It's about Americans identifying themselves by the ideology they subscribe to.
I don't think it's that simple. I have no doubt that the media inflames ideological argument for the sake of ratings, but that doesn't explain why we go along with it: why we allow ourselves to become 'inflamed'. It doesn't explain why we volunteer to become 'ideology warriors', ourselves.
And it's hard to ask this question here on TOL because this is a site designed for ideological warfare. The people who use this site tend not to be able to see themselves as the extreme ideologues that they are.
So why do you think so many people are identifying themselves via their ideology, these days? What's changed?People is past times did consider themselves republican or democrat, liberal or conservative, religious or agnostic, capitalist or socialist; however, they did NOT see this as identity! In many cases, they did not see it as ideology either, except utopian ideology, such as Walden- Communism-socialism, in minority in USA
I think we humans do sometimes use the 'us vs them' pattern of ideological warfare to establish and maintain our sub-group unity. But that doesn't necessarily explain why the sudden and dramatic increase in this phenomena.Perhaps some people grew up in families or churches where they learned to value exoteric ideals too much. Indoctrination, I suppose. Though that doesn't explain why people do that in the first place. It's probably some side effect of being a social creature. We have to establish those cliques and defend them, I guess.
They didn't really care who was a republican or a democrat,
That was before the wrongness of abortion took over your brain and left your head an empty shell.that was before the feminists took over the democratic party
and
made abortion their number one issue
That was before the wrongness of abortion took over your brain and left your head an empty shell.
what makes you think they do?
because you see them interviewed on tv in the context of their ideologies?
if you asked me at a scout awards meeting what i was, i would have said i'm an adult leader and the father of two scouts
if you ask me at school what i am, i'll say that i'm a freshman student
if you ask me at a tea party rally what i am, i'll probably say that i'm a conservative
if you ask me, absent any other context, what i am, my first response will probably be that i'm the father of two boys
do yourself a favor purex, and unplug
I think we humans do sometimes use the 'us vs them' pattern of ideological warfare to establish and maintain our sub-group unity. But that doesn't necessarily explain why the sudden and dramatic increase in this phenomena.
In my dad's generation there were all kinds of social groups one could join for interaction. My dad was a member of the local Lions Club, the local Usher's Club, and he was a volunteer fireman. Yet although each of these groups had their own purpose and identity, they weren't based on any particular ideology, so much as they were based on a mutual desire for fellowship and community service. They didn't really care who was a republican or a democrat, or who was a liberal or a conservative, or who was sleeping with whom.
Now days, these clubs are all disappearing, because people don't join together simply for the sake of human fellowship and community service, anymore. They're too busy judging and condemning each other's behaviors and ideologies.
when offered my choice of slave