we are more divided than we’ve ever been as a country
What are you divided about?
From my understanding seeing the ripple effect happen here in Canada, politics, religion, social issues, economic issues and the like. It seems there’s more of a shift to more extremist (as in, pushing further to one side or the other, not as in violently extreme) ideologies on all sides, and everyone is getting more and more fed up, angry, and loud.
I think that is about the best explanation anyone can give. When I was younger like 90’s there was this overwhelming sense of “even if I don’t agree with what you want to do. I still support your freedom to live the life you want to live.” Now it seems like both the left and right have gotten like you said “more fed up, angry, and loud.” Both sides seem more intolerant.
Nonsense. The only extremists in the US are the Christian Nationalists who are actively undermining the foundations of liberal democracy. If there is “extremism” outside that, it’s people putting their foot down in rejection of this incipient fascism.
Like I clarified, extremism in the sense of being pushed more and more strongly to one side or another, not in the traditional sense of extremism. I don’t think it can be argued that there has been more of a shift towards needing to identify fully and totally with one ideology or another. While I do agree that “centrism” in the states is inherently right-leaning on the political scale, there seems to be a lot less people who fall in any kind of central view at all and it seems to be you follow the entire left or right ideology fully or you’re not truly accepted as one of them. Additionally there is a huge push towards loudly professing and identifying with your views as well as not being accepting or at least cordial of people with opposing views. I’m not casting positive or negative judgement on either side on purpose and trying to be objective about the situation in this case.