How is this polarization possible?

brianlux

In the article linked below is this comment:

“You’ve got an America polarized on issues of sexual orientation, race, gender, all of which is tied into civil rights, and there are radicals on both sides of that fence,” says Rob Weiner, a pop culture expert at Texas Tech University.

I don't get how that is possible. I don't get how it is that people have a problem with someone else having a different sexual orientation or skin color or religious belief or taste in music or brand of underwear. How is this possible? Can someone please explain this? And I don't get why supporting the right of someone else to be different is called "radical". What the...? :eh:

http://news.yahoo.com/duck-dynasty-stan ... 11126.html

tampajammin

its possible because some people don't want to stop and think for a second that we were all created from the same source, God, energy, whatever it is you want to call it. its possible because some religions teach nothing more than intolerance of others, our way or the only way. its possible because people get so upset over anything and everything and there must be "sides" to be on. its possible because the powers at be would rather see a divided people than a unified society because when we are divided they have more power. its possible because people just can't accept that some things are the way they are...


that help?

BELLZDEEP

tampajammin wrote:

its possible because some people don't want to stop and think for a second that we were all created from the same source, God, energy, whatever it is you want to call it. its possible because some religions teach nothing more than intolerance of others, our way or the only way. its possible because people get so upset over anything and everything and there must be "sides" to be on. its possible because the powers at be would rather see a divided people than a unified society because when we are divided they have more power. its possible because people just can't accept that some things are the way they are...


that help?

Great answer!! You nailed it my friend!!

CM189191

brianlux wrote:

a pop culture expert at Texas Tech University.

Well...there's your problem right there!!!

brianlux

CM189191 wrote:

brianlux wrote:

a pop culture expert at Texas Tech University.

Well...there's your problem right there!!!

Yeah, that's a good point.

Unfortunately, this great divide does exist in America (and other parts of the world) and it makes no sense to me. "Live and let live", one of the oldest cliches around, does not seem to work for many people. I'll never understand why that is-- so if not somewhat rhetorical, perhaps my question is simply absurd.

gimmesometruth27

polarization is easy to explain.

talk radio and 24 hour cable "news" is responsible for it.

the majority of people get their "news" from one source.

most times it is a biased source, or an opinion show passing off opinion as news.

people like it when people tell them what they want to hear or what reinforces their beliefs. just because somebody talks louder, talks over someone, or is more animated, they must be right, right? this is preaching to the choir.

it gets to the point where people are so set in what they want to hear that they refuse to listen to anything counter to what they believe. they tone it out immediately. people do not like when their beliefs are challenged.

all of this just reinforces that fact that the level of discourse in this country is stuck at about a 6th grade level. and it is a god damned shame.

mikepegg44

All social animals try to destroy something that is different, something that is not understood.

We are social animals. Therefore we will try to destroy something that is different and form bonds with those we perceive to be similar. our level of communication and motivation is all too often given too much credit and put too high above very primal animal behaviors.


Brian, if you are not careful and start extrapolating the live and let live philosophy further out, I may pull you over to libertarianism yet.

Godfather.

without it there would be no political parties and maybe without it there would be no wars.....
awesome question Brian ! sadly tho we are a people with the ability to love and hate and make choices of our own,
I know you realize this but your question has me thinking how sad it is that everybody on "both sides" love and hate equally the things that are different from them selfs and even more sad is that it will not go away any time soon.


Godfather.

brianlux

gimmesometruth27 wrote:

polarization is easy to explain.

talk radio and 24 hour cable "news" is responsible for it.

the majority of people get their "news" from one source.

most times it is a biased source, or an opinion show passing off opinion as news.

people like it when people tell them what they want to hear or what reinforces their beliefs. just because somebody talks louder, talks over someone, or is more animated, they must be right, right? this is preaching to the choir.

it gets to the point where people are so set in what they want to hear that they refuse to listen to anything counter to what they believe. they tone it out immediately. people do not like when their beliefs are challenged.

all of this just reinforces that fact that the level of discourse in this country is stuck at about a 6th grade level. and it is a god damned shame.

So true! So much of media is and populous are in a downward "dummied down" cycle. :(

mikepegg44 wrote:

All social animals try to destroy something that is different, something that is not understood.

We are social animals. Therefore we will try to destroy something that is different and form bonds with those we perceive to be similar. our level of communication and motivation is all too often given too much credit and put too high above very primal animal behaviors.


Brian, if you are not careful and start extrapolating the live and let live philosophy further out, I may pull you over to libertarianism yet.

Wanting to bond with people who are similar makes sense, Mike. But what makes even more sense to me is wanting- desiring even- to explore, learn about, maybe even embrace other ways of thinking, being, living. As an analogy, Pearl Jam is great- many of us think it's some of the best music out there- but how many of us think it's the only great music out there? Who would want to only listen to Pearl Jam? Wouldn't that seem a little strange to most of us?


Ha! Getting me to admit to any label is like pulling teeth, Mike. But actually there are aspects of libertarianism that appeal to me and I do respect some people (like yourself) who are libertarians. But there are just too many libertarians (not all) who take the extreme view of doing what ever they want. For example, I have libertarian neighbors who say it's their right to burn trash even though a) it stinks up the neighborhood b) doing so creates unhealthy air quality and c) there are county ordinances (through Air Quality Management District) that prohibit the burning of trash. I say, "Thank you, county, for that ordinance (even though it is not well upheld)" and they say, "We don't need the government telling us we can't burn trash." So in theory, libertarianism is great but in practice I don't see it working very well.

brianlux

Godfather. wrote:

without it there would be no political parties and maybe without it there would be no wars.....
awesome question Brian ! sadly tho we are a people with the ability to love and hate and make choices of our own,
I know you realize this but your question has me thinking how sad it is that everybody on "both sides" love and hate equally the things that are different from them selfs and even more sad is that it will not go away any time soon.


Godfather.

Makes sense, GF. If we learned to just hate hate we might start to get somewhere-- together!

mikepegg44

brianlux wrote:

gimmesometruth27 wrote:

polarization is easy to explain.

talk radio and 24 hour cable "news" is responsible for it.

the majority of people get their "news" from one source.

most times it is a biased source, or an opinion show passing off opinion as news.

people like it when people tell them what they want to hear or what reinforces their beliefs. just because somebody talks louder, talks over someone, or is more animated, they must be right, right? this is preaching to the choir.

it gets to the point where people are so set in what they want to hear that they refuse to listen to anything counter to what they believe. they tone it out immediately. people do not like when their beliefs are challenged.

all of this just reinforces that fact that the level of discourse in this country is stuck at about a 6th grade level. and it is a god damned shame.

So true! So much of media is and populous are in a downward "dummied down" cycle. :(

mikepegg44 wrote:

All social animals try to destroy something that is different, something that is not understood.

We are social animals. Therefore we will try to destroy something that is different and form bonds with those we perceive to be similar. our level of communication and motivation is all too often given too much credit and put too high above very primal animal behaviors.


Brian, if you are not careful and start extrapolating the live and let live philosophy further out, I may pull you over to libertarianism yet.

Wanting to bond with people who are similar makes sense, Mike. But what makes even more sense to me is wanting- desiring even- to explore, learn about, maybe even embrace other ways of thinking, being, living. As an analogy, Pearl Jam is great- many of us think it's some of the best music out there- but how many of us think it's the only great music out there? Who would want to only listen to Pearl Jam? Wouldn't that seem a little strange to most of us?


Ha! Getting me to admit to any label is like pulling teeth, Mike. But actually there are aspects of libertarianism that appeal to me and I do respect some people (like yourself) who are libertarians. But there are just too many libertarians (not all) who take the extreme view of doing what ever they want. For example, I have libertarian neighbors who say it's their right to burn trash even though a) it stinks up the neighborhood b) doing so creates unhealthy air quality and c) there are county ordinances (through Air Quality Management District) that prohibit the burning of trash. I say, "Thank you, county, for that ordinance (even though it is not well upheld)" and they say, "We don't need the government telling us we can't burn trash." So in theory, libertarianism is great but in practice I don't see it working very well.

not going to derail thread but so tempted lol so I will just say, those aren't libertarians, they just sound like assholes (although there are plenty who are both)

I agree with your take brian, I am just telling you that all animals try to destroy what is different. If you take the music analogy out further there are those that have eclectic tastes, will accept anything and listen to all types of music and try to respect it for what it is, others will call others faggots and worse for simply liking Justin Timberlake. You wouldn't believe the looks I get when some old bay area funk comes crashing through my speakers when I have people over or worse yet, when the aforementioned timberlake comes on...lots won't admit it, but everyone loves that guy

Bentleyspop

Boils down to fear, hate, and ignorance

backseatLover12

Well, since Pope Frank has come out in acceptance to Gays, current day Christians no longer have that platform to run on to support individuals prejudice toward gays.

In other words, they'll get desperate to define their prejudices as acceptable through whatever platform they can find (Pope Phil Robertson).

backseatLover12

brianlux wrote:

I don't get how that is possible. I don't get how it is that people have a problem with someone else having a different sexual orientation or skin color or religious belief or taste in music or brand of underwear. How is this possible? Can someone please explain this? And I don't get why supporting the right of someone else to be different is called "radical". What the...? :eh:

You and me both.

The more people are writing that it's acceptable to be completely intolerant of anyone who has differences from us, the more it actually is acceptable. I call it "the spreading of universal hate; fuck everyone who doesn't think exactly like me".

Oh how I miss Sly Stone. Different strokes for different folks.

backseatLover12

Godfather. wrote:

without it there would be no political parties and maybe without it there would be no wars.....
awesome question Brian ! sadly tho we are a people with the ability to love and hate and make choices of our own,
I know you realize this but your question has me thinking how sad it is that everybody on "both sides" love and hate equally the things that are different from them selfs and even more sad is that it will not go away any time soon.


Godfather.

Yet, once upon a time, for years and years and years, the political parties actually accepted and worked through each party's difference to arrive at a solution, which is the entire point of checks and balances in govt. The entire point of having two major parties. Look that one up in your history book. Each one checked and balanced the other, the entire point of arriving at a compromise!

rollings

The very fact that all the religions in the world think that theirs is the right one goes to the core of the fact that people are idiots and can't understand how infinitely stupid their very beliefs are (if they do in fact believe that their religion is "the one")

Same thing with racists--how profoundly, profoundly stupid to be "proud" of your skin color. As if anybody had anything in the world to do with the skin color he or she was born with.

Those who are anti same-sex marriage, same thing. Who in the world are you to say that John shouldn't marry Ralph.

Polarization of democrat vs. republican, however, this I do understand....except for the part of the few seemingly normal individuals I know who are also republican. This always blows my mind.

either this or gimmesometruth27 is right....its all the cable news fault

brianlux

backseatLover12 wrote:

brianlux wrote:

I don't get how that is possible. I don't get how it is that people have a problem with someone else having a different sexual orientation or skin color or religious belief or taste in music or brand of underwear. How is this possible? Can someone please explain this? And I don't get why supporting the right of someone else to be different is called "radical". What the...? :eh:

You and me both.

The more people are writing that it's acceptable to be completely intolerant of anyone who has differences from us, the more it actually is acceptable. I call it "the spreading of universal hate; fuck everyone who doesn't think exactly like me".

Oh how I miss Sly Stone. Different strokes for different folks.

Not to add too much to minor derailing but this does remind me of something...

Stand

Stand

Sta-a-a-a-nd!

backseatLover12

Bentleyspop wrote:

Boils down to fear, hate, and ignorance

Bingo. And, it also boils down to apathy, greed and intolerance.

The hate thing gets to me, though. When a person is hateful, they don't just hate others. That hate primarily is of themselves. And we wonder why people are so angry in general...

brianlux

rollings wrote:

--how profoundly, profoundly stupid to be "proud" of your skin color. As if anybody had anything in the world to do with the skin color he or she was born with.

Those who are anti same-sex marriage, same thing. Who in the world are you to say that John shouldn't marry Ralph.

Yes! How absurd! Well said, Rollings!

backseatLover12

rollings wrote:

The very fact that all the religions in the world think that theirs is the right one goes to the core of the fact that people are idiots and can't understand how infinitely stupid their very beliefs are (if they do in fact believe that their religion is "the one")

Same thing with racists--how profoundly, profoundly stupid to be "proud" of your skin color. As if anybody had anything in the world to do with the skin color he or she was born with.

Those who are anti same-sex marriage, same thing. Who in the world are you to say that John shouldn't marry Ralph.

Polarization of democrat vs. republican, however, this I do understand....except for the part of the few seemingly normal individuals I know who are also republican. This always blows my mind.

either this or gimmesometruth27 is right....its all the cable news fault

And here, all religions are man made. All these followers aren't following a god, they're following a human leader that made it all up.

rollings

backseatLover12 wrote:

rollings wrote:

The very fact that all the religions in the world think that theirs is the right one goes to the core of the fact that people are idiots and can't understand how infinitely stupid their very beliefs are (if they do in fact believe that their religion is "the one")

Same thing with racists--how profoundly, profoundly stupid to be "proud" of your skin color. As if anybody had anything in the world to do with the skin color he or she was born with.

Those who are anti same-sex marriage, same thing. Who in the world are you to say that John shouldn't marry Ralph.

Polarization of democrat vs. republican, however, this I do understand....except for the part of the few seemingly normal individuals I know who are also republican. This always blows my mind.

either this or gimmesometruth27 is right....its all the cable news fault

And here, all religions are man made. All these followers aren't following a god, they're following a human leader that made it all up.

correct in what you said. When I said "religion", I meant man's various interpretations of God.

Anybody who believes in God, but also believes their religion that says "you are the chosen and I'm excluding half of the world's population and only you certain people will even have a chance to go to heaven.".....

How people can't understand the absurdity in their own beliefs is absolutely mind-blowing