Quote:
Originally Posted by wingmaker
Yeah, I guess my comment seems a bit strange in the midst of people reacting to a crazy Trump moment. I wasn't really talking about Trump at all. But I fully believe that Trump could only be elected in an environment where political discourse has broken down to the point where people draw a line in the sand. You could never have a Trump presidency if people in the United States were openly debating issues on their own merits and not just arguing along party lines.
|
It goes beyond politics. Democrats and Republicans are deeply divided by geography and education. A great many Democrats only know other Democrats. Their friends, neighbours, family, and co-workers are all Democrats. Same with Republicans. Now we have self-selecting social media, and people only getting news from ferociously partisan sources. You have two parallel societies that essentially live in different worlds. Increasing numbers of Americans don't want their children to marry a supporter of the other party.
How We Became Bitter Political Enemies
Quote:
|
In 1960, just 5 percent of Republicans and 4 percent of Democrats said they would be unhappy if a son or daughter married someone from the other party. In a YouGov survey from 2008 that posed a similar question, 27 percent of Republicans and 20 percent of Democrats said they’d be “somewhat” or “very upset” by that prospect. By 2010, that share had jumped to half of Republicans and a third of Democrats
|
Even the TV shows they watch are
completely different.