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Unity against a common enemy has historically put an end to such internal strife. The Second World War wiped away domestic conflicts in the face of an existenti

Unity against a common enemy has historically put an end to such internal strife. The Second World War wiped away domestic conflicts in the face of an existential threat, and gave a generation of men so much valor as to put them beyond reproach. It was unthinkable to target the men of the Greatest Generation with the kind of attacks and vicious reporting we are used to today, whether they deserved it or not. Edit: I'm not saying we should go to war to solve our problems. I'm just observing something that is demonstrably true: groups unify in the face of external threats.

wu-ikkyu 9y ago
>The Second World War wiped away domestic conflicts in the face of an existential threat, and gave a generation of men so much valor as to put them beyond reproach. This comment is ignorant of the reality of black military members, both during the war and after.
- BeetleB 9y ago
  >This comment is ignorant of the reality of black military members, both during the war and after. As I mentioned in another comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15935787 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15935787), this is because it was not voluntary problem solving. In the military you follow orders. Research generally shows that working together voluntarily to solve a common problem, where each side needs the others' skills, really does reduce polarization.
- lodi 9y ago
  Or, for that matter, Japanese-American citizens...
- TheAdamAndChe 9y ago
  > This comment is ignorant of the reality of black military members Sure, but the major internal strife within America in the late 20's wasn't based upon race, but upon economics and inequality. Just because it didn't remove _all_ strife within an entire nation(which will never happen) doesn't mean that it didn't smoothe things over for most Americans.
kwhitefoot 9y ago
It doesn't last. The divisions remain and are simply put on ice for the duration of the greater threat.

wu-ikkyu 9y ago

>The Second World War wiped away domestic conflicts in the face of an existential threat, and gave a generation of men so much valor as to put them beyond reproach. This comment is ignorant of the reality of black military members, both during the war and after.

BeetleB 9y ago
>This comment is ignorant of the reality of black military members, both during the war and after. As I mentioned in another comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15935787 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15935787), this is because it was not voluntary problem solving. In the military you follow orders. Research generally shows that working together voluntarily to solve a common problem, where each side needs the others' skills, really does reduce polarization.
lodi 9y ago
Or, for that matter, Japanese-American citizens...
TheAdamAndChe 9y ago
> This comment is ignorant of the reality of black military members Sure, but the major internal strife within America in the late 20's wasn't based upon race, but upon economics and inequality. Just because it didn't remove _all_ strife within an entire nation(which will never happen) doesn't mean that it didn't smoothe things over for most Americans.

kwhitefoot 9y ago

It doesn't last. The divisions remain and are simply put on ice for the duration of the greater threat.