The volatile tribalism now so ingrained in American life will eventually right itself, says Robb Willer, a sociology professor at Stanford University, but not until the public decides it's had enough and stops rewarding politicians who use incendiary language and demonize the other side. It's impossible to guess, he notes, how much damage will be done in the meantime.

"That is the question of our time: Are we going to choose to continue the war, or are we going to choose peace? And we don't know yet what the answer to that will be, because while a majority of Americans are fed up with the extremity of our political divisions, it does feel like we're stuck here," Willer says. "It will get worse before it gets better."

Animosity between parties has been growing for decades now, to the point that studies show Republicans and Democrats don't want to date one another, don't want their children to marry one another and don't want to live in the same neighborhoods at a rate unprecedented in modern America. At the same time, politicians began using increasingly apocalyptic language. Willer says those two forces — the splintering of society along party lines and the ascent of vitriolic campaigning — merged to create a breeding ground for violence.

"It was simmering," says Parker. "It's like the gas burner was on, then Trump lit the fire."

The president vaulted to political prominence by promoting the racist and false conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the United States, launched his presidential campaign by calling Mexicans rapists and murderers, and routinely describes his enemies, including the intended recipients of the pipe bombs, as "evil," ''dangerous," ''the enemy of the American people."

"That let loose a period of incivility, which is too mild a word; it's potentially explosive anger that can turn into violence," says Bob Shrum, a former Democratic strategist who last month started the Center for the Political Future, a program at the University of Southern California designed to restore sanity and bipartisanship in politics.


http://www.yahoo.com/news/enough-enough-fed-americans-crave-unity-amid-violence-130716016.html


when will we get tired of 'enemy' talk, and get to more talk about common problems and reasonable solutions?

I tire of all the "us verse them" distractions in modern politics for the sake of 'being' right, that seem to overshadow and become so much more significant than independent or logical thought for the sake of 'doing' right.

The problem is, that the primary reason or cause of the still growing divide, is that a major political party consciously decided to build a political majority coalition, almost entirely based on appealing to people who actively hated other Americans.

What makes it worse, is that the leadership of that party does not itself actually believe what they are telling the people they are leading. The way one can tell, is that when they are in power, they don't follow through with any of the things they campaigned about, except lowering taxes on the rich.

Hence Donald Trump's upending of their primary process, and his follow on victory in the election itself: he promised to ACTUALLY do what the GOP had promised for decades, as they built their coalition of the angry, and enough people believed him, that he is President now.

However, that means that right now, the political coalition that rules the United States is almost entirely based on purposeful disunity. And not just disunity of methods, but on actual personal hatred of actual American people.

No one of stature in the majority party, stands up and speaks out against disunity, or in favor of seeking unified solutions to ANY of the large and worsening problems Americans face.

I personally don't hold much hope for the leadership away from this will come from the people themselves, because the particular alliance that has taken over, is made up exclusively of the people who believe that a ship of state will continue to sail on grandly, while they allow half of it to sink into the depths. And the opposing party seems to be stuck at pointing fingers and complaining about rudeness, rather than compiling and proposing unifying solutions that would take EVERYONE'S concerns in hand.

very well stated, I totally agree.

Almost every aspect of life in America is now premised on some form of exclusionism. Find a difference and use it as a wedge. It will soon enough lead to the tribalism that thwarts growth in other countries.

Tribalism, I just listened to a webinar about that actually. Good point.

I think people who don't appreciate the jobs and good economy will eventually adjust. People of all races will thrive if that's their goal. That will make it clear that Trump is trying to help all Americans.

“The Pittsburgh Muslim Community extends our deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims, their families, and all of our Jewish brothers and sisters,” the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh said in a statement. “We condemn this hate crime unequivocally, and denounce all forms of hatred and bigotry. The Pittsburgh community is our family; what happens to one of us, is felt by us all.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/apos-respond-hate-love-apos-211605359.html

UNITY, lovely way to lead ... and so refreshing to see

The trouble is, that it doesn't matter what Trump does or doesn't want, or whether he is right about what will happen if he gets his way. The Republican Party, which currently controls all three branches of the US federal government, are opposed to the bulk of what Trump wants. This is why the ONLY major legislation they have passed in Congress since his election, was the huge tax cut for rich people and large corporations.

People see the country through very different lenses on life. Our view comes from 2 primary sources: what we observe around us and what news we are fed. My perspective on socierty living in a small, midwest town is very different than someone living in Chicago or New York.

The news we are fed has changed very much in the last few years. At one time, we had our more local newspaper and a limited supply of TV and radio news sources. Now we have multiple cable channels and the internet. The "news" is now more slanted and aimed at a certain demographic. It is reported in a way that appeals to there certain group of viewers such that we have group think based on that news reporting. "News" outlets need their subscriber base and the way to get them is by appealing to what their viewers want to hear. I personally believe this is the biggest contributor to our divisiveness.

another good point. Immersion is a great influencer.

I don't believe they are against Trump. I think they are all the crap Trump goes through with the media and they try to avoid it. They are typical baby kisser...career politicians.

Time to add the liberal twist of words. The race card..really..it wouldn't matter if Obama was pink or green or WHITE ..It has NOTHING to do with race..it has to do with whether it was LEGAL for him to be president because he wasn't a natural born citizen and NOTHING more..and there is the liberal twist eh..it's race and not about being a natural born citizen..some fall for this and say its about race but RACE has NOTHING to do with it..nice try..but that doesn't work for those who can see how the reason is twisted and becomes about race..

Just like it's not about what race the people are who are trying to enter our country ILLEGALY .. it's about entering our country ILLEGALY and not through the LEGAL process..can people not see how the liberals twist the reasoning..so they can get people to believe it's about race and not the fact it's about being illegal..they change the whole reasoning to obtain a following by saying it's about something totally different like race..give me a break....the art of war ..playing the race card doesn't work here..simply because it's not about race..again it's

NOT ABOUT RACE IT'S ABOUT BEING LEGAL or ILLEGAL..period..

And if some want to say its about Obama's race as to why I really don't like him..it's not because he's black..it's because he's a TRAITOR and a FRAUD...and all this will be known after the mid terms..and that's what the Dems are really worried about and the reason for these false flag scenarios and the massive migration..it's because they lost the POWER to enslave us and have corrupted the whole system with their Satan worshipping drug dealing pedophile traitorous ways while robbing the American public and they are trying to do anything they can to keep everyone from finding out what they have been doing..FACT..and they know that after the mid terms all will be known..and the people will be AWAKENED to the TRUTH..and their SICK little ways will be over as they rot in GITMO with each other...LOCK THEM UP..

WWG1 WGA

Sad to say it but, this country seems to be headed for civil war, a totalitarian fascist government backed by the military, or both.

I guess every kingdom must fall, and it does start things out fresh with fewer uneducated zealots ... though I would prefer they just volunteered to educate themselves with something other than youtube and internet legends ...

That’s one sided ******** coming from the Left! Trump did NOT call Mexicans murderers or rapists! Trump said that murders & rapists come over the border illegally, he was pointing out the need for the wall! Hillary lied saying that that’s what Trump said, then Democrats & their propaganda arm has repeated the lie ever since! Just like the Charlottesville lie, there were some people there that had nothing to do with the KKK, they were history buffs there hoping to save the statues. Trump didn’t want them grouped in with the KKK, he said there were some good people there, of course MSM has to lie & say he was saying some KKK people are good!

really?
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” he said in the same speech. “They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

you're right, he only implied that most of them are with a disclaimer that 'some' are good people.

its like me saying 'white men are serial killers and pedophiles and some, I guess, are good people'

its just observing which groups he is comfortable blanketly stereotyping and which groups he chooses to give the benefit of the doubt too.

j

********, the whole point was the claim that Trump said Mexicans were all murderers & rapists & pretty much all Democrats & their propaganda arm MSM went slong with it! Trump did make it very clear that the people coming in consists of a Hell of a lot of undesirables, criminals of all sorts! His point was build the wall let people immigrate legally & we can keep criminals from coming in. There’s nothing invalid or racist about that, of course criminals come in illegally, they can’t come in legally!
Before running for President Trump received a lot of awards for helping the black community ‘ he helped a lot of people & didn’t get awards for it. He’s a genuinely nice guy & there isn’t a racist bone in his body! The only reason he was ever called a racist is because Democrats use every dirty trick & lie they can think of & Hillary’s the worst of them!

How can anyone claim they want Unity when they subscribe to the Isolation of political parties?

name one award he got for 'helping the black community'. No one said he said ALL Mexicans were anything. the point was his statement stereotyped mexicans as being MOSTLY murderers, drug addicts and rapists, thats bad enough.

the reason he is called racist is because of his racist rhetoric. I dont know if he actually is or if he says whatever he thinks will apply to his base that includes so many racists ... but his own words do him in, and NOONE ELSE.

who does that? a political party is another label like female or male, or southerner or northerner, it does not need to mean isolation or lack of unity.