What's the REAL source of division, oppression & strife?

[rucky]

In the country, the world - you name it. The one delineation that best separates good versus evil would be a good thing to identify, or we'll never be able to fight it effectively.

Another way to look at it: If the balance of power shifted from the first side of the poll choices to the second side, which resolution would best solve our problems?

[xchrom]

1. while i voted corrupt and indifferent -- i find i'm really only interested in

what has/is happening to the democratic party.

the republicans i 'know' -- and are predictable by now.

it's the supposed party of 'the people' that has my fascination at this point.

[rucky]

4. D vs. R: That's the conflict that sucks us in the most.

But all the theater that surrounds it is a purposeful distraction from the real conflict at-hand. We will never bring the country together through bipartisanship or through one-party rule. The ideals that once belonged to the Democratic party are worth holding onto, but it's time to ditch the label and all its baggage that goes along with it. If I come at a wingnut as an "independent" the conversation is entirely different than if I had it as a Democrat, even though I'd be making the same basic points.

The sooner we shift the paradigm, the sooner we can come together to work on real solutions.

[xchrom]

6. i see what you're saying. -- however i find myself amibivalent

about independents -- i don't know if that's just a contemporary allergy -- but as i see them as a crew right now i find them selfish. -- not what you're talking about i know.

[rucky]

7. it's another meaningless label

with its own set of baggage

It would be nice to find a way to self-identify, though, that would not automatically shut people off from what you have to say.

[xchrom]

8. again -- i really do get where you're going with this.

i don't know if i have the same view with labels -- it's a contemporary thing to disregard labels --
but labels have a way of defining that should be helpful as well as negative -- in thinking about it.

i'm gay, i'm a leftist, i'm middle class or bourgeois, i'm middle aged -- i'm not unhappy with those labels.

i'm not being very helpful with where you're at i realize.

[rainy]

2. Private property is the root of all evil.

Private ownership is fine as long as everyone gets the right to have land without having to purchase it. Should be a basic human right to have a place on this earth to live .

[Democracyinkind]

3. I'm the first to vote for number 3

But I believe that 2,3,4 at least are all true and maybe even the same thing.

Hard choice.

I chose corps. vs. everyone else rather than rich vs. poor because the divergence of interest is most obvious when framed along those lines. But corps vs. everyone is probably just another way of describing the non-populist narrative of rich vs. poor.

[blindpig]

5. Why beat around the bush?

Capitalist vs Workers

[socialist_n_TN]

21. Yeah, I wish that had been there too......

nm

[pampango]

9. "Rich vs Poor" with nationalism a close second since it keeps the poor from cooperating in pursuit

of their common interests. The elite (in every country) benefit from encouraging "our" poor to view "their" poor as "others" rather than viewing the elite themselves (regardless of nationality) as the real "others".

[stray cat]

10. Humans!

[FreakinDJ]

11. Rich vs: Poor

[NoPasaran]

12. Coke vs. Pepsi

[Coyote_Bandit]

13. Other

We have no sense of community and mutual committment. Everybody is looking out for number 1 and trying to dominate and prevail over everyone else.

[Posteritatis]

14. The idea that there's "one delineation" for such things is one such source. (nt)

[EstimatedProphet]

15. Other - urban vs. rural

Look at the political map of the US. The correlation of urban/rural with liberal/conservative is near 100%.

[rucky]

18. That really gets close to the heart of the Liberal/Conservative debate.

The farther you are from a city, the less you realize in your daily life how dependent your livelihood is to a city as the hub of economic activity. People who live in the city are forced to cooperate and are more dependent on shared services & infrastructure supported by our tax dollars, but they also realize the benefits to them because it's more indirect.

But how does this explain Vermont?

[Nikia]

19. In the city, though, people can segregate themselves more

Rural towns are more homogeneous on the otherhand. The wealthiest people in town usually go to the same churches, have their children attend the same schools, and belong to the same organizations as people who are below median income. That rarely happens in big cities. On the otherhand, it may cause rural people to believe that most rich are benevelent and interested in people like them. I disagree that those in the city have to cooperate more. There are probably a higher percentage of rural people who are involved in their own communities. Although their towns are populated by mostly people of the same race, religion, ethnicity, and socioeconmic levels, they are forced to deal with whoever is there.

[EstimatedProphet]

28. I think the homogeneity also adds to the situation

In urban areas, people are forced to encounter different cultures on a daily basis. It's difficult to villify whole groups as "unAmerican" when you encounter them every day and see that they are people. In far too many rural areas in the country, there's no other presence that White America at all, and the only exposure to other cultures comes from TV, which naturally shows the most lurid and stereotyped aspects of everything.

[EstimatedProphet]

27. If you've been to Vermont, you know it is a magical place.

[begin_within]

16. Greed

Oh, and religion.

[MH1]

17. the educated vs. the uneducated

and by education I mean science and rationality based education.

[socialist_n_TN]

20. The capitalistic power structure, but..........

in your poll the closest you came to that answer is Corporations vs Everyone Else. So that's what I picked.

Upon further thought, it's probably CLOSE to the same thing. :)

[lpbk2713]

22. Hatemonger radio

By far.





The hate and RNC propaganda is nonstop from these assholes and the zombies eat it up.

[and-justice-for-all]

23. Religion and tribalism.

[moondust]

24. Greed, especially organized greed (corporations). n/t

[Odin2005]

25. The Corporations vs. Everyone Else.

Kill Capitalism.

[H2O Man]

26. Other.

It's a combination of several of the choices. More, when one thing changes, everything changes.