Serious do you think america can ever be a united country?

RODAN

Banned deucer.
title.

Basically my main questions are, is it possible ever for the entire country to see eye to eye on anything? or is the country simply too big and too culturally diverse to ever be united on a single front?
 

chimp

Go Bananas
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Most likely not. America is just too big and too diverse for every person to agree on a single issue.

Though I don't think this makes the U.S. 'not-united.' There are very few countries that have issues that the entire population agrees on. I'd say we can be united so long as we can discuss and debate our positions on these issues without causing riots or being ostracized.
 

Ununhexium

I closed my eyes and I slipped away...
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I think America is portrayed as less united than it actually is because the media only really ever shows extremes on both sides causing knee jerk reactions from both sides and underrepresents the people that are more in the middle. We're just forced to look at what's different rather than what is the same.
 

DragonWhale

It's not a misplay, it's RNG manipulation
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fwiw until yesterday I thought the US was pretty united when it came to recognizing terrorism as a bad thing. Emphasis on until yesterday.
 

GatoDelFuego

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Is it possible for ANY country to be united on anything? What do you define as united? A supermajority of people thinking something? In 2017 60% of Americans support gay marriage, and only 20% support lowering our defense budget. 70% of the country views NASA in favorable or very favorable terms. The national park service is beloved by almost 90% of the country. (these are sourced from pew research). People are in huge agreement that the military, space, automotive, technology, and manufacturing industries are awesome and that we are the best in the world, so that's something everybody can agree on!!! haha!!

Compared with the rest of the globe, a large majority of Americans hold fairly consistent right-wing views. It's just a different country than most. For example there are radical free speech laws compared to Europe and property laws that are quite favorable to individual citizens (owing to the fact that the USA is, huge). Taxing the public for support of projects such as healthcare or public infrastructure are really unheard of (with a couple exceptions) and things like widespread high-speed rail transport will never, ever be voted on by US citizens because a huge majority see zero point in it and will never open their pockets to pay for a common good.

Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau's approval rating hovers around 50% and the UK is consistently divided between two ruling parties in parliment. Most countries are similar, with a great majority of people holding similar views about certain topics and being vastly divided on the rest. The major USA political parties are really not too far off from each other on the political cross and vote fairly consistently (sans like 5 extreme issues where they hold polar opposite views: guns, taxes on business, healthcare, religion, and abortion).
 

BenTheDemon

Banned deucer.
Is it possible for ANY country to be united on anything? What do you define as united? A supermajority of people thinking something? In 2017 60% of Americans support gay marriage, and only 20% support lowering our defense budget. 70% of the country views NASA in favorable or very favorable terms. The national park service is beloved by almost 90% of the country. (these are sourced from pew research). People are in huge agreement that the military, space, automotive, technology, and manufacturing industries are awesome and that we are the best in the world, so that's something everybody can agree on!!! haha!!

Compared with the rest of the globe, a large majority of Americans hold fairly consistent right-wing views. It's just a different country than most. For example there are radical free speech laws compared to Europe and property laws that are quite favorable to individual citizens (owing to the fact that the USA is, huge). Taxing the public for support of projects such as healthcare or public infrastructure are really unheard of (with a couple exceptions) and things like widespread high-speed rail transport will never, ever be voted on by US citizens because a huge majority see zero point in it and will never open their pockets to pay for a common good.

Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau's approval rating hovers around 50% and the UK is consistently divided between two ruling parties in parliment. Most countries are similar, with a great majority of people holding similar views about certain topics and being vastly divided on the rest. The major USA political parties are really not too far off from each other on the political cross and vote fairly consistently (sans like 5 extreme issues where they hold polar opposite views: guns, taxes on business, healthcare, religion, and abortion).
Actually, polls show that that most Americans support Single Payer Healthcare, but a Harvard Study showed that the laws passed in the US do not correlate to the will of the public, but rather to the will of the rich.
 

GatoDelFuego

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Actually, polls show that that most Americans support Single Payer Healthcare, but a Harvard Study showed that the laws passed in the US do not correlate to the will of the public, but rather to the will of the rich.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...er-health-coverage-grows-driven-by-democrats/ Wouldn't call 33% a majority

and I did say, "with a couple exceptions"; the ACA is a rare move to expand healthcare coverage that people are actually fairly interested in keeping

but that's sort of besides the point I was trying to get across anyway
 

BenTheDemon

Banned deucer.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...er-health-coverage-grows-driven-by-democrats/ Wouldn't call 33% a majority

and I did say, "with a couple exceptions"; the ACA is a rare move to expand healthcare coverage that people are actually fairly interested in keeping

but that's sort of besides the point I was trying to get across anyway
That's in the framing of the question, when you phrase it as "Medicare for Every American", support goes to 60% (36% strongly favor plus 24% somewhat favor).
medicareforall poll.jpg
 
Part of the reason that a lot of people lean against welfare programs like healthcare is because politicians have been paid to tell their constituents that it would be a waste, because wealthy donors don't want to pay for it. But people are slowly waking up, and the ACA has gained more popularity than Trump, as imperfect as it is.

The discussion should be more towards what projects would be better for the common good in the long term, or at least that is my opinion. For example, as much as I would love to see a national high-speed rail system (maybe even built in cooperation with Canada and Mexico), I have to wonder if it might be more efficient if we started to rebuild our highway system for higher speeds like the German Autobahn as electric and hydrogen power becomes more common. This would also better utilize self-driving systems.

Then again, the idea of supersonic tube trains really beckons...
 

Tera Melos

Banned deucer.
God no, not in the age of the internet. Once we hit a real Space Age-Future Age, maybe. But the world as a whole is so divided right now thanks to how expanded the internet has become. Those who won't unite with their fellow citizens will unite with those who share common ideals online, look at how ISIS recruits...White Supremacist, KKK, AntiFa, Left, Right, they all campaign harder on the internet, then they take their actions into the streets. No one's out there on the streets talking things out, they're out there to beat each other out...Look at AntiFa...their entire online presence is Pro-Violence, they get out there on the street and start attacking people...and when people start fighting back, they don't settle down and let things calm, they go right back to facebook/tumblr/ect and throw tantrums about how no one listens to or respects them. The internet has become the provider of attention for an entire generation of kids who grew up with awful parents and role models.

So, my answer is America can't unite, not at the moment. Maybe in a few decades.
 
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Deck Knight

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America was more united in the 90s when I was growing up than it is now.

It turns out when an entire political party is in the thrall of identitarian intersectional politics, the discussion binary shifts from "What is equitable for most people?" to: "How do you feel about your skin color? How do you feel about other people's skin color? Does your skin color make you privileged or oppressed? How do we fix whiteness [actual question at Democratic National Committee Chair Debate]? Is segregating minorities into safe spaces to hold discussions a good idea [Actual policy being implemented on college campuses]?"

The only difference between the Antifa Nazis and the white supremacist Nazis is they want different a different pecking order for the intersectionalist racie-conscious utopia. Getting people to denouce white supremacists is easy. When do the denunciations of intersectionalist race theory begin?
 

EV

Banned deucer.
The only difference between the Antifa Nazis and the white supremacist Nazis is they want different a different pecking order for the intersectionalist racie-conscious utopia. Getting people to denouce white supremacists is easy. When do the denunciations of intersectionalist race theory begin?
What is an Antifa Nazi?
 

Deck Knight

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What is an Antifa Nazi?
You may remember them for smashing the windows of a Bank of America and a Starbucks on Trump's inauguration day. Or from when they jumped and punched Richard Spencer (a similarly destestable person) while he was making a video. They generally call for and support violence against "fascists" - which they define as anyone standing in their way on any policy at any time, and any police force tasked with preventing them from engaging in property destruction.

I guess they aren't really National Socialists (NaZi, or National Socialist German Worker's Party in the original translation) so much as International Communists, some of which are masquerading as Anarchist Communists, but on the matter of tactics they're the new version of Mussolini's blackshirts, except the blackshirts didn't wear masks to hide their identities.
 

EV

Banned deucer.
I guess they aren't really National Socialists (NaZi, or National Socialist German Worker's Party in the original translation) so much as International Communists, some of which are masquerading as Anarchist Communists, but on the matter of tactics they're the new version of Mussolini's blackshirts, except the blackshirts didn't wear masks to hide their identities.
So then don't call them that, and reserve the term for actual Nazis.
 

Shrug

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Fwiw I don't think unity is a good or helpful political aim. There will always be a strain of reactionary thought in this country, and the only outcome it deserves is total and continued defeat. The liberal shambles that passes for the American left will never achieve anything of consequence without accepting that there needs to be conflict with hate and reaction if better ideas and ideals are to prevail
 

Tera Melos

Banned deucer.
nothing more libertarian than directly equating property damage with the loss of life. Inject that straight into my veins, baby

I mean, AntiFa actively call out for murder/destruction online. Regardless of if they all collectively go out and cause trouble, the morale they stand behind are violent and aggressive in origin despite them doing it for "peace" / "Civil Rights." It always baffled ,e, they're all radicalized white college kids, but they actively seek out to harm those who display Privilege...if you ask me, being able to go out every night and destroy businesses, attack people, produce and edit online videos...to do all that and see no sort of prosecution or punishment in return? Sure sounds like Privilege to me. While I'm on that note, attacking and threatening anyone with opposing views to the point where if you are NOT in charge than whoever is becomes the enemy? Sounds like Fascism to me.
 

Ohmachi

Sun✡Head
America was more united in the 90s when I was growing up than it is now.

It turns out when an entire political party is in the thrall of identitarian intersectional politics, the discussion binary shifts from "What is equitable for most people?" to: "How do you feel about your skin color? How do you feel about other people's skin color? Does your skin color make you privileged or oppressed? How do we fix whiteness [actual question at Democratic National Committee Chair Debate]? Is segregating minorities into safe spaces to hold discussions a good idea [Actual policy being implemented on college campuses]?"

The only difference between the Antifa Nazis and the white supremacist Nazis is they want different a different pecking order for the intersectionalist racie-conscious utopia. Getting people to denouce white supremacists is easy. When do the denunciations of intersectionalist race theory begin?
You can't have an antifa nazis. Antifa stand for anti fascists. I don't understand what your asking after that.
 

BenTheDemon

Banned deucer.
If you really think about it, unity is kind of a bad thing. When you have countries with so many people, if there's not a difference of ideas, then you become like Authoritarian China. As much as I despise the rednecks that are backwards on every fuckin' issue imaginable, the only way to ideologically unite such a large population is through propaganda and censorship.
I'll take the rednecks, please.
 

Cresselia~~

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If you really think about it, unity is kind of a bad thing. When you have countries with so many people, if there's not a difference of ideas, then you become like Authoritarian China. As much as I despise the rednecks that are backwards on every fuckin' issue imaginable, the only way to ideologically unite such a large population is through propaganda and censorship.
I'll take the rednecks, please.
Agreed.
Japan is super united because liberals don't practically exist in Japan at all. You have one party that's far right, and another party that's not so far right but still right.

Thing with China though, people who feel oppressed by the regime would emigrate to somewhere else.
You are left with people who are ok with the regime, or not ok but too poor to leave (which is the minority)

China's brainwashing does work. Most people in China really are convinced that democracy is a bad thing.
And they just don't understand why people in Hong Kong and Taiwan are so rebellious.
They think that people in Hong Kong are like spoiled kids who don't want to listen to their parents.
And they think that China is being a good parent.

I think USA is so not united because of individualism and that people actually think.
Which may be a good thing.
It shows that you aren't brainwashed.
However, I don't see how USA would go anywhere as a country, since it keeps moving back and forth every time it switches political parties.
(unlike countries that have 3 political parties)
 

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