https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/pp_2022-08-09_partisan-hostility_00-01/

"Growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats say members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-minded than other Americans"

Are Americans right that members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-mind?

IF YES, does it not make the US a nation of immoral, dishonest, and closed-minded people per their standard?

IF NO, the same question.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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ltlee1, <news:[email protected]>

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/pp_2022-08-09_partisan-hostility_00-01/

"Growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats say members of the
other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-minded than other
Americans"

Are Americans right that members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-mind?

IF YES, does it not make the US a nation of immoral, dishonest, and closed-minded people per their standard?

IF NO, the same question.

Perhaps, such domestic issues may be seen in connection with the US
foreign policy <https://is.gd/nrzou2>. In the 1990s-2000s, with
regard to the foreign affairs, American politicians, mass media and
mass culture industry have accustomed the society to "triumphalist"
attitude and abuse of the sense of entitlement & righteousness. And
for those who feel entitled and righteous, it's natural to demonize
and denigrate their opponents out of proportion.

In the 2010s, there became fewer opportunities for "triumphalism"
abroad, while more and more various domestic issues began to emerge,
about which different domestic groups have different opinions on
how to solve them. The opposing groups feel themselves entitled and
righteous, and expect an outcome that would be "triumphalist" for
them (as they have learned the image of "righteous and triumphalist
America" before, and what kinds of cliches this great America used
to apply to its evil opponents). But this time it all works against
domestic opponents.

Other words, America acted with a sense of impunity for some time,
so that inability to constructively compromise has now become their
cultural habit, which is destroying America from the inside.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Sunday, August 14, 2022 at 5:12:37 AM UTC-4, Oleg Smirnov wrote:

ltlee1, <news:[email protected]>

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/pp_2022-08-09_partisan-hostility_00-01/

"Growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats say members of the
other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-minded than other Americans"

Are Americans right that members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-mind?

IF YES, does it not make the US a nation of immoral, dishonest, and closed-minded people per their standard?

IF NO, the same question.

Perhaps, such domestic issues may be seen in connection with the US
foreign policy <https://is.gd/nrzou2>. In the 1990s-2000s, with
regard to the foreign affairs, American politicians, mass media and
mass culture industry have accustomed the society to "triumphalist"
attitude and abuse of the sense of entitlement & righteousness. And
for those who feel entitled and righteous, it's natural to demonize
and denigrate their opponents out of proportion.

In the 2010s, there became fewer opportunities for "triumphalism"
abroad, while more and more various domestic issues began to emerge,
about which different domestic groups have different opinions on
how to solve them. The opposing groups feel themselves entitled and righteous, and expect an outcome that would be "triumphalist" for
them (as they have learned the image of "righteous and triumphalist
America" before, and what kinds of cliches this great America used
to apply to its evil opponents). But this time it all works against
domestic opponents.

Other words, America acted with a sense of impunity for some time,
so that inability to constructively compromise has now become their
cultural habit, which is destroying America from the inside.

You are certainly correct about US trumphalism.
What enables America to act with a sense of impunity, besides military
and economic, is its commentariat. To be sure, US officialdom and American commentariat influence each other. Officialdom often signals the direction and the commentariat works to create internal consent. But there are far more people
in the latter group. In addition, their influence is beyond the US.

With globalization, the commentariat class finds a larger world to comment on and a larger group of consumers. A larger world also means commentators are out of their depth in many areas. It is then necessary for them to repeat each other. Many
then found out that no matter what they wrote, factual or not factual, rational or
irrational, they could always get positive feedback. All things equal, a larger group of
readers means more people whose opinions are 2, 3, or 4 standard deviation from the
mean. The commentariat, together with its readers, if large enough, will eventually get
create the post-truth world/bubble. To be successful is not about always factual and
rational. It is about seeking out the right group of readers. Extremist readers make better
fans.

The rest of the story: Export turned into internal consumption.
Political polarization splinters the commentariat. Commentators still demonize foreign
nations such as Russia and China. But the post-truth formula also applies to internal
politics.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 8:28:05 AM UTC-4, ltlee1 wrote:

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/pp_2022-08-09_partisan-hostility_00-01/

"Growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats say members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-minded than other Americans"

Are Americans right that members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-mind?

IF YES, does it not make the US a nation of immoral, dishonest, and closed-minded people per their standard?

IF NO, the same question.

Old time conservative Patrick Buchanan who had served as Nixon's speech writer raises the following questions in an article today:
Did America Lose the Culture War?
Has the great experiment run its course? https://www.theamericanconservative.com/did-america-lose-the-culture-war/

"When 30 FBI agents showed up at Mar-a-Lago to cart off boxes of documents, it was an authorized,
legitimate and justified procedure to retrieve national security secrets being illegally kept there. Or it
was an unprecedented regime raid on the home and office of the foremost political rival of President
Joe Biden that called to mind a "Third World country," the East German "Stasi," the KGB, or the Gestapo.

And Jan. 6, 2021? That was a riot, a disgraceful breach of the Capitol, involving assaults on Capitol
cops that deserved to be and are being punished. No, it was more than that. Far more. It was an "insurrection,"
a "fascist coup," an act of treason led by far-right extremists to abort the transfer of power from the winner
of the election of 2020 to the loser. It ranks right up there with the 1814 burning of the Capitol by the British.

Such is the magnitude of the divide in America, a divide that extends far beyond our clashing views of Jan.
6 and the Mar-a-Lago raid.
...
In summary, we are a country whose people have a diminishing confidence in almost all of its institutions,
from big business to the churches, universities and media. Only small business and the U.S. military enjoy
the confidence of the American people."

At present, Americans don't distrust their fellow citizens, the US government, and diminishing confidence in
almost all of its institutions. Is it still a democracy morally superior than other nations?
From the rest of the world, the question is whether the US could still function a world hegemon?
To be sure, the US with its military strength and its financial influence via the SWIFT system, it
could still bomb and sanction whatever nation it wants line a hegemon. But not in the sense of providing
HEGEMONIC STABILITY to the world.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 12:28:05 PM UTC, ltlee1 wrote:

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/pp_2022-08-09_partisan-hostility_00-01/

"Growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats say members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-minded than other Americans"

Are Americans right that members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-mind?

IF YES, does it not make the US a nation of immoral, dishonest, and closed-minded people per their standard?

IF NO, the same question.

Ideals:
Different parties in a multiparty system would learn the good and the bad from each other. They would
together form an upward spiral in delivering better and better democracy governance. Similarly, the
freedom of press would encourage and dissemination of multiple view points. This would allow both
journalists and their readers to learn and improve each other. And work together to make one people
from many.

Democratic ideals were presented to the world like Dorian's picture when he was young. Unfortunately,
American democracy, like Dorian, got corrupted over time. Could US elites accept this reality? Well,
the US media has tried its best to keep Dorian still young and beautiful. But reality tells an opposite
story. And the gap between Dorian young and beautiful and his picture which reflects his essence is
getting bigger and bigger.

In Oscar Wilde's book, the result is tragic. Could US elites find a way out?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 3:17:23 PM UTC, ltlee1 wrote:

On Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 12:28:05 PM UTC, ltlee1 wrote:

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/pp_2022-08-09_partisan-hostility_00-01/

"Growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats say members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-minded than other Americans"

Are Americans right that members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-mind?

IF YES, does it not make the US a nation of immoral, dishonest, and closed-minded people per their standard?

IF NO, the same question.

Ideals:
Different parties in a multiparty system would learn the good and the bad from each other. They would
together form an upward spiral in delivering better and better democracy governance. Similarly, the
freedom of press would encourage and dissemination of multiple view points. This would allow both
journalists and their readers to learn and improve each other. And work together to make one people
from many.

Democratic ideals were presented to the world like Dorian's picture when he was young. Unfortunately,
American democracy, like Dorian, got corrupted over time. Could US elites accept this reality? Well,
the US media has tried its best to keep Dorian still young and beautiful. But reality tells an opposite
story. And the gap between Dorian young and beautiful and his picture which reflects his essence is
getting bigger and bigger.

In Oscar Wilde's book, the result is tragic. Could US elites find a way out?

Actually, Oscar Wilde could write a happily ever after fiction, Dorian Gray could simply rename the picture
as The Picture of X as long as X is not "Dorian Gray."

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)