Can America continue to exist when 40% of the country hates the other 60% and vice versa?

[Yavin4]

How much longer can this go on?

[uponit7771]

1. Jan 20th? Yeah, when he's gone we'll be OK. He's the only thing driving the hate

[maxsolomon]

8. Oh, would that were the only thing.

You've forgotten 35 years of hate radio and Fox News.

2 options:
1. Liberals cave and give Conservatives everything they want.

that will never happen, so

2. Father Time and the Grim Reaper reduce Conservatives to a smaller percentage of the populace.

[uponit7771]

9. True, I just think without Trump it'll be the Nazi's without Hitler and it'll die out at its current

...amplitude.

MAGA is cult right now and the kGOP will need another Trump figure to drive hate to the level where someone can literally proffer injecting disinfectant in ones body, call it sarcasm when 50,000 people die and he sustains support.

[Jake Stern]

29. Disagree

He'll just stir shit from the sidelines. That base isn't going to abandon him.

[Cosmocat]

61. correct

nm

[Cosmocat]

60. It will be just as bad

Just as it would have been if Hillary would have won. There would have been bloodshed if she tried to seat a SCJ.

[Proud liberal 80]

13. Disagree

The hate is how Trump got elected...this has been building with Rush Limbaugh and hate radio, and then Drudge and FoxNews, then Breibert, etc....Even when trump loses we still have the deplorables who voted for him....their hate will get worse....remember when Clinton was POTUS and much they hated him, their hate was even worse under Obama, I just see it becoming even worse under Biden

[AlexSFCA]

17. and Limbaugh received a presidential medal of freedom

from trump

[Blue_true]

33. No, we won't be ok.

The same 63 million people that voted for him called President Obama a Muslim, questioned his status as a citizen, fought against rights for POC and women. Those people will stil be around, having the same hatreds and waiting for their next pied piper.

If you think that republican office seekers are going to get better once Trump is gone, you're wrong, IMO. The pretenders like the junior senator from Missouri and Tom Cotton from Arkansas are auditioning at this very moment, they will take the crazy and hate to another level, though with more polish than Trump displays.

[totodeinhere]

44. He is not the only one by any means. The hate was there before he came along and it will be

there after he leaves. But he definitely has exacerbated it.

[LakeArenal]

2. Civil War. US made it through.

[JenniferJuniper]

15. Did we though?

One could argue it never really ended.

[Proud liberal 80]

30. Exactly

Funny how Barr said history is written by the winners. That was one war where the winners appeased the losers and let them write the history.

[LakeArenal]

37. Wow. Good one.

[Solly Mack]

3. Hate I could get over. It's contempt I feel for them.

[Horse with no Name]

26. Totally agree

They sit and smile and read their Bibles and justify all of their hate in the name of saving fetuses....while living breathing bodies are dropping dead all around from bullets and virus.

[Solly Mack]

31. Yep. Among so many other hypocrisies.

[Turbineguy]

4. As long as Fox news goes on.

[sop]

11. This would be a different country if FOX News disappeared. Not perfect, but a lot less hate.

[Proud liberal 80]

14. If FoxNews and twitter were around during the Civil Rights Movement

I don’t think the movement would of been as successful

[elleng]

5. Good question, ESPECIALLY when the hatred is fomtented by 'president.'

[Baitball Blogger]

6. We're going to need help.

We need lawyers that can help us with civil cases, because they are taking over communities.

[DFW]

7. Ever heard of Belgium?

7 million Dutch speakers who can't stand the 4 million French-speakers who feel the same way, and the few German-speakers in the eastern part play duck and cover.

The country was created out of thin air (and convenience) after Napoleon. The place is a mess, corrupt as hell, but it's still there. And their chocolate has earned every bit of its reputation!

[smirkymonkey]

36. Is it really as bad as it is here?

Why do they hate each other? Is it politically motivated or just a cultural thing?

However, aren't they generally separated geographically? The problem here is that we are spread all over the place. It would be easier if all the liberals were in one part of the country and all the RWNJs in another.

[DFW]

53. It's both

Last edited Sun May 17, 2020, 03:25 AM - Edit history (1)

The French-speaking south tends to vote left to far left. They were the ones behind the move to bring in hundreds of thousands of Moroccans, and essentially give them immunity from prosecution for anything for decades. The already right-leaning Dutch ("Flemish" ) speaking majority went ballistic, and in many parts of the Dutch-speaking areas, they refuse to speak French to anyone. FYI, ALL Belgians are required to take "the other" language in school along with English, so when a Belgian tells you he/she doesn't speak French/Dutch, they are lying. They just don't want to. Most of the Neo-Nazis belong to the Dutch-speaking group, but this doesn't mean the French-speakers are all angels. There was a famous Belgian child molester/killer named Marc Dutroux who had been identified by the cops for what he was. He brazenly said, "you can't touch me because I have friends in the government." He was absolutely correct, and it took ten years before any Belgian law enforcement had enough backing to put him away.

Brussels is a big exception, as it is geographically on the fault line between the two areas. I work with several office there with both Walloons (French-speakers) and Flemings (Dutch-spealers). All are fluent in each other's language, and none of them thinks twice about the ethnic background of the guy next to him. This is a HUGE exception. Go 20 kilometers in any direction away from Brussels, and it goes back to being two different countries. The huge divide makes for a weak central government, and corruption thrives. I know of one brigade supposedly charged with chasing money launderers. Instead, what they do is go around arresting people right and left in either the diamond business or the precious metals business, confiscating their stock for five or ten years, and then asking their victims what kind of a bribe they are willing to part with in order to "make the whole thing go away."

One time, a diamond dealer they had jumped wouldn't play ball with them, so five years after they had confiscated his diamonds, they apologized, declared him innocent, and returned the same number of carats of diamonds they had confiscated from him 5 years before. Only--they switched they guy's gem quality diamonds for industrial diamonds, worth maybe 5% as much. I know about this one because I had lunch one time with the majority leader of the Belgian Senate (she was either a Social Democrat or a Socialist Party member, I forget which), and she knew all about it. She lamented that there was nothing the government could do about it (!!!!). I have had occasion to run into members of this corrupt brigade, and while I avoided politics, I did notice they were ALL Dutch-speakers. But again, I also know some Dutch-speaking Belgians who are perfectly normal, open-minded liberal people, so it's dangerous to generalize even about them.

They are more geographically contained than our Trumpanzees, it's true. We're almost evenly divided in Texas, and even Massachusetts has some of the most rabid right-wing racists you could ever hope NOT to meet (I've met them). In the USA, it's not easy to point to a place that is free of idiots. Unfortunately, it is far easier to pinpoint places that are free of people with an IQ in two digits.

[smirkymonkey]

56. Thanks DFW!

I always appreciate an insiders opinion. I love hearing about the socio-political and cultural differences of other countries.

Hope all is well with you and your family!

[DFW]

57. So far, so good, thanks!

Even our daughter in midtown Manhattan is still virus-free (no symptoms, anyway).

I am starting to move around a tiny bit. I have made three brief working day trips to nearby (less than 150 minutes by train) cities in Germany im the last 2 weeks, and plan my first big adventure into the lion's mouth (France and Belgium) on Tuesday. I had to get all sorts of government documents drawn up saying I was going for work and specify arrival and departure times. Now I have to see if they will let me into both countries.

We still hope to make it to the Cape in July. We just got word from the embassy that the no travel order grants an exception to foreign spouses of American citizens, so my wife should be able to come. Now we just have to make sure the Germans don't require her to quarantine when she gets back. Our daughter down in Frankfurt will give birth to her second child in 2 or 3 weeks, and her mom in the north is about to turn 93. Ever the social worker, my wife will not stand for a two week quarantine when she comes back in August and will not go if that is a condition. This changes every week, so we just don't know yet what the Germans will impose in August on Germans returning from the USA. Flight prices have already doubled to the USA due to opening restrictions coupled with about 30% of the former flights operating. Let's hope that there will be a few bargains when we get there--IF we get there--to offset that.

[smirkymonkey]

58. I'm glad your daughter in Manhattan is safe so far.

We are both in hot spots, so it's kind of scary and it's important that people take things seriously in these areas. (NY, NJ, CT and MA are the top four states w/ the highest death rates so far).

Are things calming down a bit in Europe yet? It seems like you guys have a much better grip on things over there. Although there is still a risk and I hope your governments are still stressing the need for precautions. You are much more densely populated than we are over here, and that can make things much harder to control.

I hope you are able to make your trip to the Cape in July. I know how much you and your family look forward to that. Things on the Cape aren't nearly as bad as they are in the rest of MA. Especially where you guys are. However, you will have to go through Boston, I suppose and although things are getting better here, they are still not good.

I can't believe you are welcoming another grandchild! Congratulations! Please keep us informed when you hear the good news!

The only thing that would worry me would be flying to and from the US, but I am sure we will have much better information in a month from now. Hopefully airlines will be doing all they can to keep people safe. Best of luck with everything!

[elevator]

41. I lived in Belgium for a year in the french-speaking part.

I was coaching a basketball team and we traveled all over the small country. The dislike that the Belgians have for one another does not approach the level of hate that 30% of the citizens of the US feel for others.

[DFW]

54. If you lived in Wallonia, that is understandable

The Flemings resent the Walloons far more than the Walloons resent the Flemings because the French-speakers have managed to manoeuver themselves into a position of almost equal power, which doesn't come close to representing the proportional ethnic make-up of the country. The Walloons certainly have less cause for complaint. I speak Flemish, and if you speak with a group of them in their own language when no Walloons are around, you can sometimes hear language that a MAGAT would be embarrassed to use when discussing Nina Turner.

[Wolves ov Siberia]

10. Yep

It always has so why not?

[NoRoadUntravelled]

12. Between FauxFox and Evangelical churches plus tRump lies this will go on for a long time.

I had hopes for a reconciliation in the future but not any longer. My sister and I were very close throughout our childhood and adult years. Our last conversation was a month ago. We were discussing Covid 19 and I pointed out that one of her statements about tRump's position and words did not hold up to scrutiny. The data did not support what he was saying.

She lost it. She believes we've all had a vendetta against him from the beginning and that all these problems are a result of us fighting him instead of praying for him. She believes every lie he utters. She used to be part of the Moral Majority but now the moral part doesn't seem to matter at all. She loves her grandchildren but the children locked in cages by this administration don't concern her. Her grandson is special needs and gets SSI. When tRump spoke about cutting those benefits she said it's ok. She'll pay for it herself. There is NOTHING he can do or say that will cause her devotion to him to waver.

I've reached out to her but she's cut me out of her life. Perhaps the Mega-church she attends has encouraged that, I don't know.
But, when I think about how close we were for our entire lives and that now it's ended because she's bought into the lies, it breaks my heart. I can't see how we can possibly unite as a nation again no matter who is president. I wish I could.

[Boomerproud]

25. I'm so sorry. Your situation really is heartbreaking.

45 has ruined so much.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

27. Thank you for your kind words.

[Jedi Guy]

34. I think a lot of that sort of behavior is driven by the inability to admit they were wrong.

As a wise wizard once said, people sometimes have a harder time forgiving others for being right than for being wrong. So rather than admit they made a mistake in supporting Dolt 45, they double down. The thought of eating humble pie is so painful that they redouble their support for him.

Unfortunately, I can kinda see how they cling to the "vendetta against Trump" thing, given the calls for impeachment before he was even sworn in, plus all the protests and such. I think that largely serves as their smokescreen to cover the inability to admit fault, though.

[elevator]

42. Exactly Jedi.

But, hopefully, many who voted for him when they are alone in the booth or mail in their vote will admit, to themselves at least, they made a big mistake. I imagine many independents that voted Trump will switch.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

43. What you say makes a lot of sense. ty

[Cosmocat]

62. half right

first paragraph is very true, pride is a big part of it.

Second is blaming us for them being insane.

This asshole wss the ring leader of the birther movement they cheered on. He was all up.BHOs ass for 8 years. They did nothing other than obstuct BHO for 8 years, did nothing other than spend 8 years trying to destroy Clinton.

But 45 is some poor victim?

[Jedi Guy]

63. None of which is impeachable conduct.

Like it or not, all the calls for his impeachment before he even set foot in the Oval Office gave them ammunition and, as I stated, a smokescreen to hide behind. I never once said that Dolt 45 is some poor victim, you put those words in my mouth. I said I can understand how Trump supporters see it that way. I never said it was the truth.

[Doodley]

16. The America we knew is no longer.

[Historic NY]

18. Will have to have relocation camps on Mars.

[stillcool]

19. some days it seems it would be better for all..

if the country broke up. Then other days, something like Obama's inauguration comes to mind, and I think we're not as bad as we think we are. The small amount of people that get the ink, and the cameras, are not 'we'. They have always been, but they have never been 'we'.

[kairos12]

20. No matter how much they hate us

my burning hatred and contempt for them has no bounds. No accommodation with evil. Ever.

[brush]

28. My thoughts exactly. i will never forget or forgive.

[Chainfire]

21. It is probably going to get worse before it gets better

Who know what will happen following the elections.

[misanthrope]

22. It's gone on since before 1776

America's various regions have always had a tumultuous relationship. It's plainly obvious from the Continental Congress onward. If someone doesn't understand that, then they don't understand American history.

The biggest difference between now and then is that social media has furthered our worst behaviors and greater physical mobility has led to self-sorting among the population.

[Jedi Guy]

35. Yeah, I think it's not so much conservative vs. progressive as it is rural vs. urban.

There's always been tension between the urban and rural parts of America. Urban dwellers look down on rural people as uneducated hicks and bumpkins, and rural people look down on urban dwellers as effete citified sissies. When you toss in the economic changes of the last half century, with jobs concentrating in cities and leaving rural areas to rot, well... it doesn't make things better, that's for sure.

Top that off with the two factors you pointed out, among others, and it's just no bueno.

[misanthrope]

47. The rural South and rural New England aren't the same at all

While the rural/urban split is real, there's also regional cultures that are a part of it.

[Jedi Guy]

48. A very fair point. Southern culture is very much a strange beast.

Some parts of it are nice... others not so much.

[jmg257]

23. After all the bullshit going on, I think it will come to a head

- sooner rather then later. Too much crap, too much hate, too much lack of trust- in anyone.

[maxrandb]

24. When that 60% kicks the shit out of them so they are the 15%

Then yes, the country can be saved.

We need to stop worrying about finding "common ground" with dipshits in "rather be Russian than Democrat" T-shirts... dipshits that storm statehouses in Sears and Roebuck cammies carrying assault weapons... dipshits in "Donald can grab my pussy" T-shirts... and devote our energies to stomping a fucking hole right through the middle of them.

It's like asking the Jewish people to find common ground with the Nazis.

There's only one way out of this shitshow.

Retrumplicans need to be beaten so fucking bad that it will be a thousand years before they would even think of running someone like Donnie Shit for Brains for local dogcatcher.

And, once we have beaten the ever-loving-shit out of Retrumplicans, we need to march on every fucking local radio station that fed us 50 years of racism and hate, and tear them down brick by brick.

This fuckstick wins 4 more years, they'll be fucking hunting us down in the streets with DOJ sanction.

[modrepub]

32. Hard Choices Ahead

How much longer can the uneven collection and distribution of tax receipts at the federal and state level continue?

The right continue to hammer the "high tax" liberals for spending money on social programs. If anyone actually looks at where tax revenues are coming from the real story here is the "high tax" areas (blue) probably have high taxes because they have to make up for the net loss of revenue on the state and federal levels. Keeping more taxes local would probably alleviate the ever creeping tax hikes at the local and state level. The rural areas of most states probably swallow lots of money just to keep their roads and schools functioning.

I always felt that the time would come when there would be a serious analysis regarding who are the givers and takers in this country and that changes would have to be made. COVID-19 is going to make this country choose how much it's willing to give to the takers in this country.

[ecstatic]

38. Of course not. We're witnessing the end

in real time.

Democrats would have to take off the kid gloves and get ruthless to get things under control: shut down Fox News, Limbaugh, and all of the other trash polluting the nation. Even then, it would still take another 5 to 10 years to deprogram, etc.

[Yeehah]

39. Personally, I'm sick and tired of these redneck imbeciles

I hope there can be an amicable separation and the dumb fucks can start their own third-world shithole.

[cry baby]

40. "America" pulled together in WWII with very few exceptions.

We aren’t “America” anymore and haven’t been since the Reagan years when “America” left so many behind.

I guess I’m cynical today.

[Crunchy Frog]

45. In my opinion, no.

I don't see how we can possibly remain a single nation at this point.

Ultimately, I think we'll end up breaking up into smaller countries.

[JI7]

46. There is no BOth Sides to this . One sides accepts science and listens to experts

the other side thinks the shit's words outweigh whatever Fauci has to say .

[Generic Brad]

49. A pretty big chunk of that 40% will die from the virus

The denial and risky behavior they flout will be the demise of some and the comeuppance of many. That percent will go down by the end of the year.

[Jspur]

50. I'm still in my 30's but I will

say nope and it has to do with race. America was united during WW2 because they were around 90 percent white and the remaining was black. The country is now 60 some percent white and 40 percent minorities. This is what has created the division and I say this as someone who is a minority. I wish this wasn't the case but there are too many white Americans who would like to see an America where minorities are excluded from every basic right. The 2016 election really was about White America wanting to stop America from becoming a minority majority country.

[kentuck]

51. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Still true.

[Kaleva]

52. I think it's a stretch to say half the nation hates the other half and vice versa

I think it's more like a small minority hates everyone else who isn't a member of their group.

For most, I think, it's more of a matter of being in disagreement.

[JCMach1]

55. 40% of voters might actually be just 20-25% of pop.

Small enough to qualify as just an obnoxious minority