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~ USA Headed for a 5th Revolution! Why?

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Monthly Archives: November 2017

#272 What’s Supposed to Melt in the US Melting Pot? Discussion: Role of Political Parties (Part 8)

26 Sunday Nov 2017

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020).  Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution.  More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  List and general description of entries to date.

Note: most entries are formatted as conversations.  Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.  Profile of characters (see link at top of page).  You’ll catch on quickly.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Coffee shop near Jordan’s office Washington, DC.  JC, Greenie and Jordan continuing conversation from previous day.  Series starts Entry #265.

Jordan:  “Alright, guys, have my coffee refilled so let’s get back to the topic at hand.”

092615_2031_Characters2.jpgGreenie:  “Well, Jordan, you have two friends…maybe more…who pledged loyalty to Trump regardless of the situation.  They stuck with him even after he was taken out.  Are these two the norm or outliers?”

JC:  “My guess is they’re not outliers.  Maybe outliers for Jordan’s friends but not among Republicans.”

Jordan:  “What makes you believe that?”

JC:  “How many Republicans supported your idol, Judge Roy Moore?”

Greenie:  “Hardly Jordan’s idol.  But what group makes you think these guys were not outliers?”

JC:092615_2031_Characters1.jpg  “Evangelicals.  Moore was a pedophile and…”

Jordan:  “…Pardon me, an alleged pedophile at the time of the special election…”

JC:  “…alleged, smedged, the guy was a pedophile, which is about the worst behavior possible whether you’re an evangelical or not.  So what do evangelicals do?”

Greenie:  “Support Moore, and so did Trump.”

JC:  “Why would evangelicals make such a bizarre choice?”

Trump KingGreenie:  “Because they pledged the Trump-is-king fraternity/sorority.  Do whatever Trump wanted.  And, with Moore, Trump wanted a sure vote for his tax cut for the rich…and more importantly, a tax gift for himself.  The tax proposal failed in the end but so did a lot of Trump’s programs.”

Jordan:  “Maybe there’s a different angle.  What about the evangelical’s concern over Roe v. Wade?  Didn’t evangelicals want Moore for the senate seat to ensure a conservative judge for SCOTUS?”

Supreme CourtGreenie:  “Here’s the flaw in that argument.  The decision in Roe v. Wade has never forced any woman to get an abortion, period.   If you cut through all the phony arguments about Roe v. Wade, the only conclusion is that evangelicals want to cram their religious beliefs down everyone’s throat.  The same is true for most of their other constitutional claims.”

Jordan:  “Whoa, Bubbette, aren’t you being a bit harsh?  Forcing their beliefs down everyone’s throat?”

Greenie:  “No, I’m not being harsh.  Evangelicals captured a substantial portion of the Republican Party.  Just analyze actions by Republicans during Trump.  I admit I still can’t understand why evangelicals supported Trump in the first place.”

PreachJordan:  “You mean supporting him despite all the facts about lying, cheating and the abuse of women.”

JC:  “Hardly stuff that evangelical’s support.  But evangelicals seemed to rationalize supporting Trump because, in their eyes, Bill Clinton was worse than Trump.”

Greenie:  “So, tell me old wise one, was Bill Clinton running against Trump…or was Hillary Clinton the opponent?”

fox-news-logo bJC:  “Greenie, now, now.  To be a good evangelical you must believe in alternative facts.  What you read in the New York Times and Washington Post – all lies.  You must believe in the only righteous network – Fox News…and believe, of course, in Breitbart.”

Jordan:  “C’mon guys, aren’t we getting off track?  Back to the discussion whether political parties became a defacto tribe for people, replacing tribes based on ethnic groups or culture.”

U TurnGreenie:  “Jordan, with all due respect, I think you’re wrong and we are on track.  For example, the personal behavior of Trump and Moore was the polar opposite of evangelical values.  It’s as if evangelicals did a U-turn.  Yet the vast majority of evangelicals appeared to continue to support Trump.”

JC:  “At least white evangelicals.  Fair to say more black evangelicals voted for Democrats than Republicans.”

Greenie:  “Point well taken.  Why was religion the overriding issue with white evangelicals and not with black evangelicals?”

ComplicatedJordan:  “This might sound stupid, but is there a difference in religious beliefs between black and white evangelicals?”

JC:  “There must be something different.  Or, if there is no difference in beliefs, then the argument is stronger that political parties have become a tribe for many people.”

Greenie:  “Tell you what would be an interesting test.  Give the same list of religious-based questions to a group of evangelicals, both white and black.  The questions would be answered anonymously with the only coding being whether the respondent was white or black.  Then compare the responses.”

TurtleneckJordan:  “And what do you think the differences would be?”

Greenie:  “If it were truly a blind test, the answers probably would be about the same.  However, if the questions were asked in a public forum, the answers likely would be different.”

JC:  “You’re supposing pressure from within the tribe…the tribe being the political party…would influences responses?”

Greenie:  “Think so.  Remember what Wolf Man said why so many Native Americans had a difficult time becoming successful?”

CrabJC:  “The crab-barrel effect?”

Greenie:  “Exactly.  Every time one of the members of the Indian tribe tried to become more successful, the other members pulled him or her back in the crab barrel.”

Jordan:  “What I’m hearing is when one makes a political party one’s defacto tribe, then one is subject to the crab barrel effect.  Follow the wishes of the tribal leader.  Not everyone joining a political party is subject to the crab effect, obviously, but a very large percentage of party members seems to be.”

Greenie:  “Members who join the political-party tribe go along with the party leadership rather than thinking for themselves.  Joining the party provides camaraderie and takes away the pressure to think for one’s self.”

BrainwashedJordan:  “Political party leaders seem to understand that party members are subject to…in the most polite terms…brainwashing.  And the leaders exploit that opportunity.”

JC:  “The brainwashing is effective until one day a bunch of brainwashees realize how bad they’ve been screwed…and voila, we have a revolution, like our very own Revenge Revolution.  Now I need a break, please.”

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#271 What’s Supposed to Melt in the US Melting Pot? Discussion: Role of Political Parties (Part 7)

19 Sunday Nov 2017

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020).  Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution.  More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  List and general description of entries to date.

Note: most entries are formatted as conversations.  Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.  Profile of characters (see link at top of page).  You’ll catch on quickly.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Coffee shop near Jordan’s office Washington, DC.  JC, Greenie and Jordan continuing conversation from previous day.  Series starts Entry #262.

Greenie and JC in unison: “Good morning, Jordan.”

Jordan:  “Morning guys.  Have a fun evening?”

092615_2031_Characters1.jpgJC:  “Fun not being around you.”

Greenie:  “JC, let’s not start so early.  Give Little Jordan a break.  Can’t hurt his feelings at this hour.”

Jordan:  “You guys never let up.”

JC:  “But you love it.”

092615_2031_Characters2.jpgGreenie:  “Yes, we did have a good time last night.  Ordered in and had some wine.”

JC:  “We also had an idea we’d like to discuss.  First, did you talk to Rock Man after we left the office?”

Jordan:  “No.  I’ll poke him later today.”

JC:  “OK, then we’d like to discuss another aspect of how much a culture or ethnic group should melt in the US melting pot.  That’s a mouthful.”

Greenie:  “Here’s the question.  As cultures or ethnic groups assimilate and lose identity as a tribe, do the members seek to identify with another tribe?”

TurtleneckJordan:  “Give me an example, please.”

JC:  “Take what was at one time a strong ethnic group, or a tribe.  Let’s say Italian Americans.  We can pick most any group but stick with Italian Americans for the moment.”

Greenie:  “So as the Italian-Americans began to lose identity as a group, did they seek another tribe for identity?”

Jordan:  “Well, if they sought another tribe we know Italian-Americans can’t become Polish or Chinese or Koreans.  So what tribe do you think they joined?  What are you thinking about?”

JC:  “Thinking like, ah, a political party.”

Tin Can PhoneGreenie:  “People like to belong to a group or groups because it helps them with their identity.  By joining you can be ‘this’ or ‘that’ rather than just some individual.  Plus, belonging to a group and just talking to other group members can make life easier to understand…at least some of the members think it can.  Group think can take away much of the pressure to think as an individual.”

Jordan:  “Mmm, your idea or question is whether political parties have become defacto tribes?”

JC:  “Yes, and have the political parties replaced the cultural heritage tribe for many people?”

122913_1337_14BringingU2.pngGreenie:  “The conclusion seems logical but this idea was birthed last night after a couple of glasses of wine.  We’ve done no research.”

Jordan:  “On the surface, the conclusion seems logical.  Did you guys try at all to test the hypothesis?”

JC:  “We asked ourselves why in the last 20-30 years many Democrats and Republicans seem so loyal to an idea…even if the idea is contrary to their own best interests.”

ScrewedGreenie:  “Go Back to Trump’s proposals.  His hard-core supporters were going to get screwed if the Affordable Care Act was cancelled.  They were going to get screwed even more under the proposed so-called plan to reform taxes.”

JC:  “Did they rebel?  No, they stuck with the Donald, then complained about senators who frankly saved their ass…pardon my French.”

Jordan:  “What about people who have been hard-core Republicans or Democrats forever?  Think about the yellow-dog Democrats.”

Greenie:  “True, but we think…and we think the data will support us…that a greater percentage of the population puts a higher priority on party affiliation than any time since WWII and probably longer.”

Number ListJC:  “One issue we have to address…and it shouldn’t be that difficult to determine…is whether the rank-order of affiliations has changed over time.”

Greenie:  “For example, 100 years ago Italian-Americans might have placed being of Italian decent higher on the list, and therefore more important, than say being a Democrat or Republican.  Now Italian-Americans might place a political party higher on the affiliation list than their cultural identity.”

Trump KingJordan:  “The phenomenon might apply to more than just ethnic groups.  People seem to crave some type of affiliation.  I still shake my head over a college fraternity brother.  At some point in life he pledged another fraternity…the Trump-is-king fraternity.  Once he joined, he supported his fraternity brother no matter how bizarre King Trump’s behavior or decision.  He stuck with Trump when Trump denied campaign cooperation with the Russians; when he denied any hanky-panky with beauty contestants; and when he denied illegal financial transactions.  Whatever King Donald claimed or did he supported.”

Greenie:  “Even after Mueller’s report?  Really?”

Jordan:  “Stuck with King Trump to the bitter end.  Even after Trump was taken out, he was a supporter.”

Temper TantrumJC:  “Jordan, what about your buddy…I think he was a former high-school history teacher…who called you a liar for asking for data to support some outlandish claim he made.  At some point he pledged the Trump fraternity.  Some friend.”

Jordan:  “Former friend, please.  The incident of calling me a liar when I asked for data was the last time we ever met.  Those are two good examples of party loyalty no matter the circumstance.  But let’s be real — two data points don’t make a trend or prove a hypothesis…”

JC:  “…except in Washington.”

Jordan:  “True.  Really, you two might be on to something.  Let’s explore this idea more…after I get a refill.”

 

#270 What’s Supposed to Melt in the US Melting Pot? Discussion: Regional Cultures (Part 6)

06 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by Jordan Abel in Back Asswards Thinking, Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020).  Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution.  More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  List and general description of entries to date.

Note: most entries are formatted as conversations.  Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.  Profile of characters (see link at top of page).  You’ll catch on quickly.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC.  Conversation about “culture” starts Entry #262

JC:  “We ready to start the discussion again?”

Jordan:  “Yes, but still waiting to hear back from Rock Man about his perspective on black culture.”

092615_2031_Characters2.jpgGreenie:  “OK, in the meantime, I’ve got a culture we might want to explore…or at least I think it qualifies as a culture.”

Jordan:  “And that is?”

Greenie:  “Well, we’ve talked about how much of a culture should blend into US melting pot and how much should not.  Most of the subjects so far could be defined either as an ‘ethic group’ or an organization…the military.  But what about non-ethnic group cultures?  Say regional cultures in the US?”

092615_2031_Characters1.jpgJC:  “You mean how much should regional cultures sorta blend in versus how much should these regional cultures should stay specific to the geographic area?”

Greenie:  “Yes, but more importantly, how much did regional cultures contribute to the Revenge Revolution?”

Jordan:  “Do you really think regional differences might have been a contributing factor?”

JC:  “Do I think so?  Yes.  And Jordan, sometimes I wonder what world you live in.  You, of all people, should know about regional cultures.”

Greenie:  “JC’s right.  Think about it, Jordan.  You’ve lived all over the country – East Coast, Midwest and both nations of California…Northern and Southern.  Plus, haven’t you spent time in just about every state?”

JC:  “So now what’s your take on regional cultures, Mr. Expert?”

TurtleneckJordan:  “I’m hardly an expert.  My take is there are marked differences in cultures among East, Midwest and West and even differences within a region – the Northeast is a good example.  As for Hawaii and Alaska…different still.  But to me these differences seem more cosmetic than substantive.  Yes, some areas are more liberal or more conservative than others but the differences don’t seem to alter the fundamental principles in how the region or the country should be governed.”

Greenie:  “Okay…but one region was conspicuously absent.  What about the South?”

US Map Civil WarJordan:  “The South is a different animal.”

JC:  “In what way?”

Jordan:  “Underneath all the phony niceties is deep resentment.”

Greenie:  “JC, meet Mr. Diplomat, himself.  Resentment of what or about what?”

Jordan:  “Having lost the Civil War…excuse me the War of Northern Aggression…and having the economy being dominated by outsiders…excuse me carpetbaggers.”

JC:  “C’mon.  I know you’ve got a cynical streak but do really think there’s that much resentment?  The Civil War was over 150 years ago.”

Clark GableJordan:  “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn what you think.  Actually, the resentment is probably much greater and deeper than any of us can understand.”

Greenie:  “If I get your take on the South…not everyone, of course…there is some percentage still reeling over the Civil War?  I’m with JC.  That seems like ancient history”

Jordan:  “When we first moved to Charlotte, which like most of Florida is not considered the real south by the hard-core, I viewed as jesting the snide remarks about being a Yankee and being the wrong religion.”

JC:  “Then something or someone changed your mind?”

Greenie:  “Let me guess what changed it.  The election of the Donald.”

trump-scowlJordan:  “Spot on, Greenie.  His election and his rhetoric as president made perfectly acceptable any type of public display of resentment or even hatred of ‘non-true Southerners’.  Look back at Trump’s public support of hate groups in Charlottesville.”

JC:  “Then he claimed statues of Confederate generals were part of American heritage.  Excuse me Donald, in case you didn’t know it, General Robert E. Lee fought against the Union.  Like he was a traitor.  Not a stock trader like you might think but one of those ‘t-r-a-i-t-o-r-s’.  Remember when you claimed all the Muslims in the US were traitors?  Robert E Lee was one of those kind of traitors.”

blameGreenie:  “You know what I find ironic about ironic about the hard-core Southerners supporting the Donald?  Many in the South still blame the North for lots of problems…and they really dislike people from New York.  So who do they support?  The Donald who was born and raised in NY.  The Donald who dodged the draft, claiming bone spurs.  The Donald who proposed policies as president that hurt rather than helped his supporters.  The guy should have been despised by the people in the south.  But no, they adored him.”

RE LeeJC:  “To the hard-core Southerner, he must have been considered a born-again Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee rolled into one.  His supporters believed he was going to overthrow the very establishment that the hard-core blamed for destroying the Old South.”

Greenie:  “Maybe even more ironic – the Donald was the ultimate carpetbagger.  He took campaign donations from his supporters and then managed to enrich himself at the expense of his supporters.”

JC:  “Until he got taken out.”

Greenie:  “So why didn’t the South finally turn against him when all the shenanigans came to light?  Forget the financial stuff.  The dealings with Russia were like treason.”

Jordan:  “The hard-core Southerners stuck with him for the same reason they still refuse to acknowledge the facts of the Civil War.  Hard-core Southerners still blame Lincoln when they should be thankful he was nice to them.  Lincoln could have tried for treason and then executed each southern general.”

abraham_lincoln_clip_art_15515JC:  “Lincoln tried to set the stage for the country to heal.  He might have been too accommodating.  The hard-core Southerners still don’t understand and still can’t get out of the blame stage.”

Greenie:  “So now, I guess the next question is ‘Now that we’re past the Revenge Revolution, will the south continue to deny reality and blame the north…or finally join the rest of the country?’”

Jordan: “Listen, I need to call it a day.  Could we continue this conversation over coffee tomorrow morning, please?”

Greenie: “Of course.  JC and I are outta here.”

 

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