[cowboyway]

There was much ill-feeling and animosity at the time

And still is. How do you explain that?

Don't even try saying it's just a handful of 'lost causers' here on FR. It's as widespread and common in both regions today as in 1860.

[x]

Some parts of the country are polarized in a major way. I mean, if you're a journalist or professor in New York or San Francisco you might actively hate other parts of the country. And if you live in some parts of Florida and have to put up with snotty tourists on their way from northern cities to South Florida, you might hate New York City or all the Northeast.

But mostly, I think it's just that we have a forum for Civil War discussion here. Most people in America probably aren't thinking about what happened 150 years ago all the time. Outside of specific Civil War forums, every four years you get somebody or other saying the country should split up again. It's tied to the elections, and it always gets an audience with the losing side. It can be cynical as well, since it's a good way for a disgraced journalist or aspiring blogger to get hits on the Internet.