4 ms·

America Fractured into Four Parts

15 points by rafaelc 5y ago

denton-scratch 5y ago
This is an excellent article. I've been searching for ages for an explanation of what has been going on in the USA, politically. This is easily the clearest explanation I've found. [I'm a UKian; I spent a year living in the USA]
- jfengel 5y ago
  As an American, this explanation matches well with the way I see it... which makes me suspicious. I am one of those the article would dub Smart Americans, and I'd be very careful of being flattered that way. The main thing I'd note is that this is the kind of document I see over and over from other Smart Americans (I suspect the author counts himself in that category). The main thing I believe such documents have in common is trying their darnedest to get inside the heads of Real Americans and Free Americans, to understand what they really want so that we can find common ground with them. I suspect that Real Americans and Free Americans would bitterly disagree with this article -- in its over-fondness for Smart and Just Americans, and completely missing their own real grievances. But I don't know if they'd be able to express those grievances in a way you or I would find clearer. So, take this article as an accurate presentation of the way a lot of Americans see the divide, viewed historically. I've found that the people most likely to consider themselves misrepresented by this article are the ones least likely to write similar articles from their own point of view -- since the nature of the article is itself a byproduct of a point of view they don't share.
  - denton-scratch 5y ago
    I must admit that I didn't like the Smart/Real/Free/Whatever category names. In fact, when discussing the article with someone who had read it, neither of us could remember all four category names. And even now, I can only remember the three you mentioned in your comment! I'm not planning to risk anything on the accuracy of the analysis. I'm just inquisitive; and increasingly mystified by the weird stuff going on over the pond. The article helped me to think more clearly about it.

15 points by rafaelc 5y ago

This is an excellent article. I've been searching for ages for an explanation of what has been going on in the USA, politically. This is easily the clearest explanation I've found. [I'm a UKian; I spent a year living in the USA]

jfengel 5y ago
As an American, this explanation matches well with the way I see it... which makes me suspicious. I am one of those the article would dub Smart Americans, and I'd be very careful of being flattered that way. The main thing I'd note is that this is the kind of document I see over and over from other Smart Americans (I suspect the author counts himself in that category). The main thing I believe such documents have in common is trying their darnedest to get inside the heads of Real Americans and Free Americans, to understand what they really want so that we can find common ground with them. I suspect that Real Americans and Free Americans would bitterly disagree with this article -- in its over-fondness for Smart and Just Americans, and completely missing their own real grievances. But I don't know if they'd be able to express those grievances in a way you or I would find clearer. So, take this article as an accurate presentation of the way a lot of Americans see the divide, viewed historically. I've found that the people most likely to consider themselves misrepresented by this article are the ones least likely to write similar articles from their own point of view -- since the nature of the article is itself a byproduct of a point of view they don't share.
- denton-scratch 5y ago
  I must admit that I didn't like the Smart/Real/Free/Whatever category names. In fact, when discussing the article with someone who had read it, neither of us could remember all four category names. And even now, I can only remember the three you mentioned in your comment! I'm not planning to risk anything on the accuracy of the analysis. I'm just inquisitive; and increasingly mystified by the weird stuff going on over the pond. The article helped me to think more clearly about it.