It's amazing that we are all human but we have this great divide b/w us and we can't seem to resolve it. What separates those that vote democrat from those that are republican??? I am amazed at the vitriol..
What separates us is that conservatives are educated reasonable people willing to engage in discussion with respect for all opinions, while liberals seem to only know how to insult everyone who doesn't believe that way they want everyone else to believe. This forum is clear evidence of this fact.
So many. You are welcome to spend a few days perusing the forum for it to become obvious. But you can also see how 'liberal personalities' insult the right in news headlines everywhere. It's what they do. Did you ever see such obscene signs of hatred directed by conservatives while liberals were in power?
Rocketman, please understand that the hostility comes, in large part, due to what has essentially devolved into a virtual civil war at this point. The left continues to push what they consider to be "progress" - and to be fair in some cases it is progress but in many cases it is not progress but merely redirection. For something to be considered "progress", the vast majority must agree with it, don't you think? For example, if my neighbor is burning leaves in his backyard, and my yard is downwind of him, and when he burns his leaves my yard is filled with choking smoke that I shouldn't have to deal with. I like to sit out on my patio, but my neighbor doesn't care. So I ask him to stop, but he ignores the request. I then get the police to make him stop, and the police make him stop on all days but Monday. They respect his right to burn leaves on Monday and say I have to compromise. Is this progress or not? Kinda depends on whose point of view. My neighbor certainly doesn't think it is. I do. Neighbors who aren't involved and don't get smoke (on one street over) don't care at all. But what if this neighbor is smoking out the whole neighborhood? Then, restricting him suddenly becomes progress, because everyone in the neighborhood is affected in a positive manner (except the jerk burning leaves). What the left is doing now is trying to change a vast number of things that many conservatives consider to be core principles of the country we love. The left calls this "progress" and then attacks anyone that does not agree that what they are trying to do is make things better. Some of the things the left used to stand for and push for were, actually, good and would make life better. For example, they used to stand for freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom for persecution. Liberals used to be all about that. Now, they have become so consumed with telling conservatives that they (conservatives) are wrong, that when conservatives try to stand up and say "wait a moment, I don't want that to change, I like it" immediately they are labeled as bigots, racist, sexist, nazis, etc. So you've got one group of people who like life the way they are, one group that continually wants to change it and instead of debating the issues and focusing about the issues specifically, each side is more concerned with being right than actually listening - one out of defense, and one from attacking. Also note that you did just that, here: https://www.elitetrader.com/et/threads/a-sober-read.321641/ See how you started with "why can't we just get rid of them"? To those of us who cherish our 2nd amendment, we instantly go on defense when we see someone like you say that. We don't hear "what are the reasons why we cannot remove them?" as a question to be discussed. We hear "all these guns should be banned!" as a statement. Regardless of how you meant it. This is because we no longer listen to understand. We listen only to formulate our response/defense.
Right, and a war was fought over it. Fortunately, the vast majority of the North agreed such a battle was necessary to stand up for the lives of people who could not defend themselves. As I mentioned, standing up for things like "Freedom from persecution" used to be a core left principle. But slavery isn't the same thing as, say, letting men who "identify as female" use the ladies room so they can peek in on biological women. Or legally going after a cake maker because they refuse to make a cake for a gay couple when their religion tells them not to honor the couples "marriage". Or raising my taxes to pay for someone because they have a right to medical care that they do not wish to work for. Or telling me I can no longer celebrate the flag of the United States at a ball game because it is "offensive" to some abstract minority. Or saying my kid can't say "Merry Christmas" because it is offensive to the one muslim student in class. And so on and so forth with never ending examples of sheer and abject stupidity.
The issues are what divide, not to mention brain structure/physiology/upbringing,place Here are the main ones, let me know if I forgot any: Gun control or lack thereof. Freedom from religious delusions in govt affairs, I mean freedom of religion and being able to believe any old crazy shit. Man made global warming/science/environment/quality of life and health. The poor and disadvantaged. Like that guy Jesus talked about. Abortion rights vs rights of the unborn. This is a tough one. Govt good vs govt bad. Dept of Offense, I mean war, military industrial complex/military readiness - to invade other smaller countries at will. Nationalism vs Globalism Social welfare/safety net vs "tough luck , you are on your own, hop along on that one good leg" - see Jesus, above. Capitalism vs Socialism. Wealth distribution vs those with the most wins. See Jesus, above. Plutocracy vs Democracy, see "money in politics" Tribalism vs pan-racism. See Jesus, above.
See, rocketman? This is what I'm talking about. The above poster rails against people being able to practice whatever religion they want, calling it "believing in any old crazy shit". Who cares what others believe? Liberals do, of course! If someone wants to worship a rock and calls it "OG" who really cares so long as he/she isn't hurting someone? Never mind that the same poster references Jesus at least four times right after they rail any religion. You don't see many conservatives telling Atheists they are nazis for not believing in a higher power on the evening news, as a general rule. The opposite, though, is widely pushed.