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1. Free America
Libertarians who resent regulation in favor of individual freedom, tracing a through line from Ronald Reagan to Newt Gingrich to Ted Cruz 2. Smart America
A class of high earners and technocrats who attend competitive schools, embrace meritocracy, own MacBooks, and don’t intermingle with the rest of the country 3. Real America
White Christian nationalists, as recently energized by Sarah Palin and Donald Trump 4. Just America
A young generation that believes injustice is at the heart of the country’s problems and speaks the language of identity politics
These are, for the most part, divisions of white America with a just a sprinkling of POCs (mostly Asian). Add to them:
5. Angry/Needy America
A majority black/brown underclass, egged on by "Just America" to become more demanding, hostile and violent.
I think Free America and Real America are one in the same and Smart America and Just America are the same. The difference between a person that identifies with being Free and Real is that they have a live and let live attitude but the Smart and Just crowd are loud and at times obnoxious in telling people what to do and how to feel.
I don't agree with Packer though about the 4 groups being the problem because the Smart and Justs are the ones pulling the country apart before our eyes.
Except a number of the people in Real America want to be able to tell women they can't have abortions, and both the Smart crowd and the Just crowd don't want that restriction.
Hard left (See portland)
Traditional liberal
Woke liberal (some overlap with traditional above at one end and hard left above at the other)
Center left (Typical suburban liberal that generally votes Dem and lives their lives on less than 1 protest a year. Just too busy raising their family. Can go to a picnic just fine with center right person below and have a good time talking about cars)
Center right (Typical suburban conservative that generally votes GOP and lives their lives on less than 1 protest a year. Just too busy raising their family. Can go to a picnic just fine with center left person above and have a good time talking about cars)
Religious conservatives
Libertarian-ish
Maga (this group may end up merging back into above
and a 9th that runs everything. The true elite .01% that own congress on a leash.
This is how I perceive this country to be "fractured"
Dumb America- Vote based on political affiliation rather than policy.
Entitled America- Thinks they are owed something for doing nothing.
Misinformed America- Base all opinions on bias media without doing any research; "sheep".
Real America- People that just want to live their lives as equals with minimal Govt interference
Offended America- Finds racism where there isnt and is offended by everything.
By that definition, I would definitely fit into "Real America"!
However, there is a LOT of overlap in your definitions!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ottomobeale
I can think of 8 that cover far more people
Hard left (See portland)
Traditional liberal
Woke liberal (some overlap with traditional above at one end and hard left above at the other)
Center left (Typical suburban liberal that generally votes Dem and lives their lives on less than 1 protest a year. Just too busy raising their family. Can go to a picnic just fine with center right person below and have a good time talking about cars) Center right (Typical suburban conservative that generally votes GOP and lives their lives on less than 1 protest a year. Just too busy raising their family. Can go to a picnic just fine with center left person above and have a good time talking about cars)
Religious conservatives
Libertarian-ish
Maga (this group may end up merging back into above
and a 9th that runs everything. The true elite .01% that own congress on a leash.
That (the bold), too describes me, too, although I don't always vote Republican and the only thing I know about cars is how to drive one -- and that is only if it has an automatic transmission
This is a very long essay by George Packer examining how we have landed ourselves in our current situation.
He boils it down to four archetypes and social groups in America:
The article goes into great detail about each group and where the origins of their beliefs come. I highly suggest reading some of it before just commenting on the boiled down stereotypes.
This is very similar to hidden tribes report which split America in to 7 parts instead of 4. This is a great read from the Atlantic and intend to share with with my opinion on social media. Reading this article reminds me of reading Charles Murry the state of white America, as well as reading the case for meritocracy, as well as reading Ezra Klein on political tribes. All of those books describe how America got to where we are now, and it has to do with economics and we allowed many to fall through the cracks of capitalism. And the people that fell through the cracks are whites, black men, Hispanics, Native Americans and so forth. I agree with everything George Packer has stated in his critique of all 4 political tribes.
One thing George packer pointed out is America Puritan heritage. I also pointed this out as well. America is a Post Puritan nation in which the way how this country was formed, moral values, even our institutions are descended from puritanism. Mind your Puritans were not fond of the Church of England or Church of Rome. It wasn't Jamestown the nation took forward too, it was Plymouth Rock. George Packer also pointed out The French Revolution and the Late Roman Empire in which both nations had social upheaval due to ideology. French Revolution was due to extreme perversion of the Enlightenment, and for the Late Romans, Christians sects vs Christians sects and Christians vs Greco/Roman Polytheists. French Revolution, people toppled statues of the ancient regime banned bibles, challenged the Catholic church, while in Rome centuries prior, Christians toppled statues of Zeus, Aphrodite, Heracles and banned the classical literature. The woke left in America are very similar to Zealot Roman Christians and Zealot followers of the enlightenment in revolutionary France.
With that said. If America continues down this route. America will be ripe for Civil War. Not only that bout our distractors like China and Russia notices the division and plays America like a fiddle on it. We have to find a way to unify as a nation and bring people together before we implode as one. That is my two cents.
To give just one example -- me -- how could I possibly fit into any of the above four categories --
1. Over 65
2. Agnostic
3. Mostly conservative but liberal on MANY issues*
4. High middle income, but with only two years of college
5. A product of working-to-middle class suburbia, but now living in a rural location
And I am quite sure that at least 25% of City-Data posters would also not fit into any of those four categories!
*I strongly dislike the far left and the far right equally, and Trump ALMOST as much.
You're not as rare as you think.
Much the same story here, only I'm more ambivalent about Trump.
I supported Rand Paul in the primaries, but once Trump won the nomination, I supported him as the candidate.
He definitely could communicate in a more effective way, however I was pleasantly surprised by his actual policies once in the office and I thought most of the TDS against him was a lot of fear mongering and sour grapes.
This is a very long essay by George Packer examining how we have landed ourselves in our current situation.
He boils it down to four archetypes and social groups in America:
The article goes into great detail about each group and where the origins of their beliefs come. I highly suggest reading some of it before just commenting on the boiled down stereotypes.
Wedge put in place by the socialists and driven deep by the mainstream media
Hard left (See portland)
Traditional liberal
Woke liberal (some overlap with traditional above at one end and hard left above at the other)
Center left (Typical suburban liberal that generally votes Dem and lives their lives on less than 1 protest a year. Just too busy raising their family. Can go to a picnic just fine with center right person below and have a good time talking about cars)
Center right (Typical suburban conservative that generally votes GOP and lives their lives on less than 1 protest a year. Just too busy raising their family. Can go to a picnic just fine with center left person above and have a good time talking about cars)
Religious conservatives
Libertarian-ish
Maga (this group may end up merging back into above
and a 9th that runs everything. The true elite .01% that own congress on a leash.
Very similar to hidden tribes report in which you break down here.
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