"Us against them", Saturday's violence, & self awareness

[zhai]

I try to keep track of my own biases. I also try to root them out when I find them, but consider certain judgment to be a basic biological element of human function, never fully overcome (nor maybe should it be). And I'll admit that the first thing I thought when I heard about the eighteen people wounded and killed today in Arizona was "how many

Comments

[kmarkhoover]

I, too, was moved with Mr. Obama's "One America" speech. I actually cried.

The problem is that today there are political elements who are not interested in "one" America. They want "their" America, or no America at all.

That is what we are up against.

[jetfx]

"The "us and them" is the part that genuinely frustrates me, even if it, too, is possibly an inevitable conclusion in any high stress situation. I seem to see it everywhere lately, in my professional life, in national politics, on the world stage."

I would totally agree, but from my experience the phenomenon is really American. This sort of either-or thinking is not as strong in countries with more than two political parties, like here in Canada. I've read so much American political/social/cultural punditry by otherwise intelligent and reasonable people, who cannot escape the paradigm of two opposing positions for every issue.