(no subject)

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Comments

[wight1984.livejournal.com]

As much as I agree with your overall characterisation of the American right-wing, I'm not sure that it's the right angle from which to address this issue; 'The other side is wrong' isn't really a good way to talk about how political camps can achieve better dialogue and move towards common ground and understanding.

[deborahkla.livejournal.com]

I've lived through over 40 years of growing polarization and the demonization of the left by the right. I'm not going to wear gloves with the right wing when their approach is with bloodied fists. The common ground needed for change cannot be found among politicians, but within the working class. They need to recognize how the polarization has been used by the right wing to create fear and hatred. Only when that happens will genuine change be affected. But because working class Americans are passive and complacent as long as they have their televisions and their fast food, it's going to take some time for them to wake up to reality.

[wight1984.livejournal.com]

"I've lived through over 40 years of growing polarization and the demonization of the left by the right. I'm not going to wear gloves with the right wing "

'He started it' is also not likely to be a sensible approach to how to have better political conversations, especially not given that you think it started 40 years ago.

" They need to recognize how the polarization has been used by the right wing to create fear and hatred"

That's entirely missing the point. You can't combat polarisation by telling people to reject one of the poles in favour of the other... that will just feed it.

If people rejected the idea that politics had to be conducted as if there are only two camps you can belong to and that, once you've chosen yours, you've got to hate and/or ridicule the other then you might get somewhere.