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(@michele-b)
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What Teaching Ethics in Appalachia Taught Me About Bridging America’s Partisan Divide - POLITICO Magazine

Article by Evan Mandery who is a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

"The 2016 election exposed a national rift so deep that it feels as if even reasonable conversation is impossible. I’m a liberal New Yorker, but I know that plenty of people on both sides of the political spectrum worry that this divide poses an existential threat to the American democratic project.

On the most controversial issues—race and immigration, to name just two—we’ve lost the capacity for compromise because we presume the most sinister motives about our opponents.

I’ve arrived here in the fall of 2018, hoping to find a wider range of views—not to change anyone’s opinions but rather to see whether there remain principles and a shared language of ethics that bind us together."

I loved this article and it's given me a lot to think about.

Please share your own thoughts. Can you change personally to see beyond obvious differences or has it become too hard at this point?

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/10/13/america-cultural-divide-red-state-blue-state-228111?utm_source=pocket-newtab


   
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(@zoron)
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To be honest the political divide in this country scares me.

There is so much hate. ?


   
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(@michele-b)
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@grayson

"To be honest the political divide in this country scares me.There is so much hate. "

You're not alone @grayson

 


   
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 lynn
(@lynn)
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The partisan divide doesn't scare me as much as it infuriates me. It's been created and stoked for two proposes: to assure continued financial dominance for the wealthy, and to perpetuate the subordination of women. The right wing has played on people's worst fears and instincts for decades, not because it really believes in these things, but because it ensures their dominance.

Whatever you think about democrats/progressives/liberal, they don't engage in the same way, because their objectives are not the same. Thankfully it seems that the younger generation do see through the charade. Hopefully, they can help our country change course. In the meantime pray/meditate/whatever it is you do, that people in this country will see clearly. That will be our salvation.


   
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(@zoron)
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@lynnventura

What I am praying for is that we can solve this mess without repeating horrible things from the past. 

I think I understand what the Two of Swords I pulled in my tarot card reading was warning me about.

"The reversed Two of Swords may also suggest you are feeling stuck in the middle of two competing sides. You may be trying to play the peacemaker role, but in doing so, you are just confusing yourself and creating more tension. For example, you may attempt to bring two conflicting family members together in the hope of fostering a harmonious family environment, but instead, you end up being the messenger or the dumping ground for each of their concerns. Decide whether you honestly have a role to play and whether you can create peace between the two opposing parties. Otherwise, get yourself out of there!"

 

 


   
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(@jeanne-mayell)
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Posted by: @lynnventura

The partisan divide...It's been created and stoked for two proposes: to assure continued financial dominance for the wealthy, and to perpetuate the subordination of women. The right wing has played on people's worst fears and instincts for decades, not because it really believes in these things, but because it ensures their dominance.

Whatever you think about democrats/progressives/liberal, they don't engage in the same way, because their objectives are not the same...

I could not have said it better, Lynn. All of it. 

As for your point that the people who funded these ways of thinking do not necessarily believe the disinformation they spread --the Climate denial is a case in point. Rex Tillerson (former Sec State and former CEO of Exxon) openly admits he believes in climate change, especially since Exxon funded climate science going back to the 1970's  and his company knew that climate change was real all along.  But he actively perpetuated the climate denial movement

I have Republican friends and we feel love for each other.  But we never discuss political issues. I don't know how one can. So there is this divide. 


   
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(@michele-b)
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@Jeanne-mayell

It is truly heartbreaking. Has anyone seen or predicted a healing of this divide in the future? Anytime in any way?

Our extended families on both sides have ones we love and for the most part we have learned to not talk hot button subjects either.

I know they would all grab their rifles and protect us with their lives though. This reminds me that love is still the answer and the key.

I see us all having to have a greater reason to recreate a unified family of humankind. Perhaps an enemy far greater than one another. Ultimately, it will be survival of our species and our earthly home unless we are all too late in our understanding and expansion of conscious awareness of greater and higher levels of consciousness and universal and unconditional love. 

It all brings me to tears that it will take so much loss and destruction, to bring us to a place of healing ourselves after eons of war and  division among humankind on earth and not just the partisan, cultural and religious divide that humankind has incessantly created and perpetuated.

 

 

 

 


   
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(@jeanne-mayell)
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@michele-b-here-in-the-forum

I think the divide will blow over eventually. But I am wondering about my North Carolina hurricane dream. In the meantime, I find it good to make friends with political opponents and just don't discuss the issues so at least we stay connected in any way we can. As you have demonstrated many times here and in many ways, love heals and love rules. You have done so much, Michele. 


   
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(@michele-b)
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@jeanne-mayell

Thank you Jeanne. Truly. Means a lot.

 "As you have demonstrated many times here and in many ways, love heals and love rules. You have done so much, Michele."


   
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 lynn
(@lynn)
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I agree with Jeanne that it will blow over, at least to a degree.

Even when Nixon left office about 25% of the population supported him. This is just the way it is, everywhere. You have people at opposite sides of the divide. Couple that with the fact that what we're experiencing in the US (and worldwide as well) is that the group that's had power literally throughout history is losing it, and they are not happy, and won't give up without a fight.

I grew up in a republican household where my parents loved Nixon, and Reagan, and Bush. They were refugees who were welcomed into the US by a democratic administration, but they were right wing nonetheless. Years later is when I realized how traumatized they'd been by the experience of leaving their country, and that trauma made them responsive to politicians who were somewhat authoritarian. I think about that now with trump supporters. I think a lot of them are afraid of loss, have experienced it already, and just want a "strong" figure to tell them they're right and that everything is going to be OK. But life doesn't work that way, right? It's way more nuanced. I think folks who are more spiritually evolved understand that much better. I suppose that means we need to be compassionate toward others who are still a work in progress, even though that can be really, really hard.


   
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(@herondreams)
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Lynn, I agree that the authoritarian mindset is a big factor, especially for those who continue to follow the orange goblin. Your post made me think of articles like this that were circulating a while back:

https://medium.com/@FrankGrubaMc/uncovering-the-roots-of-authoritarianism-and-fascism-70ff25d56ec1

"They found that as children authoritarians experienced excessively harsh and punitive parenting that led to anger but also a fear of disapproval. Thus, they tended to identify with the aggressor and idealize authority figures while assuming a submissive posture in order to avoid punishment. The anger they harbored for authority figures was sometimes directed inward, but more often projected outward on members of groups considered different, inferior and potentially dangerous (scapegoating). Authoritarian individuals also tended to develop a very rigid form of thinking due to an inability to deal with doubt and intolerance for situations which were ambiguous or ill-defined. Thus they feel contempt for the type of open-ended, give-and-take participatory dialogue required for a true democracy. Instead to allay their fear of uncertainty, they look for clear-cut, black-or-white answers from people they regard as unquestionable authorities. This same type of black-or-white thinking is utilized in their relations with others such that they adopt an us-versus-them stance, particularly when experiencing threat from those they see as failing to conform to unquestionable social norms."

It does seems that social norms in America and elsewhere have been steadily moving away from this mindset and style of parenting. I see much more kindness and open-mindedness in this generation coming up than in my own (Gen X).

And I agree with Michelle, that the climate-related disasters we will continue to face will force people to overcome social divides and work together. I've been heartened by rhetoric from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and one of the leader of Extinction Rebellion that emphasizes connection with rather than rejection of people with whom we disagree. We are all in this together and love is always the right path forward. 


   
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(@triciact)
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I see the divide in the long run being less severe. Especially when the folks of older generations pass, the younger ones that are coming to adulthood now seem to be so very tolerant of differences in one another. Even the young adults in their 20s today are more embracing of differences in people. People are also less involved in organized religion.

My own generation (I'm late 50s) and older hold on to much more religious, racial, social and political differences.

My husband and I don't talk about politics to our close friends and family because many of them are republican and my best friend, while she herself is a democrat, her husband is a republican, so politics is not usually discussed.


   
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(@codyroo)
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What would help the healing is when people start to realize that the Left and the Right aren't the problem, it is the Top vs the Bottom.  This whole orchestration has tried to divide us into Left and Right Tribes, but the real battle are the Wealthy Elites vs everyone else. They can't win (on sheer numbers and economic power alone) against the non elites, thus they've created this false Left/Right conflict to help pass their agendas while we are distracted.

They want an American Oligarchy drive society.....and they feel they are close to attaining it.


   
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(@zoron)
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Posted by: @codyroo

What would help the healing is when people start to realize that the Left and the Right aren't the problem, it is the Top vs the Bottom.  This whole orchestration has tried to divide us into Left and Right Tribes, but the real battle are the Wealthy Elites vs everyone else. They can't win (on sheer numbers and economic power alone) against the non elites, thus they've created this false Left/Right conflict to help pass their agendas while we are distracted.

They want an American Oligarchy drive society.....and they feel they are close to attaining it.

I think you are exactly right!


   
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(@triciact)
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Some encouraging views from those young people who are 17 now, but will be able to vote in 2020:

At Chalmette High School in Louisiana, students in a world history class made their case for or against punishing President Trump. The classroom voted to impeach and remove Trump: 14 to 7 (in area that overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2016)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/us/students-impeach-trump-debate.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_191024


   
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(@michele-b)
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Wow @triciact !

And in Loiusiana of all places. Amazing and wonderful and a huge sign and symbol of hope in my book!


   
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(@anita)
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Well, I’m having upsetting dreams nearly every night. Although I’m feeling/sensing/seeing indications that trump went too far even for some Republicans,

I am having disturbing dreams nearly every night. Many a week include my sister, who voted for trump most likely based on her desire to get a conservative Supreme Court . Abortion has been the biggest issue for her. In the two or three letters I’ve written her in the past 3 years, I’ve asked her questions about her beliefs that include all the mean, immoral, inhumane things trump has done. She never responds.

As long as she has her “religious” beliefs, I don’t feel I can be friends with her anymore. This also includes her belief that my partner and I of nearly 29 years shouldn’t have been allowed to be married.

I'm obviously grieving what we had finally developed for about 15 years of our adult life as she is 8 years older than I am. And it was fun. I visited. We traveled. We spent some holidays together. 

Now she lives with her daughter’s family in Idaho. Sometimes I don’t think about her, but the loss keeps gnawing at me. The point is that she is very stubborn. I don’t believe she will say “it was good while it lasted” because she still believes Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya and against the U.S. And her religious beliefs are in concrete. 
She is 76 years old and I know something could happen to either one of us at any time. A psychic recently told me that we would never talk again before one or the other of us passes away. Sometimes I somewhat accept it, but my dreams are obviously showing how much I’m tormented by this loss. I do believe many will never accept Trump’s downfall and I fear there may be violence once he’s gone.

 

Anita


   
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