how divided is america?

[danielost]

This was a guestion tonight on hannity. He asked his audence of experts, the highest number given was a three.

So on a scale of one to ten how divided do you think america is, and why you think so.

I give us a six or seven because we are still willing to drop anything to go help in a desaster, man made or nature made.

I don't think we ever have achieved a ten on the scale.

Edited July 24, 2013 by danielost

[+and-then]

It's a difficult question. The noise coming from the media would have us believe we are hopelessly divided. But 9-11 proved that wasn't so, at least not 12 years ago. I have to wonder if another event like that happened (or, God forbid, a worse one) if we still would pull together or simply start squabbling. I like to think we would pull together. The divisions are serious but the ideals of this nation haven't been completely lost...yet...

I think I'd say 6...

[Blink4567]

COmpletely divided

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

It's divided 50 odd times surely ...

[Raptor Witness]

What you're asking is so general that there isn't a correct answer.

Most Americans are nationalists at heart, but their heads are always divided.

I think you'd have to go back to the Civil War to find an example of a divided heart.

[seaturtlehorsesnake]

on a scale of one to ten? Q.

[MiskatonicGrad]

It's a difficult question. The noise coming from the media would have us believe we are hopelessly divided. But 9-11 proved that wasn't so, at least not 12 years ago. I have to wonder if another event like that happened (or, God forbid, a worse one) if we still would pull together or simply start squabbling. I like to think we would pull together. The divisions are serious but the ideals of this nation haven't been completely lost...yet...

I think I'd say 6...

I don't think disasters are a good way of judging how divided we are in those situations the cream tends to rise to the top and the less productive opinions are pushed to the side. during 9-11 we were just as divided as we are now the media just saw better ratings by reporting on americans coming together to get the "job" done. Then you have disasters that are less catastrophic (in the eyes of the media) that are a good opportunity to show our division (Katrina) the communities outside of New Orleans came together but all we get to here about is the welfare people getting the shaft.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

on a scale of one to ten? Q.

Q?

You small-minded spigot! It's clearly Fluggle.

[Jeremiah65]

I think it depends on the topic whether it be foreign or domestic policy...wars, social programs, Government spending, over reach...etc...etc...etc.

Really too hard to say until you refine it down to an issue.

[questionmark]

Depends on the question. On some not much, on others a lot.

Much more dysfunctional than America is the American political establishment.

[Frank Merton]

Yea the states are the states, with a few little differences (mostly artificial like Santa Fe) here and there it is a unified culture.

Where there is a problem is that it is a two-party system and the two parties have rigged the rules in thousands of ways to keep it that way. That would be okay I think since a lot of multi-party systems are unstable and end up in autocratic regimes. The problem is the vote is rarely more than 55% one way or the other (unless its in what is in effect a one-party area, and these are diminishing). Usually its much closer, so victors have little mandate and nothing gets done.

Maybe that's good, but it doesn't feel right and certainly people don't seem to like it. If they are to pay good money to members of Congress, they want work product out of them.

As a Vietnamese having in my career watched the development of this country, without really participating, I have become a believer in single-party systems where the membership is limited to an educated elite who make decisions by caucus rather than elections and where the caucus members tend to know each other personally. You have continuity of policy but with capacity for change and you don't have public battles over this and that. The danger in past Communist systems of course has been the rise of personality cults, and we are very much aware of this, so systems of mandatory retirements and limited powers are in place. My perception is that it makes for dull tedious meetings that seem to go on forever, stable governance with rotating offices, continuity, and an attitude that the job is to try to do what is best for the country and the public.

There is corruption; there is crony-ism and nepotism and empire building, but there are also institutional safeguards and in my view a lot less of this sort of thing than is found in surrounding countries.

[danielost]

I don't think disasters are a good way of judging how divided we are in those situations the cream tends to rise to the top and the less productive opinions are pushed to the side. during 9-11 we were just as divided as we are now the media just saw better ratings by reporting on americans coming together to get the "job" done. Then you have disasters that are less catastrophic (in the eyes of the media) that are a good opportunity to show our division (Katrina) the communities outside of New Orleans came together but all we get to here about is the welfare people getting the shaft.

The media are amongst those who are trying to divide us. They want to show things like protests of he out come of the case against zimmerman. When the real america is hidden fropm us

[rashore]

I think it depends on what the subject is as to how divided we are about it. There different levels of division about issues, economics, social structures, geography... But then there are day to day things that we all have in common too.

Edit: clarification.

Edited July 24, 2013 by rashore

[Purplos]

What most people here said.... divided in what way?

There are a million topics affecting Americans. On some I'm sure we're hardly divided at all. On others, insanely splintered.

The question makes little sense on its own.

[Frank Merton]

I think the question -- divided in what way -- implies the nature of the problem. America is divided left and right, as are all countries, and the left is progressive, non-if not anti-religious, statist (solving problems with regulation), redistributionist (the political agenda is aimed at the poor) while the right is traditional, laissez-faire, not bothered by economic class differences and in fact sees them as an agent of advancement.

[danielost]

Ok if you need to use catagories do so. What might come up would different from what you do.

[cgowens]

This was a guestion tonight on hannity. He asked his audence of experts, the highest number given was a three.

So on a scale of one to ten how divided do you think america is, and why you think so.

I give us a six or seven because we are still willing to drop anything to go help in a desaster, man made or nature made.

I don't think we ever have achieved a ten on the scale.

thats how divided they are from the rest of the world.

[danielost]

No, from each other.

[ninjadude]

"experts" on Hannity. What a joke.

[Jeremiah65]

In that case....I personally think what is dividing this country the most is the role of Government in our daily lives.

Some think the Gov needs to be all up in your life and business.

Some of us think it needs to do it's job protecting the borders, maintaining infrastructure and facilitating business...and no more.

[MiskatonicGrad]

"experts" on Hannity. What a joke.

"why yes Sean we are divided. I guess the medias plan (which you are part of) is working quite well.

[danielost]

It was said on here that we shouldn't base how divided our country is during desasters, because the cream always rises to the top. But I say when we have a desaster we see how much cream we have left in this country. That seems to be over 50%at least. We have people like george zimmerman, who has a price on his head, stopping to help people in trouble. Where is that on msnbc.

[Likely Guy]

What you're asking is so general that there isn't a correct answer.

Most Americans are nationalists at heart, but their heads are always divided.

I think you'd have to go back to the Civil War to find an example of a divided heart.

I agree that there is no correct answer, but speaking as one of your northern neighbours, IMHO the last time the USA was unified for any length of time was WW2.

[danielost]

There have been two post on here that shouldn't be. So I am going to ask if you can't debate the topic please don't post. This is the first time I have had to ask.

[danielost]

I agree that there is no correct answer, but speaking as one of your northern neighbours, IMHO the last time the USA was unified for any length of time was WW2.

I agree. But we have not had another ptoblem that big since. Except on 9/11 for that month we stood together.