Big Enough Why—Tribalism in the United States

 

Big Enough Why—Tribalism in the United States

The argument that people are grappling with in the United States currently is—why such divisiveness?[1] In my over forty years of voting—I wondered how many people were truly far-right leaning and how many were far-left leaning.[2] [3]

Here’s what I’ve discovered, as I am covering the Far-right/Radical Right, the Far-left/Progressives, and the Moderate political views.

On the Far-right/Radical Right:

If you are not a Bible-banging, church-going Christian. You’re okay to do business with. But anything that suggests you’re caring about anyone outside of their scope of who they think matters.[4] [5] Then ‘off with your heads’.[6]

Guns/Rifles, if you are for banning civilians from owning AR15s, they consider you soft. And immediately you’re not worth anything. They want you dead.[7] Yes. The Bible-banging extreme right Christians want you eliminated. They don’t believe everyone deserves healthcare. They believe they are the chosen to receive the best of everything.[8] And as of now, they believe in male-dominated, preferably white male ruling overall.[9]

Education, they don’t believe We the People should assist in educating for a better living.[10] Especially for those of their past generations who had owned slaves. Or had murdered the indigenous for land. Never mind immigrants that don’t appear Caucasian. Any of the above just don’t rate with the far-right thinking.[11]

Abortion, If you believe a woman has the right to choose, a.k.a. full autonomy over her body—they consider you a murderer for voting such maybe even thinking such.[12] They immediately begin pigeon-holing you.[13]

Healthcare: There are far-right wing think tanks. They are built in practices of rejection of insurance coverages. [14] Too, the far-right and certain leaning Republicans are still not on board with healthcare for all Americans.[15] [16]

Welfare/Food Stamps: The far-right wants no handouts. This is racially motivated.[17]

Law Enforcement: The far-right believes you are only pulled over because you’re in the wrong neighborhood. They also believe that law enforcement knows all and does no wrong.[18]

What we’ve witnessed: The far-right also believe in cheating to bestow their religious content into our laws—by eliminating the desire of the majority of the population’s vote by disallowing a president from selecting a SCOTUS.  Then they change the rules and stack the land’s Supreme Court with far-right leaning justices.[19] And there is no wiggle room. No tolerance for debate. It is the twin of the iron fist of authoritarian leadership mirroring Russia. Our enemy. Yes, Russia in its current state is an enemy of the free world. And that means US.[20]

Trying to scare people as you pound your chest and perhaps take pictures with an AR15 does not make you superior. It makes you idiotic looking and unreasonable. Again, there are fewer of you than many realize. And NOT many people who’ve served in the military, who are patriotic, will agree with you. We may dance around you. We may keep our mouths shut. Because as a real patriot and a person who served in our military most of us strive for peace. We know war is not an answer we want. And many of us know (I’m guessing here.) that anyone who needs to have such a chest pounding display is actually quite afraid of anything different and lacks faith. Yes a supposed Christian faith, they are lacking in.[21]

On the Far-left/Progressives:

We call them the ‘Progressives’. You are not progressive, it’s not kind, it’s not Liberal if you expect everyone to think and do as all you say with no wiggle room. Being so demanding is that of a petulant child and not properly debating as to become part of law. And taking such a harsh stance without listening is divisive. Progressives at times are as dismissive as the far-right is to wanting you to completely think their way, which either thinking is unreasonable.[22]

I’ll give six areas as I had above:

Guns/Rifles, The problem is that the Progressives don’t want practically any rifles or guns in civilian’s hands.[23]

Abortion: Women need to be able to make their own choices on their own bodies.

Healthcare: We should be entitled to proper paid healthcare as citizens of the U.S. They do not address accountability for what anyone purchases or ingests.

Welfare/Food Stamps (a.k.a. SNAP): Getting subsidized due to socio-economic situations.

Education: Everyone is entitled to have a free education. Especially those who are underprivileged. And all college should be paid for. College should be free.

Law Enforcement: The far-left wants to de-fund law enforcement.[24] There is no trust in quite a few cities.[25]

What I’ve witnessed with the far-left: There is no wiggle room. They will unfriend you. They will turn on you like a sixth-grade girl uncertain of herself yet blaming you indiscriminately for their feeling badly. Stripping any opposition, even people who they could debate and convince to change their minds—they push them away. They will poke fun at those who make a mistake or don’t understand the full-scope of the political game. 

The moderate view:

Guns/Rifles: Guns, yes we need better mental health gun laws. We need to ban assault weapons, such as the AR15 as gun ownership. We need to enforce the law that states: ‘No unregulated militias’, and I will add hate groups to that list.[26] [27] We need to not have so readily available gun ownership at gun shows purchases without thorough background checks. Yes it may take days or a week for sales to go through per background checks. But we need a safer America.

Abortion: There should be a limit as to the timeliness of the abortion and every case is different. So perhaps twenty weeks is enough on average allowance of time in vivo to make a decision if need be. Or if in the latter stages past twenty weeks, a doctor may advise such with the woman’s permission.[28]

Healthcare: But it shouldn’t jack up my personal payment into health insurance—especially when I have done practically everything to achieve the better than American average health status.[29] [30] [31] Why am I paying $20,000 per year on health insurance for two young adults and myself when we are not on daily, weekly, monthly nor yearly medications, and haven’t been. Too, the average American is expected to be paying about $558 per person per month. That is to be figured as 10% of your household income and I’m a middle-class American. For my household it is much higher percentage more than double that suggested percentage that I pay for health insurance. Even though we are as I’d stated in a previous sentence conducting ourselves in a most healthy manner.[32]

It’s not luck on my side, trust me. It’s that over the decades I saved money as we were middle-class enough to know going out to eat was expensive for our budget. And not usually all that healthy. Which then forced us to be creative at home to make higher quality meals and spend less on food because it wasn’t pre-prepared. It was not microwavable, and we knew where it was coming from. I read labels and reports.[33] It takes a few minutes per week. Too this is where some of our Education needs to be aimed. 

Welfare/Food Stamps (SNAP): We need to properly direct those who are being subsidized to not purchasing unhealthy substances.[34] Too, classes on how to shop, cook, etcetera for a healthy diet need to be enforced on the subsidized as part of the subsidizing.[35] TANSDAAFL—There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.

Education: Not everyone is college bound.[36] Neither should we force them to be college bound. We should put certain funds into technical schools for people to become electricians, mechanics, welders, plumbers, conservationists, and the like.[37] You want general life skills taught in public education, nutrition is where it’s at.[38]

A moderate approach is not everyone is college bound.[39] Neither should we force them to be college bound. You should earn that education bonus or scholarship. There could be ways to earn without too much penalty. I personally think it would be fruitful for America as a whole for everyone—to be required to put in 365 hours of community service between the ages of 18-26.

The community services could NOT be via a religious entity. NOT be part of any scouting organization. It would be a variety of needs within the community or county. Such as ‘Meals on Wheels’, helping rebuild a home, Fixing or building computers for the less fortunate for free. Those are just some examples of what a community may need. Other services could be Volunteer EMTs, Firefighters, Reserve police services, military, and the like. No man or woman is an island. Everyone, no matter what has to contribute a small piece of their time for free. It builds character and cohesiveness.

Law Enforcement: They are not all bad. Just like Prosecutors are not all bad.[40] My Captain in the Marines told me it’s a ten percent rule in everything in defying orders. Sometimes I feel like it’s a twenty percent rule. However, you don’t de-fund law enforcement. You have concerns and problems addressed immediately and have full transparency just enough so you can be trusted. You correct the behavior. You vet your personnel better. You bring in new staff and re-train the original staff. You befriend the community. Yes more walking the beat. Get to know the people in the area of your municipality/city. Granted some towns, cities and states perhaps need a bit more vetting of personnel.  But as much as we must stay on top of that, we also have to allow time for it to be arranged and done properly. And we must BE PATIENT. Nothing great is established overnight.[41]

In the end approximately seventy-five percent of us in the United States are not extremists. We vary on each subject. It is truly individual. We don’t have to take sides of the extremes to their liking. We have to get along. We have to be vigilante on keeping the extremes of the far-left and the far-right in check. We must be brave enough to intervene before the exchanges get heated. We must reduce the mudslinging.

We must let the extremes know diplomatically that extreme thinking to the point of hatred is not where we should be heading as a nation. Neither will it aid in free-will’s survival for equality for all. The very thing one side swears on is from a book. Yet that side believes it’s only for their group. And the other side tells them that their book has no merit. Or so that can be how it is misconstrued either way. There is plenty of room for all opinions. However, that 25% or less is not to dictate us into a war with each other. We need to not allow them to belittle our balance, nor should we fear them. Adding fear to us is fuel for their fire. Few of us are that crazy or radicalized.[42] We the majority need to face our own fears and speak out against hatred that brews, and hatred that is divisive.---Jody-Lynn Reicher

 

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[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/07/public-opinion-polarization-partisan-republicans-democrats/

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/03/stanford-law-school-intimidation-of-moderates/

[3] https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/3-in-10-americans-named-political-polarization-as-a-top-issue-facing-the-country/

[4] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/armed-defenders-white-male-supremacy/616192/

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_right_(United_States)#:~:text=In%20United%20States%20politics%2C%20the,alongside%20traditionalist%20and%20reactionary%20aspirations.

[6] https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/11/01/the-optics-of-american-hate/

[7] https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1998/anti-abortion-movement-marches-after-two-decades-arson-bombs-and-murder

[8] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/decoding-madness/202206/the-potential-extreme-violent-behavior-is-not-always-apparent

[9] https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/money/2023/02/16/white-men-corporate-america-diversity/11114830002/

[10] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/the-right-wing-gop-plan-to-kill-education

[11] https://time.com/6172216/public-schools-extremists/

[12] https://www.ips-journal.eu/topics/democracy-and-society/the-far-right-vs-womens-rights-5934/

[13] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-abortion-became-divisive-issue-us-politics-2022-06-24/

[14] https://pnhp.org/news/how-cigna-saves-millions-by-having-its-doctors-reject-claims-without-reading-them/

[15] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2777394

[16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_the_Republican_Party#:~:text=the%20American%20workingman.%22-,Welfare,responsibility%20for%20their%20own%20lives.

[17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_the_Republican_Party#:~:text=the%20American%20workingman.%22-,Welfare,responsibility%20for%20their%20own%20lives.

[18] https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/15/deep-racial-partisan-divisions-in-americans-views-of-police-officers/

[19] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/04/qanon-christian-extremism-nationalism-violence-466034

[20] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/04/qanon-christian-extremism-nationalism-violence-466034

[21] https://time.com/6179886/christianity-white-supremacy-buffalo/

[22] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/06/23/the-new-battles-roiling-the-left-00041627

[23] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/blue-americas-new-gun-control-debate/622035/

[24] https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywashburn/2023/02/03/america-less-confident-in-police-than-ever-before-a-look-at-the-numbers/?sh=655f9a306afb

[25] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9328541/

[26] https://www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/our-press-releases/fact-sheets-on-unlawful-militias-for-all-50-states-now-available-from-georgetown-laws-institute-for-constitutional-advocacy-and-protection/

[27] https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/fbi-militia-style-group-surveilled-capitol-weeks-after-riot/

[28] https://www.npr.org/2022/06/29/1107883298/abortion-roe-v-wade-dobbs-progressives-strategy

[29] https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/health-affairs-aca-coverage-less-affordable-over-time-for-middle-class-families#:~:text=Payers-,ACA%20coverage%20less%20affordable%20over,middle%2Dclass%20families%2C%20study%20finds&text=Middle%2Dclass%20families%20that%20don,exchanges%2C%20a%20new%20study%20found.

[30] https://www.commonwealthfund.org/press-release/2019/new-state-state-report-health-insurance-costs-taking-larger-share-middle-class#:~:text=Nov%2021%2C%202019-,NEW%20STATE%2DBY%2DSTATE%20REPORT%3A%20Health%20Insurance%20Costs%20Taking,Deductibles%20Grow%20Faster%20Than%20Wages&text=Many%20working%20families%20are%20spending,new%20Commonwealth%20Fund%20report%20finds.

[31] https://www.statista.com/statistics/184955/us-national-health-expenditures-per-capita-since-1960/

[32] https://www.talktomira.com/post/how-much-should-i-spend-on-health-insurance

[33] https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/ss/twelve-habits-super-healthy-people

[34] https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap

[35] https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2019/12/05/CDC-Schools-arent-doing-enough-to-teach-kids-about-nutrition/9491574879196/

[36] https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-not-every-student-should-go-to-college-and-thats-ok/2020/03

[37] https://honestproscons.com/pros-and-cons-of-trade-schools/

[38] https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2019/12/05/CDC-Schools-arent-doing-enough-to-teach-kids-about-nutrition/9491574879196/

[39] https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-not-every-student-should-go-to-college-and-thats-ok/2020/03

[40] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/03/stanford-law-school-intimidation-of-moderates/

[41] https://www.ossoff.senate.gov/press-releases/sens-ossoff-blackburn-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-fill-law-enforcement-vacancies-and-strengthen-vetting-of-recruits/

[42] https://apnews.com/article/religion-crime-social-media-race-and-ethnicity-05889f1f4076709c47fc9a18dbee818a