The Lie That Will Destroy Us

The United States has never been more divided.

This divided country will fall apart.

Are we headed for another civil war?

It's hard to listen to any political commentary these days without hearing about how "divided" the country is. The United States isn't united. It's an assemblage of different groups who all have different goals and dreams and lifestyles and values. It's urban again rural, liberal against conservative, Christians against non-Christians, native-born against immigrants. The entire country is a powder keg of hate waiting to blow because nobody can agree on anything anymore.

Is it really?

The mass media and all the various political commentators feed us these stories about American division every day. They can't be wrong, can they? It's not as if the news outlets, owned by giant media conglomerates and run by billionaires have any stake in keeping us afraid, right? The media are all reporting the facts and there is no advantage to making us believe we are all irreparably divided from either other, is there?

Tell me, what is dividing us so much? Is it politics? Is it social issues? Is it religion? Is it race? Is it socio-economic class? 

It's my belief that we have been fed this idea that we are all so divided from each other that we are now all afraid of each other. We are afraid to speak out. We are afraid to take action. We are afraid to have discussions about the things that matter.  As long as we believe we are divided, as long as we are afraid to take a stand, as long as we assume the damage is irreparable, those in power can continue to take advantage. If we believe we can't agree on anything, then the government, and the corporations who own the government and the media, know we won't rise up against them and try to change the world for the benefit of everyone.

Let's set aside politicians and the corporate media and look at what actual Americans really care about.

When it comes to the issues, Americans are far more united than the media want us to believe we are.

Nearly three quarters of Americans support various forms of social safety nets. Social security and Medicare are popular. Contrary to what right wing politicians say, there is still popular support for programs like SNAP and TANF. There is less support for public housing initiatives, but it's still over 50%. There is also widespread support for the government ensuring we all have healthcare.

The majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade and legalized abortion in most cases, and opposed its overturning. Politicians are beginning to realize what a blunder the overturning was. Anti-choice Americans have been vocal in the past forty years, and the media give them all the attention. It gave a distorted picture of how the average American feels about this issue.  On a related note, Americans also support legal and accessible birth control. Remember the outsized coverage the media gave to Rush Limbaugh when he called women who wanted to make sure birth control was part of everyone's insurance coverage "sluts" (and made it sound as if women were asking for the government to pay for birth control rather than asking the government require private health insurance to cover birth control)?

Seventy percent of us support LGBT rights.

Well over half of us support measures to preserve voting rights including mail-in ballots and making Election Day a national holiday. We mostly oppose gerrymandering and voter suppression tactics.

Americans accept the science of climate change. We worry about the effects of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. 

A majority of Americans agree guns are a problem and believe in common-sense gun control measures with varying support for laws such as background checks, assault weapons bans, and national databases. 

Barack Obama has had one of the highest approval ratings of any president in history.

Donald Trump never won the popular vote and was the most unpopular president in history.

Few Americans like Mitch McConnell. 

The fastest rising religion the United States is Religiously Unaffiliated. 

I could go on. I could add statistics about the ways where we all agree on issues often considered to be more right-leaning as well. I think I made my point. 

I don't only want to quote statistics here. Statistics are only as good as the polling methods used and the sample populations who were polled. Let's throw in some good old-fashioned anecdotal evidence.

I admit I take some perverse pleasure in videos where Trump supporters and other assorted conservatives on the street are ambushed with political questions they can't answer. I enjoy watching them be stumped by the YouTube channel hosts about the actual definition of "woke", or what the Founding Fathers said about religion, or what tangible positive actions Donald Trump took during his tenure in office. It's often hilarious. (Yes, I know it's mean spirited and I also know there are similar videos out there on the right where the host asks dim-witted liberals questions they can't answer as well.)

Then one day I came across this one. The host asked various attendees of a Trump rally about their economic concerns. The answers were the same for so many of them. They all agreed the wealthy corporations were too powerful and there was too much money in politics. Some of these Trump supporters even considered voting for Bernie Sanders at one point. 

In other words, these hardcore right wingers were saying what liberals have been saying for years. Corporations are too powerful and the wealthiest have too much control in this country. The problem is when liberals say it, we are called communists.

Then again, who is calling us communists? It's right-wing politicians and media pundits. What would Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Mike Johnson, Lindsey Graham, Sean Hannity or Tucker Carlson think if they heard these Trump rally attendees talking about corporate power and money in politics? How would it make them feel to know their constituents have the same concerns the liberals have?

(I suspect they know it. They are merely trying to focus attention away from it and rile up their base on lesser issues.)

For years these right wing politicians and pundits and their devotees have called me an elitist who doesn't care about "Real America" (well, not me personally, but Americans of my political bent). I don't know what it's like to struggle. I don't care about the issues that affect the working class or people who don't live in big cities. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. Part of my entire political mindset comes from empathy for those less fortunate than I am. I am a liberal because I want everyone to have an equal chance to succeed. The policies I support - education, reproductive freedom, non-exploitative renting practices, affordable housing, higher minimum wage, infrastructure investment, clean air and water - are issues meant to improve everyone's lives whether they live in big cities or rural farms, across all socio-economic groups and all ethnic groups. Why should anyone believe these millionaire politicians and pundits over the statements an average Jane like me makes?

Yet, despite the fact that I believe in a country that works for everyone, despite the fact that I do empathize with the plight of "real" America, despite the fact that I believe most of us agree on issues, I am the one who is blamed for being divisive. I can't work with the other side. I am judgmental. Somehow it's up to me and other like-minded Americans to bridge this supposed divide between Americans. I am constantly being told, "We need to come together," but I'm the one who is supposed to be making amends.

Who are the ones being truly divisive?

It's not the liberals who use the term "culture war". It's a hackneyed phrase in today's political landscape, but I think it's time we take a long look at it. It isn't a concept any of us should take likely. Conservatives are using the word "war". This isn't debate. This isn't disagreement. They are talking about a fight here. War implies battles and violence. What they are going to war against? They want to fight against the prevailing culture. We have a majority of Americans who care about equality and reproductive freedom, gun safety, and environmental stewardship. The minority is saying, "You are wrong. I not only disagree with you but I am willing to fight you." There are extremists willing to talk about an actual new civil war if they don't get what they want.

Worst of all, the leader of this movement, the former president, is the most divisive figure of all. The President of the United States is supposed to represent the interests of all his constituents. I have never heard Donald Trump say he wants to do what's right for all Americans. Instead he refers to those who disagree with his ideas as "vermin". He calls them communists and fascists. He gives permission to commit acts of violence against protestors. He threatens a bloodbath (yes, the bloodbath comments have a context, but he knows his followers will pick up that language before they pick up the context).

When the language of a vocal minority becomes too loud, it scares away the reasonable people. Then nobody wants to discuss any politics anymore for fear of ugly repercussions. We're so afraid of the topics we disagree about, we are unable to consider where we might find common ground.

There is common ground out there. For example, I think most of agree there is too much corporate money in politics. Most of us probably want a stable infrastructure and quality education for our children. Most of us should want clean air and clean water. I am sure we all want to be paid a fair wage for a full day's work. 

Besides, I have friends who may disagree with my politics, but we are friends because we have so many other things in common. We are all more than our political beliefs. There is no reason to be so afraid of political disagreements that we can't be united about anything else.

I understand it has to be difficult to have a minority position. If you feel the cultural zeitgeist is leaving you behind, it can feel isolating. You don't have to embrace beliefs that contradict your values, but you can agree to live and let live. You can also denounce inflammatory rhetoric. If you agree with those who claim to be at "war" with the culture, you risk alienating the people who want peace (or at least some détente). Division only happens if you allow it.

I also know there are Americans on both sides who prove the exception and not the rule. They are the ones who don't want to find common ground, who want to make this a fight. I'm sure I have readers who have lost friends and family to this mindset. Maybe I am being naïve as I write this post because I have had the good fortune to have friends and family who valued our relationship over politics. For those of you who haven't been so lucky, I can only say there are plenty of people in this country who want to embrace our similarities rather than fight over our differences. You can find them. They are out there. 

No positive changes will happen in this country until we stop hand-wringing about how divided everyone is. We need to stop being afraid of each other. We need to remember all the beliefs we have in common. As long as we remain embroiled in this phony civil war, we can't rise up and tackle the real issues. 

This is exactly what the rich and powerful want. They don't want us coming together over our concerns about concentrated wealth and power or whether our roads are safe or our water is drinkable or our housing costs are too high. Drag queens, fundamentalist Christians, immigrants, and police officers all likely want these things. We all value love, family, and a safe home. We all want to earn enough money to cover the cost of living and still have some discretionary cash to pursue a hobby or two and take a vacation now and then. As long as we believe we are more different than alike, the ones in power will never allow us to have it. 

We are the UNITED States of America. Don't believe the lies anymore. Stand up and say what you believe in. You may find you have more people on your side than you think. Don't let the powerful divide us by making us believe otherwise.