Yes, it is very challenging, @denmarkguy. I thought this was a great analogy:
"As a sort of metaphor, it's the political equivalent of always eating Big Macs™ and wondering why you're still fat, rather than eating a balanced diet and getting some exercise to actually lose weight."
What are we consuming, as a regular part of our political discourse diet?
"And it’s very difficult to detect what it is we’re collectively being misdirected from ..."
I certainly agree with this. I appreciate the fact you are openly and honestly pointing this out.
As long as what divides people is so sharply in focus, rather than what unites us, it is sobering to think about what it will take to bring about any long lasting change to what you have described in your post.
It's sad that people seem so reluctant to explore what they have in common.
A friend of ours from years back was sort of diplomat/activist and he was always trying to bring feuding parties together over what they had in common. Back in the heat of conflict, I remember him talking about arranging a friendly soccer match between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, back in the early 1990s... and watching these "opposing" dads talk about teaching their kids the game, favorite teams and much more... their intense differences almost completely forgotten because they came together over an activity they mutually enjoyed...
We need more of that...
wrote about that myself a few days ago.Common ground. Yes, we most certainly can agree on that, @denmarkguy, as I
It would be interesting to see what two Silver Bloggers might say to each other on this topic.
As our younger people would appear to have fewer and fewer examples of that, in the real world. Quite the contrary ...