Barr, I see it in terms of competing interests. The tangled webs we weave create a lot of confusion regarding motivations and, therefore, actions.
Just think of one fictional person - say, someone who supports gun rights and supports unlimited immigration. They are going to find themselves in two very different crowds depending upon the subject. Is this person an enemy or a friend? Now multiply that by *everybody*. This is the sort of thing that makes civil disorder so disorderly.
