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I am in my 60's and while I agree that we were not so divided as we are today, but things were not all love and togetherness. There were still major racial divides, there were marches against the War in Vietnam, and serving our Nation was not respected by the general population among many issues we faced. All was not perfect, but we were no way divided as we are today. As Motownnative said, we have stopped COMPROMISING, and that my friends is a scary thing because the last time we were at this point of No-Compromise we fought the bloodiest war of our history, one that killed more Americans than All our other conflicts Combined.
I blame much of this on the instant news we are bombarded with, specifically the internet where anyone can say and claim anything, whether it is truth or not, and Millions will accept it at face value without the slightest thought or research so long as it verifies what We thought.
I also blame Both the GOP and DNC, especially over the last decade or so, that have become too full of themselves and seem to have forgotten who they actually work for. They have Both put out mountains of propaganda attempting to get Americans to think a specific way along with the ostracizing of anyone that dared question the Party Line. I would also say that Both Parties have become less moderate and are now more often controlled by those on the extreme ends of the political spectrum. Even when more moderates within the government try compromising with their counterparts they are stopped. I can recall during the Obama years that more than once committees would be formed to address one issue or another, and after coming up with a compromise that both sides could live with, the entire deal was killed by the Leadership of Both Parties. That is Not working for the Nation, that is Party Over Nation.
I also blame Us, we vote these people into office and we allow them to remain there even though they seem to forget who they serve as soon as they hit Washington or State Houses. We as a People do not keep informed and do not hold our representative accountable, the brainwashing has done it's job and the Parties know it. They know that they can do as they please and run anyone they want no matter how unfit the person because they know that when it comes down to it the voters will for the most part still stick to their Party. We allow it so we get the government we deserve.
There are various other reasons we are becoming more and more polarized but the above, for me, are some of the major reasons.
So, how do we get it fixed and get a functional government again and learn to respectfully live with one another again? The only answer I can suggest is that it is up to Us to start changing ourselves and those around us, We have to start holding ourselves accountable for our own actions and start putting the Nation above the agenda of a Party. We need to start rejecting extremists within Both Parties and we need to start holding our representatives accountable. I understand that we all have specific issues we support and pushed by our Reps, but that must be tempered with some common sense which requires that often Compromises must be made to keep us moving forward as a Nation and for us all to prosper.
If you disagree then, in my opinion, it means you are good with a government that cannot manage to pass a budget that is in effect for more than 5 months, that the government can spend money that we do not have, and that we as a Nation are stuck in Pause mode that is leading to the downgrading of this Nation as a leader in the world. We can keep kicking the can down the road, but keep in mind that other Nations are not and before we know it our place in the world will become average and our Nation will not prosper and life will continue to degrade for the vast majority of Americans.
Do your part and maybe we can change the downhill slide, or keep repeating the same mistakes while expecting different results, meaning you are either part of the solution or part of the problem, pick One.
Sadly I am Not Optimistic that we still have the capability, far too few Americans are not even willing to try, so I believe the odds are we are going to have to learn our lesson the hard way, which sadly may eventually led to the fall of the Nation, it will be a lesson we will not be able to forget.
We all live in our bubbles --we really do. Not criticizing us for it - just pointing out that it then creates very many different perspectives.
My perception living in the southeast, in a community that is thriving is not the same as someone living in Ohio whose economy continues to struggle as they hear the rest of the country 'celebrate' job growth, rising stock market.
That's part of the problem. That's part of the divide. Now that we have better communication, thanks internet, we hear how different our view points are.
Instead of listening to each other, we just accuse others of being wrong. (guilty -- I do it all the time when folks make sweeping generalizations about folks).
I arrived in 1997 to the Atlanta area & the country was divided. The hate for the Clintons was real. It's all I've known living here -- divided, hate, aggressive criticism, nastiness....granted this is only the last 20 years.
Pushing sensitive social issues in the forefront of politics has divided us. Being called names such as racist,sexist,homophob, Bible thumper, does not help to bring us together .
BLM,Antifa groups who are violent does not help either. Radicalism is wanting to divide us.
I was born in the late 70s. When I look back at any commercials, tv shows, movies, etc. from the 80s I've noticed these things have taken on the cotton candy pastel feel and look of nostalgia. I imagine this is how my parents must feel about the 50s.
Things weren't great for many of us in the 80s. I know people who lost their farms. Others lost jobs. And lets not get started on the homeless and AIDS crises.
Your love of what happened in the 80s is understandable. But try to temper your nostalgia with a dose of reality.
the OP appears to be talking about the political polarization of the USA. I dont think he or she was claiming it was perfect, in fact i thought the poster made some effort to point out there was divide just not on the scale we see today.
The cabal of the Media, our Education System, and the Democrats have succeeded in dividing us using IDENTITY POLITICS. Everything is now politicized, and they have successfully used race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc to divide us. The Republicans being the pansies they are just went along with it, as they are afraid to stand up to the Media, and Dems.
Within my 50+ years of life, I have never experienced such a divisive time in our history. What's happened to us? How did we - The United States Of America - become so divided, so polarized, so shredded?
I spent most of my childhood [and teen years] in Mainland USA; a time in which I was never ostracized by my Italian/African/Irish/Hispanic/American neighborhood friends and acquaintances. Yeah, we were different. But, at the end of the day, we were just a bunch of boys doing the right or wrong things boys normally did back then.
Fast forward into my 20's in the 1980s. Life became slightly different when I joined the United States Navy. Between 1979 and 1983, I was a United States Navy Boiler Technician 3rd Class Petty Officer wanting nothing more than to serve The Amazing Country who'd welcomed me from one of its outlier territories. Although I was considered a "second class citizen" the majority of my fellow shipmates and I shared a bond, a sense of duty and comradery which could not be broken. Despite racial, political, or regional differences, we were there for each other. We stuck together and we stuck up for one another especially when overseas; that is: "You **** with ONE of us, you **** with ALL of us!"
Those were the days of Ronald Regan's"It's Morning In America Again" (See clip below).
This was a time in which Republicans and Democrats reached across the asile and COMPROMISED with one another in order to do what was best and right for The People and Constituents they dutifully served.
Where have those days gone? Why are we so divided? How can we regain the unifying foundations laid down by "The Gipper?"
Come on America! We are a whole lot better and closer than what we are lead to believe today.
I put it at the feet of those who manipulated the evangelicals in the 80s to be die hard anti-abortion and the tea party who were/are anti taxes. Those two groups refused to compromise. Our government depends on compromise to function, but these two groups in particular refused cooperate. Without the ability to cooperate, more and more people had to take sides. And here we are.
The USA has always had stark divisions, political, racial,etc. It has always been bad in that way. Today we just have social media and instant access to everything. That stuff allows us to see alot more than ever before.
the OP appears to be talking about the political polarization of the USA. I dont think he or she was claiming it was perfect, in fact i thought the poster made some effort to point out there was divide just not on the scale we see today.
I seem to be the same age as the OP, maybe a few years younger. I have the same feelings about it. Again, the OP was talking about the economy or how people were living. It was more about unity and that feeling of being together for the country.
Rural vs urban divide, rural white vs urban liberal/minority divide, Relgious vs non-religious. These camps have become more hardened and specific media focused at giving these groups what the want to hear makes it worse.
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