5 ms·

I think this is the issue; at least in the U.S. EVERYTHING is becoming more politicized no matter how inane. You are also EXPECTED to have a binary opinion on

I think this is the issue; at least in the U.S. EVERYTHING is becoming more politicized no matter how inane. You are also EXPECTED to have a binary opinion on all these issues with no room for differing opinions. Look at the NFL protests during the anthem. Kneel and you are a bleeding heart liberal that hates the cops. Stand and you are a red hat conservative promoting police brutality and the Private Prison Complex. Every day there's a new outrage that somehow splits up the community down party lines.

clairity 8y ago
then just say no. stop falling for the partisan trap and assert your right to have an opinion disconnected from a political identity (even if that opinion more-or-less falls in line with one of those parties).
hnruss 8y ago
It's classic divide and conquer. The ultra rich have framed politics as red vs. blue, when in reality it has always been (and always will be): them vs. the rest of us.
- chasd00 8y ago
  i remember during the financial crisis thinking if only the tea party and the occupy crowd realized they were two sides to the same coin maybe something great could have happened. I feel like that dawned on the powers-that-be and the old divide and conquer technique was quickly applied; tea party turned far right, occupy turned far left and they've been fighting ever sense.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - longerthoughts 8y ago
    It's eerily similar to the Machiavellian approach to alliances. Something along the lines of joining forces only with those who are weaker than you but can be used to amass power against your greatest threats. In the context of the examples you provided: major party identifies small group making noise, major party aligns themselves with that group, major party exploits that group as tool against opposing major party, major party under no obligation to truly pursue agenda of absorbed group due to relative power.
  - chrisco255 8y ago
    They definitely had the same spirit and were pissed off about many of the same things, but they differed drastically on the solutions...
  - ppseafield 8y ago
    The Tea Party was funded by the Koch brothers. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/13/tea-party-billionaire-koch-brothers https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/13/tea-party-bill...
  - AnarchoYeasty 8y ago
    Lol no occupy was always a leftist movement and the tea party was created by the Koch brothers. Centrists really need to stop trying to change history.
refurb 8y ago
I blame the media. They only ever cover the most extreme viewpoints. They wouldn't get clicks otherwise if an article was titled "Voter aren't sure what to make of the Supreme Court nominee". I've overheard a few conversations of my coworkers (yes, anecdote) about the whole Kavanaugh debate and pretty much every one of them was pretty common sense (e.g. not sure if I believe her, but Kavanugh certainly sounds like he isn't an angel).
- deleted 8y ago
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- deleted 8y ago
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- debaserab2 8y ago
  You could take that a step further and blame media consumers then - the media promotes the stories that bring in ad revenue more than others.
  - longerthoughts 8y ago
    Yes. Seems far more plausible that the media is a reflection of human nature than that the media has reshaped the way people think.
    - simplify 8y ago
      Media is not merely a reflection, but a perpetuator of extremes. If everyone stopped using media, there would still be extremist, but they would be so far distant we wouldn't think of them or their ideas. Here's a great interactive explanation of how this works: https://ncase.itch.io/wbwwb https://ncase.itch.io/wbwwb
      - longerthoughts 8y ago
        Absolutely, only meant to point out that the media brings out the worst that is already in us rather than corrupting otherwise civil beings. To speak even more generally, humans make tools that amplify our impact. Some of those tools make us better at being terrible, some make us better at being clever, some do both.
RodericDay 8y ago
>Stand and you are a red hat conservative can you provide an example of anyone saying this?
jonny_eh 8y ago
Who said that standing means you're a MAGA supporter? That sounds like a straw man to me.
evan_ 8y ago
> Stand and you are a red hat conservative promoting police brutality and the Private Prison Complex. Nobody is saying this
- rexpop 8y ago
  I am saying this. There's no reason for anyone to stand for the national anthem, these days. Women should be kneeling in protest, men should be kneeling in solidarity.
  - disgruntledphd2 8y ago
    I think you may just have confirmed GP's point.

clairity 8y ago

then just say no. stop falling for the partisan trap and assert your right to have an opinion disconnected from a political identity (even if that opinion more-or-less falls in line with one of those parties).

hnruss 8y ago

It's classic divide and conquer. The ultra rich have framed politics as red vs. blue, when in reality it has always been (and always will be): them vs. the rest of us.

chasd00 8y ago
i remember during the financial crisis thinking if only the tea party and the occupy crowd realized they were two sides to the same coin maybe something great could have happened. I feel like that dawned on the powers-that-be and the old divide and conquer technique was quickly applied; tea party turned far right, occupy turned far left and they've been fighting ever sense.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- longerthoughts 8y ago
  It's eerily similar to the Machiavellian approach to alliances. Something along the lines of joining forces only with those who are weaker than you but can be used to amass power against your greatest threats. In the context of the examples you provided: major party identifies small group making noise, major party aligns themselves with that group, major party exploits that group as tool against opposing major party, major party under no obligation to truly pursue agenda of absorbed group due to relative power.
- chrisco255 8y ago
  They definitely had the same spirit and were pissed off about many of the same things, but they differed drastically on the solutions...
- ppseafield 8y ago
  The Tea Party was funded by the Koch brothers. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/13/tea-party-billionaire-koch-brothers https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/13/tea-party-bill...
- AnarchoYeasty 8y ago
  Lol no occupy was always a leftist movement and the tea party was created by the Koch brothers. Centrists really need to stop trying to change history.

refurb 8y ago

I blame the media. They only ever cover the most extreme viewpoints. They wouldn't get clicks otherwise if an article was titled "Voter aren't sure what to make of the Supreme Court nominee". I've overheard a few conversations of my coworkers (yes, anecdote) about the whole Kavanaugh debate and pretty much every one of them was pretty common sense (e.g. not sure if I believe her, but Kavanugh certainly sounds like he isn't an angel).

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
debaserab2 8y ago
You could take that a step further and blame media consumers then - the media promotes the stories that bring in ad revenue more than others.
- longerthoughts 8y ago
  Yes. Seems far more plausible that the media is a reflection of human nature than that the media has reshaped the way people think.
  - simplify 8y ago
    Media is not merely a reflection, but a perpetuator of extremes. If everyone stopped using media, there would still be extremist, but they would be so far distant we wouldn't think of them or their ideas. Here's a great interactive explanation of how this works: https://ncase.itch.io/wbwwb https://ncase.itch.io/wbwwb
    - longerthoughts 8y ago
      Absolutely, only meant to point out that the media brings out the worst that is already in us rather than corrupting otherwise civil beings. To speak even more generally, humans make tools that amplify our impact. Some of those tools make us better at being terrible, some make us better at being clever, some do both.

RodericDay 8y ago

>Stand and you are a red hat conservative can you provide an example of anyone saying this?

jonny_eh 8y ago

Who said that standing means you're a MAGA supporter? That sounds like a straw man to me.

evan_ 8y ago

> Stand and you are a red hat conservative promoting police brutality and the Private Prison Complex. Nobody is saying this

rexpop 8y ago
I am saying this. There's no reason for anyone to stand for the national anthem, these days. Women should be kneeling in protest, men should be kneeling in solidarity.
- disgruntledphd2 8y ago
  I think you may just have confirmed GP's point.