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February 16, 2006
The Polarization of America
Divided We Stand, Can a polarized nation win a protracted war? :
"The 2004 election left our country deeply divided over whether our country is deeply divided. For some, America is indeed a polarized nation, perhaps more so today than at any time in living memory. In this view, yesterday's split over Bill Clinton has given way to today's even more acrimonious split between Americans who detest George Bush and Americans who detest John Kerry, and similar divisions will persist as long as angry liberals and angry conservatives continue to confront each other across the political abyss. Others, however, believe that most Americans are moderate centrists, who, although disagreeing over partisan issues in 2004, harbor no deep ideological hostility. I take the former view."
There is no doubt about it, polarization is real and seems to be dividing our country more each year. In my opinion, a major contributor to this growing rift is our collective short-term memories. One need only look at September 11th and the months that followed to see how quickly we forget.
The increasing polarization here in America may very well play a part in our eventual downfall. However, I think it is important that we recognize that it is but a symptom of the underlying disease that is tearing us apart: radical individualism.
Read the entire essay:
Divided We Stand: Can a polarized nation win a protracted war?
by JAMES Q. WILSON
A tip of the hat to Sneakeasy's Joint for this great piece.
File Under:
politics
Posted by capecodcyclist at February 16, 2006 07:31 PM
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