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Get away from politics as much as you can!
Why? Because something about politics is toxic to the Human psyche.
The toxicity has had a detrimental effect on civility.
Julia Manchester of The Hill reports the following:
Republican pollster Ed Goeas said in an interview that aired Thursday [13 Dec 2018] on What America's Thinking that the U.S. is in a "death spiral" when it comes to civility in politics.
"I do think that we are very definitely in a death spiral in terms of civility in this country, how we treat each other, how we talk about each other," Goeas, the president and CEO of the Tarrance Group, told Hill.TV's Jamal Simmons on Wednesday.
"The term that surfaced in this last election was tribalism, and it does have a little bit of the component to it, and again, it's all be aggravated by the selective watching of cable news and the use of social media," he continued.
Last month's midterm election results demonstrated a deeply partisan electorate in the U.S. amid heated political rhetoric coming from both sides of the aisle.
Polling shows that civility in politics is a point of major concern for Americans.
A PBS News Hour/NPR/Marist poll released last month found that 79 percent of Americans said they were concerned about the negative tone in U.S. politics and think it could lead to violence.
"I do think that we are very definitely in a death spiral in terms of civility in this country, how we treat each other, how we talk about each other," Goeas, the president and CEO of the Tarrance Group, told Hill.TV's Jamal Simmons on Wednesday.
"The term that surfaced in this last election was tribalism, and it does have a little bit of the component to it, and again, it's all be aggravated by the selective watching of cable news and the use of social media," he continued.
Last month's midterm election results demonstrated a deeply partisan electorate in the U.S. amid heated political rhetoric coming from both sides of the aisle.
Polling shows that civility in politics is a point of major concern for Americans.
A PBS News Hour/NPR/Marist poll released last month found that 79 percent of Americans said they were concerned about the negative tone in U.S. politics and think it could lead to violence.
Much political friction comes from people fighting to maintain personal comfort.
Well, the government's job isn't to provide all of the comfort that an individual desires. Instead, the government's job is to protect the well being of our entire society while protecting individual rights.
The toxicity of politics is especially bad when there is no difference between one's politics and one's de facto religion. Instead of embracing the official U.S. motto "In God We Trust", some Americans embrace "In Government We Trust".
Adding to the toxicity of politics is the ongoing effort by some people to turn the USA into a theocracy of their liking. These people are quick to rant if their particular religious beliefs aren't civil law.
At the opposite extreme, some politicians try to punish people for practicing faith that the politicians disagree with. For example, read "Anti-Catholic Senators" by Steve Cortes.
Some religion-driven friction is caused by people trying to embrace two conflicting religions simultaneously (Example: Christianity and culture religion).
Sometimes I think that the government would be better off if it were in the hands of agnostics and atheists who respect the First Amendment, but I digress.
So, is there any way to get away from political toxicity?
Sure there is.
Answer: Stop acting as if the world owes you something, and stop acting a if the government should cater to your every desire. If you choose to be involved with politics, then don't let politics be the center of your life.
Granted, some people don't want to get away from political toxicity.
Keep in mind that the word toxic is the root of the word intoxication, and plenty of people enjoy being intoxicated.
America is full of people who are drunk on politics.
As Dean Wormer says in the movie Animal House, "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life."
Apparently, Dean Wormer wasn't into politics.
Edited by
Dodo_David
on Sat 12/29/18 07:24 PM
