(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Grand 'Ol Canyon--a Canadian view [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-11-17 Grand Ol’ Canyon Word on the street is that America is deeply divided, or so they keep saying. The Cultural Chasm has never been deeper and sharper, but the actual lines of division are varied and quite blurry. The whines have oaky elements of Rich/Poor at work, with undertones of Urban/Rural wafting up while notes of Jesus/Science blend in the mix. White/Not White goes with everything...it has since the Birth of the Nation. Typically, a good portion of this Great Gulf are seen as plain talkin' salt-of-the-earth folks who work hard, pay their fair share, and want nothing more than the freedoms enshrined in their pocket freedom-guide. The most sacred of which is the freedom from government interference. They proudly brag that their forefathers paid for those freedoms with whatever standard currency of war suits their fantasy, but the point is it’s paid for and they own it now. Freedom Illustrated The flip-side to that picture is the stock photo image of man-bunned Starbucks denizens sipping multi-syllabic beverages while nobly mobilizing grass roots toward the good fight. These gluten-sensitive galoots are demanding personhood for folks from every facet of life who want to continue living in freedom, and standing up for those whose legs are buckling under the crushing weight of so much liberty. Yet some people in many, many countries apparently hate America. This inherited revulsion has been passed along generations among some cultures and the best, most perfect assemblage of humans in the history of mammals can’t understand why. Dedicated study probing the roots of this deep-seated, cultural rejection came to the inarguable conclusion that they’re just jell. With American superiority being so starkly evident, the basic human trait of jealousy must be in play. To quote one President renowned for his insightful wisdom: “They hate us for our freedoms”. The odd thing is that the folks who want nothing but a simple life surrounded by freedom and limited government have an endless list of demands,insisting that politicians create an internecine web of laws specifically designed to curtail people's freedom--a select sample include confounding the right to vote, marry whom they love, and have dominion over their own bodies. They have a very narrow notion of Freedom--"Free to be Me" means exactly that--free to be just like me and live as I do, freedom to be the same. "Pay no attention to us" And that loud mob taking to the streets with any demand that can fit into a “Hey hey, ho ho” chant, which is pretty much everything from equal rights for women, gays, people of every race/ethnicity etc., to permission to exorcise Uncle Rapey’s demon seed are really only asking for one simple thing: a broad concept of Freedom, where "Free to be Me" means exactly that--free to be myself, an individual… freedom to be different.“Just leave me alone” could be the motto. While still largely divided, all the other lines blur...a prayer is said for Protesters, Red States are turning Purple, the Rich are funding both sides and the poor are simply everywhere...so many poor. The Great Divide can also include those who will listen to logical arguments and can be persuaded, and those who put their hands on ears and hum the National Anthem during passionate debate. "err-or...err-or.--re-al-ize ...re-al-ize" This is often seen as the reasonable/pig-headed paradox. Those who know what they know and will not be shaken no matter what,whether it's matters of God or who killed the Kennedys (after all it was you and me), and those whose minds are made up but leave a smidgen of room for doubt and are willing to discuss that malleability toward contrary views. Many grew up with the notion that rocks are stable and forever, even to be immortalized in advertising:“Like a Rock” for cars, or “Steady as the Rock of Gibraltar”for insurance. Rigidity and inflexibility are signs of strength &certitude, and view being open to compromise as a cowardly weakness.Any deviation from the current state of affairs means change, and having to change means admitting something was wrong to begin with. Societal change is interpreted as an attack on their principles, implying that the beliefs they and their pappy before them grew up with are in error.It’s hard to reconcile that they must have been wrong all these years. What would it mean if their fundamental belief system was in error, flawed, illogical...mistake number one--the earth simply cannot be older than 5k years, cuz...bible. Not realizing this error—mistake number two. Must...realize. Things are further complicated when folks gain a sense of justice and superiority in knowing they are right, and simply can’t fathom how others fail to see what is so blatantly obvious. This lack of vision naturally calls into question the mental agility of those offering different views, and highlights the futility of further discussion. The sentiment of “How do you negotiate with a moron”overshadows the reality that there is no desire for negotiation at all, it’s all the “gimme what I want or the country gets it, see” style of compromise. The Art of the Deal Further distillation of this tectonic abyss brings it down to the molecular level: Change v. Stasis. And this, this is where the fundamentals of nature come in. Change is the essence of all life on Earth. Non-life too. Make that the entire fucking Universe. This whole concept of keeping things the same, or better yet, going back to how they were, actually violates basic laws of physics. While we’re in Space, it’s worth noting that in the 1960’s while NASA was in the process of striving toward the singularly greatest achievement of science & engineering produced by the mind of man, some 47% of Americans were against going to the moon. It simply does not matter what the concept, idea or direction...it seems that 47% of Americans will think it is wrong. To have 70% of Americans to agree on something is indeed rarefied territory. The last, greatest unification of the country was during WW2 (the big one) in Jan. 1940 after Hitler invaded France & Belgium, when 88% of the country said “Screw Europe”, one poll putting it at 93% by May of the same year. Just for fun, Google ‘American public 47%’ and take your pick of issues to read about.You’ll find a group of high school grads not prepared for college, others affirming inflated GPA’s, folks who don’t pay income tax,those interested in Apple TV, take public transportation, POC working at Starbucks, sexually assaulted transgender folks, and support for the death penalty...all 47%ers. It’s America’s magic number, cutting across so many disparate issues and topics that there will always be roughly half the country seeing things differently. Political division...meh...it’s always something. 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