When Americans Got Along?

[jerrywall]

Odd thing to nit-pick when the central point was that the Brady Bunch represented a type of family utopia which was a complete and utter lie and greatly contributed to the illusion that things were much better then than now.

Brady Bunch never seemed to me to represent this idealic and naive viewpoint of America as much as say Andy Griffith show and Leave it to Beaver and such. I mean, it overlapped All in the Family, and other such shows. Happy Days and Welcome Back Carter also overlapped, and had very different viewpoints of American life. I think by the start of the 70's TV was more of a mixed bag than it used to be.

Now, the Brady Bunch did lead me to believe it never rained in Southern California when I was a kid.

[Urban Pioneer]

I found this an interesting read this morning. It speaks to the difference between then and now as far as the "bots" are concerned. People may have been just as polarized, but the automation part of the discourse is interesting. OKCtalk standing in contrast to this btw. I appreciate the divergent points of view on here instead of the tribalistic tendencies of other mediums.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/02/o...l-right-region

[Pete]

Here is another example of how Americans did absolutely not get along better in the 60's and 70's or really any time else.

Few people realize that until the Supreme Court FORCED states to comply, that even in 1967 (I was in 2nd Grade) that in Oklahoma and 15 other states it was still a FELONY to marry outside your race.

In other words, even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (which effectively ended the practice of open segregation and employment discrimination -- again it took a LAW to force that social change), a very large percentage of the country still thought it was a perfectly good idea to put people in prison for the simple act of a white person wedding someone of color.

Let that settle in for a minute.

It's not like people finally woke up and realized how outrageously horrible this idea was (in 1967!!!) and changed the law, they were FORCED to change them due to the famous decision in Loving v. Virginia (the subject of a recent movie, BTW).

And then realize that when a law like this is forced upon states and its citizens that ideas behind the previous laws don't suddenly change. There are a lot of people still alive who thought then and still think now that such things are wrong.


You could make a very, very strong argument that divides such as this were far more deep and pronounced in the past, there just wasn't social media or other ways of everyone being able to express themselves in a very public way.

[BLJR]

I think one thing that has changed is tolerance and respect, and setting aside that everyone may not have your exact views. I remember when my Grandparents didn't like some things about the closest neighbor about 1/8 of a mile down the road. Betty and Bud were their names. Even though they had different interests, views, and beliefs on some things, they never maliciously attempted to damage or hurt them, as they were still neighbors. If Bud needed some help or heavy lifting, Grandpa was there, and it worked the other way around as well. They were still friends, but they weren't best friends and set the items they didn't get along about aside, to better each other and help when it was needed.

That is pretty much gone... We all post things on here sometimes, and someone comes back in regard to not liking my comments or point of view (and I do the same sometimes), and that is perfectly fine, we are different individuals. I bet if we all met in person, we may be able to find something that we do agree upon (politics, weather, food, Pete's wonderful drone pics, etc...), and perhaps we could concentrate on that instead of bickering and being at permanent odds with each other.

I have a friend who is an atheist, and I am a Christian... I don't try to change that about him,and he doesn't try to change that about me. We tolerate each others different views, and respect each others decision. What we have done is found common interests and hobbies we both like, and we get along. I would help him any day of the week, and vice versa.....

[Pete]

^

I still think that is the way when you are are talking about in-person dealings. A good number of my friends -- including my best friend -- and I profoundly disagree on many sensitive topics but we are still good to each other and I usually just politely change the subject when it comes up.

I would suggest that it just appears people don't along now because of social media and 24/7 news channels that spend much more time in angry opinion than real news.

[jerrywall]

Especially the rise of shareable memes and posts on social media. People just forward them along constantly, without verifying any information, and passing along more untruths. It's a much more enhanced less filterable version of the emails my crazier relatives would forward to me. I had so many folks unfollowed and hidden on Facebook that it's not funny.

[dankrutka]

Thanks for making this political.

I’m assuming you’re arguing that my post was partisan because this entire thread is about politics. My post wasn’t partisan at all. Russians strategies online strategies to use social media to create division are well documented.

This comment actually points to part of the problem... I made a simple statement of fact with no political connotations... yet, someone still found a way to view it as partisan. That facts have become partisan is part of our “post-truth” reality. Of course, misinformation and propaganda have always been around (see yellow journalism), but social media has made it more complex, amplified, and participatory. We curate and pass on misinformation in new ways.

I’ll finish by saying that respectful deliberation is difficult. I’ve been working on it for years and I still make mistakes. But, more than anything, it starts with people really willing to listen and learn from each other.

[dankrutka]

Thanks for making this political.

I’m assuming you’re arguing that my post was partisan because this entire thread is about politics. My post wasn’t partisan at all. Russians strategies to use social media to create division are well documented.

This comment actually points to part of the problem... I made a simple statement of fact with no political connotations... yet, someone still found a way to view it as partisan. That facts have become partisan is part of our “post-truth” reality. Of course, misinformation and propaganda have always been around (see yellow journalism), but social media has made it more complex, amplified, and participatory. We curate and pass on misinformation in new ways.

I’ll finish by saying that respectful deliberation is difficult. I’ve been working on it for years and I still make mistakes. But, more than anything, it starts with people really willing to listen and learn from each other.

[Eric]

Most of the "measurables" would indicate this is one of the most peaceful and cooperative times in US history. Now, if you try to measure words on the internet (which is basically infinite), you may not come to the same conclusion.

And while not monumental (as in Pete's example above about interracial marriages), I see incremental changes happening fairly rapidly without the threat of force/law. I attribute a lot of this to the same thing that seems to indicate all the hate...the internet, or another way, a more free flow of information...useful information.

[bradh]

Most of the "measurables" would indicate this is one of the most peaceful and cooperative times in US history. Now, if you try to measure words on the internet (which is basically infinite), you may not come to the same conclusion.

And while not monumental (as in Pete's example above about interracial marriages), I see incremental changes happening fairly rapidly without the threat of force/law. I attribute a lot of this to the same thing that seems to indicate all the hate...the internet, or another way, a more free flow of information...useful information.

You know this is right. I could never imagine 30 years ago, certain churches flying rainbow flags out front saying "all are welcome." Politics are unfortunately more polarized but I think the middle has never been more unified, even with their differences.

Unfortunately, the poles seems to get the most attention and drive elections.