It’s 1968 All Over Again

[Geee]

National Review

The United States and the world appear to be reliving the language, politics, and global instability of 1968.

Almost a half-century ago, in 1968, the United States seemed to be falling apart.
The Vietnam War, a bitter and close presidential election, antiwar protests, racial riots, political assassinations, terrorism, and a recession looming on the horizon left the country divided between a loud radical minority and a silent conservative majority.

The United States avoided a civil war. But America suffered a collective psychological depression, civil unrest, defeat in Vietnam, and assorted disasters for the next decade — until the election of a once-polarizing Ronald Reagan ushered in five consecutive presidential terms of relative bipartisan calm and prosperity from 1981 to 2001.
It appears as if 2017 might be another 1968. Recent traumatic hurricanes seem to reflect the country’s human turmoil.

After the polarizing Obama presidency and the contested election of Donald Trump, the country is once again split in two. But this time the divide is far deeper, both ideologically and geographically — and more 50/50, with the two liberal coasts pitted against red-state America in between.
Century-old mute stone statues are torn down in the dead of night, apparently on the theory that by attacking the Confederate dead, the lives of the living might improve.
All the old standbys of American life seem to be eroding. The National Football League is imploding as it devolves into a political circus. Multimillionaire players refuse to stand for the national anthem, turning off millions of fans whose former loyalties paid their salaries.

Politics — or rather a progressive hatred of the provocative Donald Trump — permeates almost every nook and cranny of popular culture.

[Valin]

Civil war or just uncivil society?

Margaret

February 8th, 2018

It seems that at least once a week I read an article predicting that the extreme political divisions in our country will lead to an actual civil war. “The country hasn’t been this divided since 1860!” is a common refrain.

Divided, yes. But leading to war? I don’t think so.

Those who actually know all about our Civil War may wish to correct me; I admit that discussion of this topic in my Georgia high school was so frequent and so prolonged that I did my best to sink into a coma whenever the subject came up. Even so, I think I grasped a few general points about that war which differentiate it from the present situation.

(1) The war was driven by one major moral/economic dispute, even if the two sides described it differently. (North: “Slavery is wrong.” South: “Our economy depends on slavery. Besides, states’ rights.”)
(2) The opposing sides were (mostly) geographically divided.
(3) There were, on both sides, people who were willing to actually fight with something more lethal than a sarcastic Tweet.

Now look at the current mess.

(1) What’s the argument about?
Us: “Freedom! Besides, the Constitution.”
Them: “Fight racism! And homophobia! And transphobia! And Islamophobia! And Climate deniers! And whatever we think of tomorrow!”

 

(Snip)

And that’s my biggest reason for feeling that the yelling and screaming will not turn into actual war. To have any kind of war at all you have to have at least two sides that are willing to fight.

[nickydog]

Sigh.  I can't believe I have to live through two national upheavals within my adult life.  I just hope I live long enough to see the end of this one and another Reaganesque period of relative tranquility.

[Valin]

25 minutes ago, nickydog said:

Sigh.  I can't believe I have to live through two national upheavals within my adult life.  I just hope I live long enough to see the end of this one and another Reaganesque period of relative tranquility.

Relative, being the operative word.

Orson Welles speaks before a crowd of 700,000 at a nuclear disarmament rally in Central Park on June 12, 1982.

 

 

 

 

[nickydog]

I know.  Relative being the operative word.