned your back on the GOP who welcomed those southern Dixiecrats in with open arms....Or are you just throwing out a bunch of nonsense that highlights your ignorance on history and failure to comprehend nuance? Or are you really someone who believe political parties don't change over the course of a century? You really think Lincoln would be in the GOP today?
The rise of zero compromise, stuck in a bubble, ignorance is a badge of honor right wing talk radio in the 1990s starting with Rush Limbaugh. This led to the GOP becoming more and more unhinged and eventually led to Trump's election. Moderate Republicans and sensible conservatives were labeled "RINOs" and purged from the party. Catering to racists and ignoramuses became an accepted strategy. Compromise became an evil concept akin to treason.
It started in the 60's and has been gaining ground and growing and changing. Now it's focus is SJW nonsense and the tentacles of Postmodernist philosophy invading all areas of society with the goal to bringing about the social and political revolution. Think of it as the bridge to hell. Better to learn about it and save your kids.
I agree, it probably began back then and it gradually built up over the years. I was a teenager in the 1980s and I remember watching Ronald Reagan give nightly press conferences. It was like he was on trial and being cross examined by prosecutors instead of being asked questions by journalists.
Some of the other answers posters gave such as the 2000 election and Obama, well things were already bad by then. I guess you can argue that at certain points, things got worse but IMO this extreme partisanship goes back longer then most of us remember.
In your opinion, what is the *one* instance in memorable history that has contributed toward such a dramatic incline in political or cultural or racial divisiveness. Our younger son (middle school) has many questions regarding racism as he pays more attention to current events... He asked us how we perceive the increasing racial and political conflict, and even asked his grandmother what things were like when she was a young adult (MLK years)... Her answer was that she thinks things are worse for my and his and his older brothers generation in terms of the current "vibe" of lack of respect for diversity of thought for younger generations.
Can or would you put your finger on just one turning point?
I'm not sure what mine would be... Rodney King riots is probably what I would have said years ago, maybe, but things just seem to continue to deteriorate now week by week ("Can it get any worse?").
There was no 'point.' It's been gradual over many years.
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