74% of Americans worried about political divisions

[AgnosticBoy]

Here's a poll that hits home in the sense that it touches on one of the hallmarks of this forum - the non-partisanship aspect:

For this discussion, I wanted to focus more on the political divisions part which I believe is a symptom of partisanship in American politics. 74% of Americans are very or extremely concerned about political divisions. And here's another poll that covers a related topic:

I tie "dysfunctional family" category with the "political division" category from the previous poll because I believe "division" is one big problem that is causing dysfunction. A house divided against itself can not stand. How can expect to be a "tight knit family" as a nation when we are polarized and partisan?!

Because of the negative effects of political division, which I believe is a symptom of partisanship (which may also be a product of wanting power and money), I spend a lot of time discussing how to do the opposite - to be non-partisan. At times, I have focused on just the intellectual aspect of being non-partisan, but I only do that when I'm discussing agnosticism. Otherwise, this matter extends well beyond just how you think but also how you interact with others.

For Discussion:
What are your thoughts on these polls?
How can we stop political divisions?

 

[AgnosticBoy]

What are your thoughts on these polls?

Further analysis of this poll, which I'll post below, reveals that political division is getting worse.

...as 81% see the U.S. as a dysfunctional family that’s breaking apart, up from 71% two years ago. That sentiment hits 86% among Republicans and independents, and 74% among Democrats. Overall, only 16% describe the country as a tight-knit family emerging from challenging times.

Source: FoxNews

This should not come as a surprise to anyone, but what I wonder more is if people are considering what the cause is? In my view, I find that politicians have primed the population to look at the "other" side as an enemy. They do that based on how they demean the other side, how they inflame certain issues (on abortion, immigration, etc.). Even now, it seems as though a Republican and Democrat can not be friends or can not do business with each other. If America really got to that point then that would expedite our downfall, imo.

How can we stop political divisions?

I've discussed this issue on multiple threads. I think we need to acknowledge the problem, its cause, etc. We need to find good ways to interact with each other despite any disagreements and affiliations. Demoralizing and demeaning the other side, as we see in many forums online, won't help. I think this forum will be a big experiment on that.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

As an example, I really think the backlash to “political correctness” is stronger than the thing itself every was.

And I’m going to guess that it’s the same with CRT, or “critical race survey.”

So, Fox News finds that 72% of registered voters [back in Oct.] are “extremely” or “very” concerned with “what’s taught in schools” ? ?

This is a topic they’ve tried to juice up themselves. Or/and I’m wondering what subsection of voters have been surveyed.

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In my heart, I guess I believe it’s asymmetrical. That in recent years, it’s the right-wing noise machine which has done more to juice up divisions than has the left-wing.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Apparently, the US government, or at least the intelligence community, are starting to track political divisions. The only issue is that they are concerned about political divisions caused by misinformation from foreign countries.

U.S. intelligence officials are watching for any influence campaigns from Russia or China that are aimed at amplifying existing political divisions or stoking unrest among Americans over the indictment of former President Donald Trump, according to two U.S. officials.

Officials have been on alert since the indictment was confirmed last week and so far have not seen significant signs of Russian or Chinese interference in the country’s political discourse beyond the efforts that have become standard, the U.S. officials said.

Source: NBC news

Um, shouldn't they also be worried about domestic factors (politicians, biased news media, etc) that also contribute to "political divisions"?! Maybe they are. Hopefully they are. But at least they are acknowledging that political divisions are a threat to society.