How do we narrow the divide? I see anger, so much anger. There have been so many posts that I kept wanting to respond with, "He's an angry elf! ... Look at you!" In fact, that whole scene from Elf reminds me a lot of what I see every day.

 

People manipulate facts or choose to believe fake news sites and then go on the attack. And they attack with :rage:. They are victims. There are conspiracies. There is zero trust. Very few even want to find the middle. They want everything their way - that is both sides. Is PC actually a good thing? At least there was respect on the face of it, versus outright insults and denigration.

 

How does this get fixed? How do we get back civility, respect, statesmanship in this nation?

Thats a great question. I have been saying there is a great divide for over a year and I get told there is no divide. Anyone who dont see this divide is looking through a very veiled glass.

 

As to your question I do not have a clue to the answer. I wish I did. However the divide has gotten worse over the past 18 months for sure. I have also said at the rate we are going this is not going to end well.

Yes, I would say the divide has become worse and much of that falls on social media. The division is all so clearly visible. I have no doubt if social media existed on the same level in the 90's as it does today, that things would have escalated and been visibly just as divided if not more so.

I used to think that a national tragedy would have to happen for real unity to occur. Thought maybe it was 9-11 but a few months after that happened we were back at each others throats and have gotten much worse in the ensuing years. WWI and WWII brought the country together, I hope it doesn't take a WWIII to do it again.

Let's start here. Why can't we be civil to each other on this board?

Let's start here. Why can't we be civil to each other on this board?

 

Baby steps.

Let's start here. Why can't we be civil to each other on this board?

 

I think most people on here are. At least much more so than many other social media forums...

Let's start here. Why can't we be civil to each other on this board?

 

Because politics, sports and religion turn many normal people into obsessed, obnoxious children.

I think most people on here are. At least much more so than many other social media forums...

I agree that we are better than most social media, but we are FAR from kind and respectful to each other, when we don't agree with them. How does that do anything but widen the divide?

Oh, where to begin...

Let's start here. Why can't we be civil to each other on this board?

 

Yeah, I had some BGP references in my original post but I wanted the discussion to be broader than just BGP.

 

Here is my starting point. Do your due diligence! Make sure you don't post fake news/info. Don't take that crap sent to you on Facebook and automatically post it here or somewhere else without vetting it. Even the exaggerated stuff turns into negativity. That starts everything down the rabbit hole of attacks. Try not to be accusatory in your posts. Ask questions instead of making statements. Seek to understand.

I lay most of this at the feet of the media. They are the umpires/referees/truth detectors of our national discourse. And they have taken sides (leaning heavily one way).

 

We've all seen a game that has gotten out of hand because the refs favor one side (homers) with calls & no-calls. Picture a football game: if it goes on too long the players take things into their own hands, and it gets ugly.

 

Solutions? I don't know. WWIII, an alien threat? It may take that (it worked in Watchmen). Shoot, 9/11 only brought us together briefly.

I guess I broke the water on the poll. I went long since I love memes but for one that was releated to this topic I could not think of one. I am not sure if they are looked as a serious part of 'the divide' issue. To me, they seem like a modern political cartoon. The usually have a twist of humor to take the edge of the vitriol. Maybe I am wrong.

Yeah, I had some BGP references in my original post but I wanted the discussion to be broader than just BGP.

 

Here is my starting point. Do your due diligence! Make sure you don't post fake news/info. Don't take that crap sent to you on Facebook and automatically post it here or somewhere else without vetting it. Even the exaggerated stuff turns into negativity. That starts everything down the rabbit hole of attacks. Try not to be accusatory in your posts. Ask questions instead of making statements. Seek to understand.

 

Can we add over-reacting to mis-statements?

 

Six pages on the 'Bowling Green Massacre'? It was corrected in an hour and is still all over social media a day later.

Can we add over-reacting to mis-statements?

 

Six pages on the 'Bowling Green Massacre'? It was corrected in an hour and is still all over social media a day later.

 

YES!! One misspoken word turns into a launch code. Trivial and waste of time. A good example of today's headline/website hit hunting media in action. And you just gave me an idea for another thread.