Is Unity in America over?

Are you fucking kidding? I'm 50 years old and have never sensed it was somehow "united" during my lifetime.

It's always been a divided, tribalist shitshow.

I believe the internet and social media has made everything worse.

No. We've been in worse spots. This is a vast county and different regions have different priorities. There were times when we had there or four or six political parties. I strongly suggest you read some history. For example. When Ketanji Brown Jackson was going though the hearings on her SCOTUS nomination, the theater was so scripted by Lindsey Graham and company, it was as if they were reading from the transcript of the Thurgood Marshall hearings in 1967. Eastland was a rotten bastard. He chaired Judiciary and delayed Marshall's hearings for nearly a year for the Appeals Court. Then when LBJ nominated him to SCOTUS, Eastland didn't even attend the hearings. I'd bet he was Mitch's role model.

I wouldn't piss on a Republican if they were on fire.

America has been on the slow slide into disintegration since the 1960s. It's become far too unwieldy, too self-centered/absorbed to administer successfully. There are far too many people with their own agendas, who care nothing about anyone else, far too much corruption, exploitation and crime. The smartest thing Americans can do is to break up into smaller affinity entities, similar to what Yugoslavia did. Smaller entities will make it far easier to administer, reduce corruption and crime, and provide people with a much better quality of life.

The last time I felt that the country was united was after 9-11. Our hearts were with New York. If that were to happen today Trump supporters will say that New York deserved it.

The politics of despair. I'm not ready to fall into the politics of despair and the whole "game over, man, game over" mentality that so many seem to revel in.

On the other hand, I don't think some mythical Unity is the goal, really. Making the country, and world, better for the majority of inhabitants is good enough for me. There will always be bitters who hate everything that doesn't lead to more suffering for people they don't like, but fuck 'em. I don't care.

In the short term, we have a huge issue, abortion, that needs to be sorted out in a very divisive election this November. Unity will not be the result, but a firm vote in favor of choice may be. We will see, but it will take some effort.

If all the foreign entities like China and Russia would stop dividing us it would end. But those countries get way too many benefits from dividing us.

How about everyone stop posing these dramatic, depressing questions, and just live your fucking lives to the best of your ability? Cuz every time someone like OP asks this type of cynical, despairing question, the concept of dis-unity gets more and more cemented into everyone's mind. Let's stop asking these leading questions, and instead put our focus on our immediate sphere of influence. Focus on doing your thing, being a thoughtful, caring decent person, and and let the chips fall where they may. All the positing or navel-gazing or theorizing in the world ain't gonna shift or clarify anything.

[quote] The last time I felt that the country was united was after 9-11. Our hearts were with New York. If that were to happen today Trump supporters will say that New York deserved it.

Sorry to disagree with you, but the people who would say NY deserved it would be the ultra-left, the " Blame America for everything" -type. Trump supporters would be calling for nuking the entire Muslim world.

R9 You say all that, yet here you are commenting in this thread. By your tone I can tell that division has taken its toll on you as well.

R10 They certainly were hoping for California to burn to the ground during wildfire season.

[quote] In the short term, we have a huge issue, abortion, that needs to be sorted out in a very divisive election this November. Unity will not be the result, but a firm vote in favor of choice may be. We will see, but it will take some effort.

There's nothing to be sorted out. It's a done deal.

It is absolutely not a done deal, r13. The Court will shortly throw the issue back to the states, and every state election will have an effect on it.

We need open rebellion in the streets, until the right wingers are shaking in their homes and fearing for their lives, nothing will change. Stop burning the cities, burn the suburbs where all the white women live, that will change things.

R15 What is more likely to happen is more Kyle Rittenhouse types will start showing up with guns and ammo.

[quote] I believe the internet and social media has made everything worse.

Not only that, but all the Russian-controlled media like Fox News feeding though country misinformation and outrage.

R12, before I left the state of Georgia, I worked under a manager who despised California. He made comments about how it should burn down or sink due to some catastrophic earthquake.

Just an awful, awful man, who seemed intelligent enough, yet simultaneously thick as a brick made up of cognitive dissonance.

The company he works for has a HUGE presence in the state of California, which generates the most profits in the world, and employees many more people than the company does in Georgia, and which is why this company was able to expand to the Southeast, and employ him.

While I understand these MAGATs have been brainwashed and are being psychologically exploited to the hilt, there’s no excuse for hoping that a state finally burn down to the ground.

The human suffering as well as the suffering of wildlife in any wildfire in any place is so catastrophic, that only a psychopath or an anti-social cluster B asshole, want something like that and then openly express it to an employee.

So no, most of these MAGATS were already profoundly damaged, personally disordered assholes. The internet and Trump queued them into the recognition that they’re not alone, because at least 30 to 33 percent of our population are anti social personality disordered.

These people didn’t vote for trump primarily because of Trump’s perceived accomplishments. They voted for him because they’re inherently horrible people to begin with.

Hillary was 100% on the money when she called them a basket of deplorables.

It’s a shame that Californians pay federal taxes in order to sustain these assholes with jobs and all federal freebies they receive due to blue states.

R14 You'd better hope for a huge democrat turnout in 2024 because if someone as reckless as DeSantis gets elected we will see a federal ban on abortion.

Yes, r19, but I'm also hoping for a huge Democratic turnout in 2022. Whatever dingbat reason everyone came up with for not voting in 2020 or 2018 or 2016, really probably just laziness, won't work this year. Or rather, I hope it won't. (And I know obstacles are constantly being invented by wingnuts, but for most young, reasonably affluent white people, even college kids from middle class families, those obstacles are usually pretty trivial.)

I believe that fat, ugly, Spanish-speaking Latinos with their homophobic, anti-abortion, anti-science, ultra-religious, superstitious, anti-feminism, anti-democracy, pro-gun stances have brought with them chaos from their shithole home countries to the US. I don't know who plotted this mass immigration plan for the Democrats, but it really fucked up America really badly. And the Democrats are really really in deep shit right now.

Well that is one way to look at Trump's America r21. A particularly stupid way, but a way.

I agree with r1 and R2

What R1 said. OP is posting from Moscow probably. What a tone deaf post.

I'm 32. Never in my life (aside for about 5 minutes after 9/11) has "United States" seemed accurate.

I don't disagree with the harms of social media, but the 1960s were wildly "disunited" long before anybody dreamed of such a thing as social media. The idea that it is all about the latest technology is a bad habit to get into, one we tend to get into constantly in this country to avoid dealing with deeper problems.

We were not united after 9/11. We were in shock. Once that wore off it became a steady beat of war drums until we invaded Iraq. We've been divided ever since then, and before then too. Vietnam, "red" scares, slavery and civil war. We've only ever been "United " when we have a common (foreign) enemy. Our default is to war with each other.

I'm older than R1, and would say there was always a left-right divide, but people didn't really obsess over it in daily life the way they do now. You could be friends with anyone, even have heated political arguments, and it seldom resulted in the enmity we see today. Usually you had no idea about someone's political opinions, unless something specific came up. It's two sides now, pick one, no grey, no nuance. I think for some people it's fun, like rooting for your team. And yes, this did start with the internet.

Many countries, even First World counties, have serious identity problems. Spain, Italy and Belgium all have north/south divisions, aggravated by language disputes. France has had serious cultural divisions—city vs. countryside, north vs. south—for centuries. Dinky little countries like Luxembourg or Switzerland can be “united” because they care only about money.

Doesn't "dinky little" Switzerland have three languages? They may care about money (unlike us Americans who obviously are completely indifferent to it), but I think there's a little more to why they stay united. National service is a thing there, isn't it?

This thread should have been titled:

Is education in America completely over for the middle class and below?

Answer: Yep

There are topics where MOST Americans stand in agreement like abortion or police reform. I think that's close enough. The country isn't evenly divided. It's more like 70% of the country is being threatened by the crazy 30%.

Has the unity ever begun. My black uncle would say no.

No! We're OK OP How about where you live?

R28 I'm quite sure the Vietnam War was before the internet

I think we unite when we have to, and then get all petty- kind of like every family. When Ukraine was first invaded EVERYONE was united- then we had some nutballs and propaganda etc., but for a while- a week maybe we were united. Same with covid- the first couple of weeks.

Its like Thanksgiving dinner, we are all good in the beginning, but then the red wine comes out and its a shit show and no one remembers the good stuff. We take care of each other when it counts. (except for the racist assholes- they can go fuck themselves)

R28 don't forget McCarthy and communism, but I am an optimist, we always bounce back.

R33 Yeah maybe the real question is when was the last time white Americans felt united.

Which isn’t even true cause the further back you go (and not that far) you’ll see when Italians and Irish and Greeks weren’t considered “white”.

So I don’t know this answer.

R38 certainly following 9/11 America was united

You conservative FAGGOTS listen up. Time for you to repent or I'm coming for you. And I will reap the harvest!

What Eastland is R3 referring too? The only Eastland I know is on Facts of Life.

[QUOTE] When Ukraine was first invaded EVERYONE was united

No, honey.

OP is the unhinged what do you think of blah blah looks what do you think of blah blah nose who was prettier in her prime blah blah... it's the same verbage. OP, can you go somewhere else and muck up another message board? You've been doing this daily nonstop for months. And stop replying a wwing your own threads. You're sick. Get help.

Americans were never so special as they thought they were.

Now everyone sees the truth behind the curtain - it's why some protest so loudly. Sometimes it's when you see that a thing is lost that people grasp hardest to hold onto a thing already gone.

I genuinely feel that the country was united at 9:11. Yes I agree people are in shock. But the bravery of first responders was amazing. The outpouring of support was worldwide. I don’t think it was a time where there was nearly as much bickering because we were all attacked.

[quote]The outpouring of support was worldwide.

And Bush squandered it.

Read “American Nations” by Colin Woodard. We were never “united.”

[quote]there was always a left-right divide... And yes, this did start with the internet.

I can't disagree that there has always been a left-right divide, but it started well before the internet. When Reagan abolished the Fairness Doctrine, it paved the way for hate radio and Rush Limbaugh, followed by Fox and Roger Ailes. With no counterbalance to offset the craziness of the right, the emotional appeal of constant anger and open vitriol became the norm.

It's never been any different. It will never be any different. The internet and Fox has made these people harder to ignore.

Pollyanna @ r9, the "Union" is over. It's time to grow up, accept the divorce between red and blue states, and finally move on.

The last time I felt America was ever close to united was 9/11.

American was united for 9/11 for like a week. How long are we talking?

I was 14 and remember the distinct divide for years between Democrats and Republicans due to George Bush and what lead to the Iraq War.

[quote] The country isn't evenly divided. It's more like 70% of the country is being threatened by the crazy 30%.

It’s really more like the fact that the crazy 30 percent of the country is governing and ruling over the other 70 percent of us. And the majority resents the hell out of it. It is extremely frustrating when the whims of the minority squash the will of the majority. We’ve ceased to live in a functioning democracy thanks to the reich-wing Rethugs gaming the system and taking advantage of the imbalance in the structure of the federal government.

And we were “united” on 9/11 for maybe about 30 seconds. There were plenty of us who were immediately distrustful of that rat bastard Bu$h.

How did nobody notice this?

[quote]Its like Thanksgiving dinner, we are all good in the beginning, but then the red wine comes out and its a shit show and no one remembers the good stuff.

RED wine with turkey? Are you a barbarian? I am clutching my pearls to dust just thinking about this abomination!!

The nation was never united but it has gotten worse with Trump in office. He definitely made a point of dividing political parties. I never felt he was a president for the entire country, only Republicans.

9/11. That was the only time in my lifetime I felt like the country was united. I will also add briefly when Obama won the presidency in 2008. I know around big metropolitan areas, even republicans felt a sense of joy and awe. It was a beautiful moment. We all came together as one race.

America will never be united as long as Donald Trump is alive.

9/11 unity was a bunch of fake patriotic shit when people expressed their patriotism by putting American flags on their cars for a few weeks and that was it.

libertarians act get their act together socialists don't grasp history greens you could buy off with free starbucks soy milk democrats want single rule and to be declared as the sole arbiters of information republicans adoption of trumpism has led to the same other parties remain jokey.

and people are dumber today about politics -- so it means little to nothing when idiotic mobs infest everything.

omigawd R59 like thank you so much for that post there was so much good information in it and it really helped people all around the world to understand all the issues about politics and how people dont get a long and things are so divided sometimes people are so dumb about everything and they just act like idiots like you said so anyways thanks again for your post it was really good ok bye

It's been dead since the 80s. Reagan killed it.

[quote]The last time I felt that the country was united was after 9-11. Our hearts were with New York. If that were to happen today Trump supporters will say that New York deserved it.

People across the country loathed New Yorkers prior to 9/11, but in the immediate aftermath, the loathing was suspended. Eventually, that suspension ended and the loathing returned. NYC is viewed as being outside the mainstream of America. I don't think there is anyone other than the foreign terrorists and some commentators on the far left who felt that New York and America deserved 9/11.

[quote]It's been dead since the 80s. Reagan killed it.

Either you weren't alive in the 60s or you have significant memory loss.

[quote]What Eastland is [R3] referring too? The only Eastland I know is on Facts of Life.

Long time racist Senator from Mississippi, 1941-1978, "The Voice of the White South"

* oh his name was James O. Eastland

Te answer to OP's question is, no. The United States is over. Possibly you younger people can reconstitute the country one day, but a most of the old f*cks like me have to die off first.

only if you take The View or social media seriously