The opposite side of insanity: Missouri Bill Makes Teachers Sex Offenders If They Accept Trans Kids' Pronouns. Why are Americans gravitating towards both extremes?

submitted by chris3991m from riverfronttimes.com

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[–]LordoftheFliesAmeri-kin 2.0. Pronouns: MegaWhite/SuperStraight/UltraPatriarchy 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

It's not necessarily that Americans are gravitating towards extremes, but more that the extremes are so loud, incessant, and aggressive that only they can be heard anymore. The moderates have learned that being open about their position only gets them abused (more so by the left than the right, in my own observations), so they stay quiet and let the maniacs shriek away.

Further, there's also definite efforts by a number of groups to weaponize the extremes on either side, and use to them as flashy distractions or lightning rods to draw outrage, especially during elections. That makes them more prominent and attention-getting, and keeps the fringe active and foaming up at the mouth as desired.

[–]OuroborosTheory 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

oddly I was just watching "Sideshow Bob Roberts" and was impressed how villainous they always made Quimby while all the writers (except famously Schwarzwelder) were bog-standard Dems: the point there was that without officials like Quimby and their dead-dog voters a demagogue would have no chance--but the establishment had made sure there'd be no other challengers

so who'd be the "middlemost" pol in the US right now? who do moderates have?

[–]Alienhunter糞大名 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

In some ways ironically Trump is one of the most "moderate" candidates in terms of culture war shit in a long time. At least if we judge based on the "hardline religious vs atheist humanist" metric. Christian right hated him before he won the Republican primary and became God's chosen candidate. I think his opposition was banking on being able to drag out his crass playboy history and turn the religious base against him which doesn't work because, everyone knows it already, he's god's chosen candidate already so it doesn't matter all is forgiven, and the culture war means people would rather vote for a rock than that evil guy on the other side.

I think US politics in general, outside of the media coverage does tend to be pretty moderate, but it's boring and doesn't get much coverage. The culture war is basically a kind of political entertainment designed to bring in money and while it does have social consequences (and I think it makes life worse for everyone over time) the political benefits are such that it will continue. If you look at congressional voting records you'll see a pattern where a great many bills get near unanimous support from both parties provided they aren't picked up by the media and get plugged into the political outrage machine.

[–]OuroborosTheory 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

tbqh he's the only Pres to have participated in a drag show