The right side of history: the partisanship/civil war thread

[BurtReynolds]

Maybe some of you history buffs can help me out here, but is there a mechanism other than war or purging that causes a country, particularly a republic, to become less partisan and divided over time? People are surprised every time some new low is reached in government or society, but it seems inevitable to me. Not only that, but the accelerating increase in the division seems predictable.

anyway: Civil War II coming 2022.

[Strat]

just calm down burt.

[Superblood Wolfmoon]

I don't believe this is the only time the country has been so divided, nor that in this day and age, the federal government could be subjected to a war against it by states. It's not the 19th century anymore...the days of muskets and trenches are long gone. Division will likely be cured by the inevitable failure of the two-party system, as each caters more and more to the extreme elements of its ideology, and the rise of a new party that has more centrist views that represent a majority of Americans. If you watch the news all the time and how Congress behaves, you'd think there was a war in the streets between liberals and conservatives, but the truth is the vast majority of people in this country go about their day thinking little about all this, doing business with and getting along just fine with people who think and act differently.

[tragabigzanda]

FUCK ICE

[BurtReynolds]

I'm mostly joking about civil war (mostly), but I do see things turning more violent. Maybe some terrorist stuff, etc.

Actually I think it will come in some new form that I can't predict.

Of course, it won't be traditional warfare or battle lines or any of that silliness. If the south were smart the first civil war wouldn't have been fought that way either.



I have my doubts about a new centrist party fixing things. Of course, you're all welcome to join my centrist/classical-liberal/libertarian coalition any time you like.

[BurtReynolds]

Maybe some of you history buffs can help me out here, but is there a mechanism other than war or purging that causes a country, particularly a republic, to become less partisan and divided over time?People are surprised every time some new low is reached in government or society, but it seems inevitable to me. Not only that, but the accelerating increase in the division seems predictable.

anyway: Civil War II coming 2022.

social media

the god that failed.

[BurtReynolds]

ALternative title: With God On Our Side, Who The Hell Could Be On Theirs?: The Mild Disagreement to Civil War Super Highway

[96583UP]

a war for existence will unite

e.g. WWII

[96583UP]

i think although americans seem increasingly 'divided' their won't be a 'civil war' because most of the GOP untermensch are too lazy or stupid to construct anything durable. they are definitely capable of a one or two-off act of 'shit where we eat' style rioting. but to construct anything orderly like an insurgency (if the propaganda they consume tells them to think they are now the underdog), or a pogrom (if their propaganda tells them to think they are the alpha dog), is well above their collective cognitive ability at this point

they are a generation of people that have been groomed to be taken advantage of

they could be tricked into dying in the middle east again but it's not in the oligarchy's best interest to trick them into attacking their own countrymen domestically

too disruptive to GDP

[BurtReynolds]

this thread is gonna be great.

[---]

this thread is gonna be great.

the CopperTom, Biff Pocoroba, and lennytheweedwhacker accounts have already expressed an interest via PM in re-enacting it several years hence

[bada]

Demographics over the next couple decades will push the country further left marginalizing the right. The left will go too far cause everyone goes too far and the country will center out just in time for a global extinction event that we will overcome and life will turn into Star Trek.

[96583UP]

these days i am less of the belief that a global extinction will occur but more that specific localized mass extinction events will occur. like

waves of hurricanes cause unprecedented 1,000-year urban coastal location flooding -> mass dying event -> opens up nearby nuclear /industrial waste contamination -> toxic estuary created -> urban coastal location abandoned

or

china is running out of resources to support its massive population -> incurs riots -> china fears revolution, decides to thin out its numbers -> one thing leads to another and china kills a half a billion of its own people -> a half billion less people live in china

or

Israel finally meddles in Iran too far -> jeopardizes Iranian theocracy -> Iran nukes Israel -> Israel nukes Iran -> everyone else on the planet is happy neither country exists anymore

something like that

[BurtReynolds]

I can see things playing out so differently depending on which group of authoritarian assholes happen to be in charge at the time.

[96583UP]

examples, please

don't keep these ideas to yourself

if you have them, this is where we share them

[LoathedVermin72]

I think the truth is that is nothing out of the boring norm will come of any of this. Discontent will be pacified into apathy as usual. Then we’ll forget and move on.

[BurtReynolds]

examples, please

don't keep these ideas to yourself

if you have them, this is where we share them

A conservative court and liberal congress throws a kink in my post-apocalyptic fantasies, but I'll work up a few scenarios.

[Strat]

I think the truth is that is nothing out of the boring norm will come of any of this. Discontent will be pacified into apathy as usual. Then we’ll forget and move on.

Yes. The cycle goes round and round. "Every generation thinks its the last"

We're all fine. Everything is fine. How are you?


Burt wants the end of the world to happen just so he has an excuse not to deal with his own misery. Unfortunately for him, he's stuck with all of us. Right here on RM. Forever.

[washing machine]

I think the truth is that is nothing out of the boring norm will come of any of this. Discontent will be pacified into apathy as usual. Then we’ll forget and move on.

Yes. The cycle goes round and round. "Every generation thinks its the last"

We're all fine. Everything is fine. How are you?


Burt wants the end of the world to happen just so he has an excuse not to deal with his own misery. Unfortunately for him, he's stuck with all of us. Right here on RM. Forever.

Aren’t Wilco and Han Solo great?

[Strat]

I think the truth is that is nothing out of the boring norm will come of any of this. Discontent will be pacified into apathy as usual. Then we’ll forget and move on.

Yes. The cycle goes round and round. "Every generation thinks its the last"

We're all fine. Everything is fine. How are you?


Burt wants the end of the world to happen just so he has an excuse not to deal with his own misery. Unfortunately for him, he's stuck with all of us. Right here on RM. Forever.

Aren’t Wilco and Han Solo great?

Nailed them both in one post. I thought that was a pretty solid effort