National Politics
The US v Them mentality in US Politics has been labeled as Tribalism. The concept of there being a Blue Brain and a Red Brain was first voiced in a 1994 survey in England, and later it was documented in a study in 1997. It was again the focus of another study in the 2013 Red Brain, Blue Brain: Evaluative Processes Differ in Democrats and Republicans. It is clear the different thinking processes between Liberals and Conservatives in England and Democrats and Republicans in the United States are clearly evident.
The desires for people to only listen to opinions with which they agree rather than those which challenge their precepts are based on an aversion to mental conflicts and thereby personal comfort. Many people do not like to debate their opinions and are not interested in others sharing their own, but as we have seen in social media, friendships and family interactions the distinctive differences between the two sides cause great consternation. People are regularly deleting, unfriending, unfollowing or blocking people of divergent views, ending long-standing relationships and not tolerating differences of opinion or choosing not to attend family gatherings where counter thoughts might be shared.
The passage of the Brexit vote in England in 2016 was an indicator of consolidation of isolationist ideals in the country the United States broke away from in 1776, and the election of Donald J Trump (R) later in the year a statement of how dire the circumstances have devolved down to. Let’s be clear Trump did not cause this situation, but he surely has exasperated it and played on it. His general approach has not been to unify people but rather to segment and divide them.
The pitting war underway in our country is merely an example of the growing pains of a nation experiences changes in demographics, a browning of America, coupled with the declining population feeling helpless and struggling to maintain its grasp on power.