Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Why extreme polarization today?

The country today seems to have devolved into extremes which are polar opposites. Most obviously in politics but pervasive enough to invade ecological policy and down to little kids' Halloween costumes. Didn't use to be that way, what happened? Here's an interesting (short) article. The gist of it is a lack of intellectual humility which can be defined as, "the ability to admit that one might be wrong or at least lack full knowledge.” Intellectual Humility in a World of Extremes

When I was in school you'd preface an argument with a set of assumptions that would frame the argument. Since they are assumptions by definition they are not subject to being right or wrong. To claim that all other a priori assumptions are wrong was not allowed - it would be nonsensical. The general disparaging term was "intellectual hubris."

And of course all argument was susceptible to being revised after being informed by opposing argument. Nobody knows it all. One had respect for people making opposing cogent argument.

So in the current fad of focusing on teaching STEM there is still virtue in the liberal arts classics such as Philosophy.

+ basic manners and ethics.

Because the 1938 communist plan is working. (Political correctness is intended to make and keep a privileged population unhappy. You cannot manipulate satisfied folks, at least not well.)

Conservatism is in no way extreme.

While conservatives have been forced to compromise for many decades, the liberal/progressive/marxist left has done nothing but TAKE. Give them half of what we have today, and they'll be back tomorrow demanding another half of what remains, and it never ends.

The polarization in this country is because of the left's unrelenting drive to dominate and dictate. It's as simple as that.

Exactly, as the Left continually shifts the goalposts, the same
values, including tolerance, that the Right has held forever are now labeled “extreme”.

For the most part, it's because the Democrat Party is seeking to divide everyone into groups of disgruntled victims that they can exploit for political power. The pieces are in place for the big move to take the reins forever and destroy our republic, the last real barrier to the Socilalist/Communist agenda. Lots of players are involved, not all are really aligned, but the goal is mostly the same. The Muslims are a parallel movement with a similar end in mind, but based on their false, brutal ideology. If the Leftists win in the civilized world, they'll band together and crush the Muslims like bugs.

The Globalists, really Feudalists, I think are all about wealth and control, hence the push to destroy nations and replace them with economic and political unions, all run by the same people. The EU is their model and base of power. Lots of them here too, rich entitled azzholes that never get enough like the Koch boys. They want contented worker bees to make and buy their stuff, paid as little as possible. They put on an air of humanitarianism, but it's all about the bucks, their bucks. Our republic is a barrier to them too, but less so than to the Left, they can work within it so long as they can use it to churn out workers (or import them).

All very complicated with competing agendas working together in some ways but apart in the end they want. The Republic is in the way of all of them, so all are attacking it. Trump has suddenly popped up and has pooped in all their punchbowls, so right now he's the focus of all their ire and efforts, so the last three years have been mostly devoted to eliminating him. He's something of a jackass, but he's our jackass, and if not for his presidency we'd be so far down the road to Socialism there'd be no turning back without a civil war.

Correct. The Left wants to ram things down our throats, things that just go against the grain of what most of us believe in........the queers and trannies, illegal immigration, anti-Christian, muzzie loving, gun control, fairness and income equality, and all other such crap.

To put it simply, they believe in X, and we believe in Y. I do not believe there is a grain of a chance that there will ever be an compromise. The rift will only continue to get bigger, until one day the country is split apart and a war results.

There are piles of money for opportunists to make and the politicians can keep their seats.

It's funny that my left leaning friends get uncomfortable when I point out Americans and not victim groups. Then I point out their uncomfort with that and they have no defense.

Good post and an interesting article.

I have no idea about the current school curriculums but growing up (talking up through elementary to high school in early 80's) everyone was required to take at least some level of science and math where you were taught the scientific method and in math required to provide proof of your answer. In doing so there was some level of critical thinking applied and in addition, you learned that some of your ideas and feelings were wrong.

Today I see evidence that feelings are starting to trump the "show your work" mindset that many of use were raised on. Beyond high school, certainly those of us that pursued science and engineering degrees, were taken to the next level in that mindset. Your capability to think critically and accept that your theory was wrong when you actually did the research and testing was a critical aspect of that education.

So why the polarization? A couple things going on here I think.

1) The 24 hour news cycle monster must be fed and headlines must have exclamation points in them. "We're all going to drown" (real information - in 50 years it appears sea levels may rise one inch). Alas, we now have people that do not appear to have either the capability, time nor the desire to actually look below the headlines and see what facts (or feelings) may lurk there. The result is opinions are fed to people as truth and they accept them and don't question them. The extreme they choose mostly likely depends on their news source source.

2) Feelings are becoming paramount. People are being fed the idea, and easily buying into it, that they somehow have a right to not be offended. It used to be offended was a pretty clear thing to identify but now it's pretty murky and being told they are wrong, no matter what the facts are, offends a lot of people. "How dare you tell me my opinion is wrong!" - "Well, actually that theory that the earth is round has been accepted for quite a while".

Combine the two and take something like that that is REALLY complex like modeling the global climate.

(1) It's hard work and even with the best data possible, the results are a wide range of possible affects. In fact, the range of potential outcomes are far wider than ANY other scientific hypothesis would be allowed and still considered valid. Sea level rise predictions that have a range of 300% is soothsaying and not science to be acted on.

(2) The people that paid for this work have agendas and they want results that validate their agendas.

(3) They get the answers they want and feed them to the 24 hour news monster of their choice.

(4) The sound bites are consumed by people with feelings and little time, scientific training or intellectual curiosity to question the headline "you're all going to die"

(5) Instant extremist. And it works for either the left or the right for a myriad of topics.

The end goals of the philosophy of liberal socialism & conservatism are polar opposite; everything else flows down hill from that unless you are willing to give up or severely compromise your position.

MM

I truly believe this;

The polarization in this country is because of the left's unrelenting drive to dominate and dictate. It's as simple as that.

I think it kicked into high gear during Gore V Bush. Since that time we have seen such a growing hate from those on the left. Just 20 years ago everyone agreed marriage was between a man and a women and that illegal immigration was, well, illegal. Today that has changed because the left in this country has been telling us over an over that's its just fine. When you have the media and every social media outlet 24 hours a day to help it starts to change the minds of the weak minded. The followers rather than the leaders in society. When you add in schools pushing political agenda its easy to see where the hate is being born.

progressive thought isn't something that is done overnight and liberals know this. Its been the playbook for 20+ years, its a slow indoctrination into what they believe. The 2020 election pits a guy who is doing well on foreign policy as well as our economy against 12 people who all want socialism. I think its coming to a head soon. Someone like Bernie running 20 years ago would have been laughed out of the room. Today its mainstream with millions in our country. Again, the weak minded who have been told they are victims.

I think it's always been that way and the only difference now is everyone can tell the whole world what they think in real time.

The Cultural Marxists, since WWII, have been working overtime to radicalize America through higher education and the MSM. At the same time traditional American values have been retained by large segments in America. This resulted in a huge schism between the two.

I tend to think so too.



Media in general has always striven to divide us. More profit for them that way.

If you study the run up to the civil war.Late 1850s.
You will find the media.Or its real name, Yellow journalism driving he wagon.
Yellow journalism,journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration.
In the backround, Just like today, rich aholes on both sides, pay to advance there agenda through the media.
Theres a lesson there...

dave

Obama happened.

The Zero was a symptom, not a cause.

Saul Alinsky’s 11 Rules on the Ethics of Means and Ends

Excerpted from Saul Alinsky’s book: Rules For Radicals, published in 1971.



1. “One’s concern with the ethics of means and ends varies inversely with one’s personal interest in the issue.”

2. “The judgment of the ethics of means is dependent upon the political position of those sitting in judgment.”

3. “In war the ends justify almost any means.”

4. “Judgment must be made in the context of the times in which the action occurred and not from any other chronological vantage point.”

5. “Concern with ethics increases with the number of means available and vice versa.”

6. “The less important the end to be desired, the more one can afford to engage in ethical evaluations of means.”

7. “Generally success or failure is a might determinant of ethics.”

8. “Morality of a means depends upon whether the means is being employed at a time of imminent defeat or imminent victory.”

9. “Any effective means is automatically judged by the opposition as being unethical.”

10. “You do what you can with what you have and clothe it with moral garments.”

11. “Goals must be phrased in general terms like ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,’ ‘Of the Common Welfare,’ ‘Pursuit of Happiness,’ or ‘Bread and Peace.'”

Ding ding ding ding ding ding


Somewhere along the way people got mentally lazy and undisciplined and copped out on raising their kids right, and the rest is history.