Why is there so much hate and dislike between the two sides in American politics?

[Kathandira]

Its been this way for a long time. Going back decades, you can see a few milestones in progression that had their opposition. There will always be a divide when it comes to progression. That is why you find that the older crowd tends to be conservative. They fought for a certain way of things. They want to feel like they won. Then comes a younger generation who wants to push progress further. Then you have a divide again.

One catch is, we now have such access to communicating with each other that progress doesn't get a chance to rest on its laurels. As well, those who wish to stunt the growth of progress also have access to this wide reaching communication.

As soon as there is a win for progress, the next thing is right there, ready to be pushed, and pushed against. There is no rest. No moment to enjoy a victory. The fight never stops as there is always something else to fight for.

[Lenonis]

This isn't a both sides issue. 40 years ago the right wing decided to make politics personal. Read up on Newt Gingrich's famous letter. Then there was the Koch Brothers building a right wing propaganda media empire.

The effect was what you see now. The radicalization of the right where all they do is talk about making libs cry and the only good dem is a dead dem, etc.

And finally their gods, gays, guns platform is based on a lot of bigotry.

The right started accusing the filibuster to shut down lawmaking. The right started going after the ability to vote.

And now the right is so far removed from reality they think Trump won the election and vaccines make you infertile.

When the left is confronted with that what do you think should happen? Well if you are Koko it's either surrender or civil war but in reality it's call them out on their nonsense and fight back.

[Kathandira]

Was probably about the time that Reagen got rid of the Fairness Doctrine and Fox News started. After that, no one got the truth anymore.

Oh how I would love if this was reinstated. Anyone who calls themselves a "News Outlet" would be bound to the facts, and no longer permitted to give their opinions.

[ghotihook]

Because people f'n love tribalism. For the same reason as a Vikings fan I hate the Packers or as Liverpool supporters hate Man U.

For me, I hate extremist. Left or Right. For example if anyone on a dating app says "swipe left if you voted for X" I will automatically pass on them.

[Lenonis]

Because people f'n love tribalism.

Although that is true is it also true that the tribalism has gotten measurably worse over the last couple of decades.

[Endus]

Because each side can't see the flaws in its ideology or politics and will prefer to blame the other side for it. Much easier.

Don't gaslight people by suggesting this is a "both sides" problem.

If you took modern Democratic policies and put them into a 1990s-era campaign, there'd be very little difference. You can't say the same about Republican policies.

[Specialka]

Don't gaslight people by suggesting this is a "both sides" problem.

If you took modern Democratic policies and put them into a 1990s-era campaign, there'd be very little difference. You can't say the same about Republican policies.

Issues are not only with political parties but also with people inside of them. So yes, it is a "both sides" problem.

[Mihalik]

Issues are not only with political parties but also with people inside of them. So yes, it is a "both sides" problem.

Ah yes. Those extremists left wingers who demand basic human rights for everyone and a government which spends money on social issues rather than space lazors...they are exactly the same as the Nazis, religious nutters and violent terrorists on the right.

Both sides bro. Both sides. A la Charlottesville.

[Lenonis]

Issues are not only with political parties but also with people inside of them. So yes, it is a "both sides" problem.

How have you not learned yet that this is lazy thinking that derails threads? Or is that your goal?

[Specialka]

Ah yes. Those extremists left wingers who demand basic human rights for everyone and a government which spends money on social issues rather than space lazors...they are exactly the same as the Nazis, religious nutters and violent terrorists on the right.

Both sides bro. Both sides. A la Charlottesville.

Your reasoning is basically why US is so polarized. Case in point.

[Tojara]

There shouldn't be, considering you're 99.9% more likely to have way more in common with your left/right leaning neighbor than what you actively vote for.

I always vote a certain way (for now anyway, in Federal elections) but wish I didn't have too. There are some fundamental things that sort of override anything else when I vote for somebody even if it would benefit me more to vote the other way.

At the same time it feels like hardcore sports fans where you can only like one team and appreciating how the other team might have played (or god forbid liking certain people on the other team) is forbidden. You're either with us or against us mentality basically. Thankfully that's just sports, but most people treat politics exactly the same lol.

[jonnysensible]

Your reasoning is basically why US is so polarized. Case in point.

The US isn't polarized.

Dems : Gee wiz it would be good if we could pass this bill to limit the price on insulin to $35 dollars. How about we reach over the table and do it bipartisan with with republicans.

*every republican votes against*

Reps : Hilary Clinton is a pedophile who drinks the blood of children, AOC should be shot and the rest of the Democrats will get the rope if they don't stop white genocide funded by George Soros.

Only one side has completely radicalized.

[Orange Joe]

Because each side can't see the flaws in its ideology or politics and will prefer to blame the other side for it. Much easier.

Don't democrats commonly call out their own when they do wrong? In fact this is even a talking point from republicans on how we "turn on our own"


Can you say the same for republicans?

- - - Updated - - -

Because there is no analogy, neither of two parties is proposing any kind of ethnic cleansing

Go visit fox news comments. You don't know how wrong you are.

[Endus]

Issues are not only with political parties but also with people inside of them. So yes, it is a "both sides" problem.

Nawp.

You're making shit up to pretend it's a problem with the system, rather than a problem solely restricted to one party.

The problem in 1932 in the Weimar Republic wasn't the whole political system, including the Social Democrats, the Communist Party, the Centre, and so on. The problem was the Nazis, exclusively.

[Drutt]

Was probably about the time that Reagen got rid of the Fairness Doctrine and Fox News started. After that, no one got the truth anymore.

That does seem the root of the current problem, although social media watered it.

Of course, even if the Fairness Doctrine had never been repealed social media still would have come along, so I suspect we'd end up back here eventually anyway.

The problem in 1932 in the Weimar Republic wasn't the whole political system, including the Social Democrats, the Communist Party, the Centre, and so on. The problem was the Nazis, exclusively.

I remember having a discussion with someone about this before and he was completely irrational about it. For example, he thought the Pope (at the time) shouldn't have been holding that office because he was in Hitler Youth and then the military during Nazi rule...ignoring the fact that all children had to be in Hitler Youth and that he was conscripted against his will and then deserted as early as possible, ignoring the fact that his family was overtly anti-Nazi.

Some people just completely lack the ability to see in anything other than black and white.

[tehdang]

Why does there seem to be so much hate between the two major sides in American politics?

We have left and right-wing here in Sweden as well, and yeah they like to bicker, take cheap punches at each other and blame the other side for the problems we have today, but there is no hate between them like you see in America with the left screaming "REPUBLICANS ARE NAZIS!" and the right screaming "DEM DAM LIBERAL COMMIES!". We respectfully disagree with each other and if a debate gets heated we shake hands and smile after. It's not the norm that it causes fights and family divisions if one person in the family votes for the Left party and another for the Christian or Sweden Democrats.

You also see it online, where if someone is prone to show a single sign of being either side they get bullied and mocked to hell and back, depending on which side the majority of the users stand on.

As I understand it, it's a recent thing and the sides were much more amicable in the past, even if they stood on different ideological sides.

Not all that recent of a thing anymore. Read the thread and hopefully you can follow up if you have any questions. Some of the magical thinking is romanticizing the past.

[JohnBrown1917]

The left and right in most European countries is between the centre-left and centre-right. The 2 major parties in the US are either centre-right or far right.


You never play nice with the far right.

[Blur4stuff]

A fair number of republican voters live in an alternate reality. They deeply believe things that aren't true. The lies they've been fed for decades were created with the purpose of making them angry and scared. Them hating everyone else wasn't an accident, it was the goal. It's still happening. Look at what right wing media is doing even now. They make every effort to convince (mostly) white americans that minorities are replacing them and that blue-haired woke monsters are going to turn their children into trans communists.

Despite democrats faults, you know where they stand on issues and what they want to accomplish. They've passed multiple bills so far this year. Dems like Manchin obviously don't completely agree with the AOC types, but the party has made it really clear what they stand for.

Can you say that for republicans? We know republicans are good at creating bullshit culture war nonsense, like CRT, but what about actual policies? When have you heard them clearly explain their plan to handle climate change or wealth inequality or the shitty US healthcare system? The one thing they did while they had power was give the wealthy permanent tax cuts while giving others temporary table scraps.

The right is entirely fueled by lies and hate at this point. They have no vision for the future other than clinging to whatever power they can by way of election rigging. So yeah, there's a lot of hate in politics right now and it's completely by design. If you remove the fear and hate, the right would have nothing at all. Well, except maybe more tax cuts for the rich.

[DarkTZeratul]

We know republicans are good at creating bullshit culture war nonsense, like CRT, but what about actual policies? When have you heard them clearly explain their plan to handle climate change or wealth inequality or the shitty US healthcare system?

If you want evidence for this, look no further than the fact that the 2020 Republican Platform was "whatever Trump wants to do."

[Rozz]

This is closed. Although it's a fair question, the nature of it only invites inflammatory discussion.