Extremists Invade America: A nation in distress.

I've mostly avoided getting too far into politics on SteemIt... the flag feature is a very real threat when someone's disagreeing with your opinion can essentially cost you money. Especially in today's climate of politics being the new religion. But... what the hell. I'm not so far into SteemIt that I can't just move on and go back to FaceBook if this proves to be a space of complete intolerance for unpopular opinions.

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So... lets talk about these extremists.

America over the last few decades has, in large part because of social media, become a nation riddled with extremists groups pushing against the fabric of tolerance and inclusiveness that once made this nation pretty damn fantastic. They throw science, reason, mathematics, research, etc all out the window and latch onto their particular flavor of idealism with such fervor that any who don't stand with them are immediately classified as part of the conspiracy, or just ignorant sheep. Because they know the "truth" and only the "truth" can be true.

These personal truths are so woven into the fabric of their identities that and disagreement is no longer an opposing view on a subject, but a personal affront to them and their very way of life. This leads them to react severely, and sometimes even violently, to any and all opposition no matter how mild.

I'm not talking about religion... I'm talking about politics.

Left vs Right

Wait? Politics? Yes. The Left and The Right, Donkeys and Elephants, Red and Blue, Libtards and Old White Men, Us and Them...
All of these phrases, EVERY SINGLE ONE, is summed up in the last example. Us and Them. No longer are we all Americans, striving for a better America. Now we have manifested, as a nation, into two teams in some eternal Heaven vs Hell tug of war for the soul of the nation... with each side believing their side are the good guys.

What the hell happened?

When did we stop seeing our neighbor as "Larry, with his wife and two adorable kids... and that damn dog that keeps shitting in my yard" and instead seeing them as "Those fucking bleeding heart liberal snowflakes" based on which yard sign they put out, or what bumper sticker they put on their car? When did "Harry, who lets me borrow his edger when mine is out of string" become "That racist right wing idiot who hates poor people" just because he put on a red Trump hat?

Where did all of this hate come from?

Media. Social and otherwise. That's where.

Ratings. Ratings ratings ratings. Clickthroughs, ad revenue, "like" based popularity, internet anonymity. Sensational sells, and if you don't have to look the person you're insulting in the face as you do it... well... it makes it quite a bit easier. Then you get so used to doing it, even when you DO have to look them in the face it just comes sort of naturally. And mainstream media VERY quickly jumped in on the trends as well, after all... you can't sell advertisements if no one is watching! And this is what people want to watch: validation of their beliefs, even if they're wrong. So that's what media gave them. Taking sides, and then providing all the bias tilted articles in the world for their fans to share on social media to "prove" just how right they are for thinking how they do. Never mind that there are just as many articles on the other side saying how wrong they are... those are the "fake" articles... obviously.

Don't get me wrong... there is a load of fake news out there. Some intentional satire (which sadly a large percentage of the population still believes is true) and some blatant manipulation through lies and disinformation. And nothing spreads faster than a nice big juicy lie.

Middle Ground

But the reality is that most of the truth actually lies somewhere in the middle of both of those sides. Both in media, and in what's best for our nations legal structure. This is why our nation was designed with multiple parties, and multiple departments of legislature, and checks and balances, and so on... to find that balance. To compromise. The word bi-partisan should be the most COMMON word used to describe a new bill... not the rare exception.

Expect more from me...

So this is a brief rant on my upsetting outrage not ant any one political party, not at any one side, but that we're taking sides at all. And that the sides are getting further and further apart until what we're left with are the Socialist do-gooders who want to rob from those who earned it and give to anyone who asks for it (but somehow expect those they're taking it from will keep doing what they did to earn it) and those who want to do nothing but use their power to line their own pockets (and the pockets of their buddies) and run for the door. Unrealistic wishful thinking vs unsustainable greed. As a nation of voters, and the parties themselves, we need to find our middle ground again... so I'll be making a series of middle ground suggestions on the major issues and only ask that before you make your dramatic knee jerk reaction based on your belief set, you take a moment and consider one thing: If the compromise between what you wanted and what they wanted was acceptable rather than the alternative of a constant war within both government and the hearts/minds of yourself and the people around you. If accepting a partial ideal is acceptable so long as it helps bring peace and healing to a VERY divided nation. Because if we don't heal that divide, it WILL rip us apart... and then nobody wins.