Can the current state of American political discourse be remedied?

The system doesn't want peaceful political discourse. If ordinary people on both sides of the political spectrum were to peacefully communicate, they would realize they were really the same deep down, and the edifice of political hate that the very rich have developed would collapse. The 1% only survive because the 99% is warring among itself.
 
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the best way to prevent national radicalisation about identity politics or other non-political issues is a diversion.

Something like Vermont trying to become a country or something.
Oil getting 4x more expensive.
A war getting fought on us soil.
Libertarians/Greens getting a senate majority.

Nothing you personally can do about it though.
 
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DNJACK said:
the best way to prevent national radicalisation about identity politics or other non-political issues is a diversion.

Something like Vermont trying to become a country or something.
Oil getting 4x more expensive.
A war getting fought on us soil.
Libertarians/Greens getting a senate majority.

Nothing you personally can do about it though.
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Or like in "The Watchmen" where you fake a war with a god-like creature.

There has to be something that everybody can come together on.
 
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its a little easier then that. they have to be for or against it in a way that cannot be easily divided into republicans/democrats.
 
DNJACK said:
the best way to prevent national radicalisation about identity politics or other non-political issues is a diversion.

Something like Vermont trying to become a country or something.
Oil getting 4x more expensive.
A war getting fought on us soil.
Libertarians/Greens getting a senate majority.

Nothing you personally can do about it though.
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Vermont is a bad example though, no one would fucking miss Vermont.
 
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what's needed more than anything is a topic change. social issues like lgbtq and #MeToo nonsense need to take a back seat to actual issues like the tax code, how to deal with china, immigration reform, the opioid pandemic. the problem is that the media keeps feeding people the idea that these social issues are the most important things plaguing the country right now by giving those things mare airtime than they're due, and so people get burnt out on who the wokest fucking tranny on tv is before they even get the chance to think about the trade war with china.

Krokodil Overdose said:
the rectification of names
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you mean 正名? pretty sure that's a task reserved for the elites in context.
 
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BoingBoingBoi said:
you mean 正名? pretty sure that's a task reserved for the elites in context.
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Technically yes, but I'm trying to use it in a broader sense. The idea I'm trying to convey is that the notation and reality should correspond as closely as possible (I've seen this called "formalism" in some cases but that seems to be a minority use of the term.) One of the reasons that our discourse is in such a sorry state these days is because the language itself been twisted by moralizing busybodies for the sake of what they think ought to be, rather than what is.

Don't know if there's a succinct word or phrase that adequately captures this, though.
 
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The internet was always going to shake politics up, which is what we're seeing with the polarization and catastrophizing right now, IMO. But eventually it'll find it's level.

Give it a decade or so, til everyone screeching about "OMG, Drumpf/the SJWs will end western society!!" realise that they're being completely rctarded and that things really aren't that bad, and they'll stop crying and move on with their lives. Probably.

Or not and we'll all die. Hard to tell tbh.
 
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man reading these hot takes from the video makes me want to bash the fash even harder
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or if things go tits up i might move to the far east and become an english teacher and have several undocumented children with several thirsty anime (i.e. 10/10 hottthicc asian) babes.
 
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LOL @ that first comment. Not sure which version is funnier, that she's a tankie leftover from the Reagan administration, or that she's an SJW who's so dumb she thinks that the left-wing discourse abandoned class talk by accident.
 
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mrdk_04 said:
Since the 2016 elections (Brexit and Trump), the Western world has seen a massive increase in polarization and aggresive rhetoric across its political spectrum.
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Mmm... yes and not.

What has really happened isn't that the world suddenly became polarized: what actually happened was that the world turned right and the left cannot stand it because the modern left is mostly young spoiled people who are product of helicopter parenting and who cannot tolerate being told "no" and old nostalgic commie farts who still dream with La Revolución.

Now, the reason the right is gaining power is not due to everybody turning a nazi. IMO, it's mostly due to two main factors:

1. It's a reaction to the ridiculous statements made by the left. Most people just want jobs and raise their families well. They are never going to vote for some pink haired tumblerina who exposes her naked body in front of their kids. And

2. The improvement of the society makes the state less needed and people naturally reject the core ideas of Leftism.

The reason why you see so much violence in the political discourse is because, as mentioned above, mos of the people who are part of the so-called left cannot tolerate their party isn't as needed as it was and the members have been taught that violence is ok. Wanna stop this? remove radicals from universities because they're the ones radicalizating the youth.
 
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Tasty Tatty said:
Mmm... yes and not.

What has really happened isn't that the world suddenly became polarized: what actually happened was that the world turned right and the left cannot stand it because the modern left is mostly young spoiled people who are product of helicopter parenting and who cannot tolerate being told "no" and old nostalgic commie farts who still dream with La Revolución.

Now, the reason the right is gaining power is not due to everybody turning a nazi. IMO, it's mostly due to two main factors:

1. It's a reaction to the ridiculous statements made by the left. Most people just want jobs and raise their families well. They are never going to vote for some pink haired tumblerina who exposes her naked body in front of their kids. And

2. The improvement of the society makes the state less needed and people naturally reject the core ideas of Leftism.

The reason why you see so much violence in the political discourse is because, as mentioned above, mos of the people who are part of the so-called left cannot tolerate their party isn't as needed as it was and the members have been taught that violence is ok. Wanna stop this? remove radicals from universities because they're the ones radicalizating the youth.
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i agree that the shift towards polarization is overblown. however, i disagree with your reasoning for the transition of power rightward. my own explanation is simpler: it's the right's turn. after 8 years of obama, people wanted a change. it's pretty rare for a two term president to hand off the presidency to a member of the same party, and i doubt that trump would have won if he was following up a fellow republican.

on your first point, keep in mind that most of the voting population is either ignorant of or doesnt care about screeching leftists at college campuses or on the internet. most people vote on economic interests. they vote democrat because dems will give them goodies. they vote republican because repubs will lower taxes. i just dont think it's plausible to think that most people aren't voting democrat to stick it to the tumblristas.

i think there's a grain of truth in your second point, but again i'd tweak it a bit to reflect the fact that the hardcore sjw leftists aren't actually mainstream democrats. (recall kieth fucking ellison, progressive leader of the party, being passed over for dnc chair). dems have highest approval ratings when they're tasked with "fixing" the economy. when the economy, i.e., the free market, is humming along, they're unnecessary. since they've been so utterly fucking inept regarding the economy as of late ("free healthcare and college for all!" lolkay) and don't actually have a foreign policy platform, the only thing they have left is to screech about these social/lgbtq issues that bad orange man opposes.

if we ignore the screeching on the far left and right sides, which we should, then i'd say that all that needs to be done to ensure a shift of power leftward is 1) trump gets the US into another endless war, or 2) trump utterly fucking tanks the economy. all the other nonsense political screeching on both sides generates more clicks and dollars than it does actual votes.
 
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