Polarization of US politics

[Nod2003]

Is it just me, or have politics in the US become more polarized?  It seems to me to have started in the late 1990s and has been increasing on an exponential curve, though I doubt that it would be possible to quantify that stipulation.  

Has a similar thing happened to democratic politics globally?  What are your opinions on the root cause of this?

[Ten oz]

I mentioned this in another thread recently but I think the anonymity of the internet plays a big role in how polarized Western Society (Brexit is an example across the pond) is becoming. There is a dichotomy between what people accept in public vs private. For example I think everyone accepts that graphic music shouldn't be played at work. Meanwhile the most popular music leading most charts in the West are full of graphic content. The internet exists in a  unique space where it is both public and private. Public because everyone can use it and see what's there yet private because everyone is anonymous. 

If a Russian built robot posted up on Sunset blvd spouting propaganda people would not listen to it. Just like Religious nuts screaming about Armageddon are ignored.  It would just be an annoyance. That same Russian Bot using the anonymity of the internet can get shared, liked, commented on, and etc by millions of people.  People worst inclinations can be explored from the comfort of their living rooms without any social repercussions. The peer pressure or respect for others one feels to behave professionally or reasonably don't apply to the comment section of Twitter or YouTube. People can go all in exploring their phobias. 

As various arguments which would otherwise be too disagreeable for public consumption go viral online they slowly leak into the popular vernacular. It sours attitudes and creates divisiveness. 

*Edit - post is merely a statement of opinion.

Edited January 27, 2019 by Ten oz

[naitche]

Looks that way to me, globally. 

Not sure if Its restricted to democratic politics or even governmental politics. Looks more like cultural politics in general,  More noticeable in countries where cultural unity has been relatively unchallenged in modern history.

The root cause must be opposition, surely? Equal and opposite reactions seen a single identified subject, being humanity.

Working out its global identity. How that will be expressed, and how much freedom of expression that will leave. 

Some believe the expression must be uniform for equality in diversity, or to be inclusive of diversity. 

Others believe a uniform  manifestation  of what is humane doesn't allow  diversity. Restricts the responses available to the more local conditions they are contending.

That   a uniform  disguises diversity where it manifests, and limits responses.

Historically, Cultures have been oppressed by other cultures depending on proximity, and how inclusive and/or their relative strengths. They operated with relative autonomy, in relative isolation. 

We are much more connected now. That increasingly no longer works as  we become more connected. I think humanity as whole recognise that past injustice as an attack on the human environment that needs to be rectified for a viable future  (of  the human race). But are polarising on  weather setting conditions  gives us our human identity,   or weather that hinders our abilities to  respond to conditions presented, so they  become whats required in a subjective time and place.

So some where in the middle would likely be to recognise some spaces need to be limited to a uniform state for a common expectation to be clearest. Held to a reliable condition where thats essential.

While other spaces need more freedom of expression or response  to meet the conditions that manifest.

 I don't think the two  cultural elements will progress past this by trying to eliminate expression of the opposition or we haven't realy learned from past mistakes. 

Or that there is a definitive demarcation between the opposite poles.  I think we need to be familiar with both perspectives  before we can see where compromise is appropriate.

Sometimes context is needed. Sometimes its better to have a condition without context.

Public vs private. We have to recognise a distinction.

 

JMHO.

 

 

Edited January 27, 2019 by naitche