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The Divided States of America
MacLean's ^ | March 10, 2017 | Scott Gilmore

Posted on 03/11/2017 5:07:00 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

The United States is no longer a melting pot; it has become a nation dominated by two very different and increasingly hostile ethnic groups. Their mutual interests are shrinking, their conflicts growing and the implications for long-term stability are dire.

The polling group FiveThirtyEight shared some important data this week. There were just 303 out of 3,113 counties where the electoral outcome between the Democrats and Republicans was within single digits. In 1992, there were three times as many. During the same time frame, the number of counties that were won by landslides increased tenfold. American voters have begun to clump together, to live in political enclaves where everyone is either a Republican or a Democrat. There are places where the next generation will grow up without being exposed to anyone who supports another political party.

The development of political ghettos is exacerbated by the growth of intellectual bubbles. People are increasingly getting their news from different sources. Up until the 1980s, most Americans relied on Walter Cronkite or the local newspaper. But with the growth of talk radio and the arrival of cable news, people began to segregate themselves. On the left, channels like CNN and MSNBC became popular. On the right, it was Fox and Rush Limbaugh.

The arrival of the internet and social media dramatically accelerated this. People began to isolate themselves into information bubbles where they only read news that reinforced their pre-existing world view. On Facebook, we have learned to mute those who criticized our party, or who rant about a policy we prefer. Our desire for looking into ideological mirrors is abetted by the algorithms that are used to populate our newsfeeds. These are increasingly adept at sending us only the information we like—in other words, whatever echoes what we already believe....

(Excerpt) Read more at macleans.ca ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: conservatives; culture; democrats; economy
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To: Jyotishi
It never was a melting pot; it has always been a salad bowl.

So true. While some blending has taken place it was incidental.

21 posted on 03/11/2017 6:55:21 PM PST by Boomer (The modern day leftist dems are the party of criminally insane propagandists.)
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To: Vlad The Inhaler

“I don’t know who dreamed up such a cockamamie policy but it is one of the most asinine policies ever foisted on Americans.”

Here’s a huge clue... It was Marx!


22 posted on 03/11/2017 7:33:32 PM PST by jurroppi1 (The Left doesnÂ’t have ideas, it has cliches. H/T Flick Lives)
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To: jurroppi1
It was Marx!

Groucho or Chico?

23 posted on 03/11/2017 7:34:22 PM PST by Publius ("Who is John Galt?" by Billthedrill and Publius available at Amazon.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Only 52% of Republicans think Democrats are "close-minded"? Either they're not paying attention, or they're in the wrong party. Which party is the anti-freedom-of-speech party?


24 posted on 03/11/2017 9:26:54 PM PST by AZLiberty (A is now A once again.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Bkmk


25 posted on 03/12/2017 4:38:15 AM PDT by sauropod (Beware the fury of a patient man. I've lost my patience!)
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To: Publius

Karl


26 posted on 03/12/2017 6:12:09 AM PDT by jurroppi1 (The Left doesnÂ’t have ideas, it has cliches. H/T Flick Lives)
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To: Twotone

-—Why?-—

The polarization is by design. The Democrat machine created enclaves in the cities where Black power could be concentrated giving a semblance of minority majority that can be utilized to win larger elections.

Taken as a whole, the black population has foolishly fallen for the gambit and has become slaves again. By concentrating the blacks in the cities, great political power has been achieved.


27 posted on 03/12/2017 6:19:00 AM PDT by bert (K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;WASP .... Hillary is Ameritrash, pass it on)
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