There can be no peaceful resolution.....so how does this story end?

Back when I first started lurking here on ATS and for the first several years of my membership, this was, needless to say a much different place.

One could always count on a plethora of entertaining discussions covering a wide range of topics. The way people conducted themselves was different. There was a level of respect and expectation of healthy debate and exchanging of ideas. A lot less hatred..

The left vs right still existed and political division was obviously a thing. However these things seem to grow and worsen exponentially. It seems we have gone past the point of turning back. It doesn't seem at all possible that opposing belief systems will ever find some form of compromise or even tolerance of each other.

I've witnessed the shift in the atmosphere take place starting around the time Trump began campaigning for office. As if things were kicked into overdrive.

Since there can be no peaceful resolution how does this story end? Where are we going to be in the coming decades?

I believe our best chance for peace lies within, beyond this life....

a reply to: GoShredAK

From my observations, there was always a shared hope or position, that we wanted to discuss ways in which we might, by informed information retrieval, loosen the shackles of the the powers that be.
When Trump came on the political scene that desire was still here but became channeled into two different groups, those who believed that Trump could be that focal point of change and those who thought that a bozo of a notion.

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.” - G. Michael Hopf

Sit back and wait 40 years for the new generation to ruin their kids lives then they will rise up and bring it back around.

Its been fun.

a reply to: GoShredAK

The sham is out of resources. The whole operation costs a lot of money, bribes, blackmail, favors. It was a massive operation but failed. They will lose the House, lose military recruiting, lose law enforcement in their cities along with a mass exodus to red states which is already happening.

I'm actually glad it happened. More minorities have turned on them.

a reply to: Butterfinger
Beautiful true, never heard this quote.

Thanks for sharing

a reply to: Butterfinger

I give it about half that.

a reply to: GoShredAK

I believe our best chance for peace lies within, beyond this life....

That requires a little more explanation....are we talking Armageddon, the apocalypses, 2nd coming,
revolution and blood in the streets, alien starchild saviors, what?

This will perhaps sound partisan and very "us vs. them," but I believe the crux of this phenomenon is that we are dealing with political force - nihilistic, relativistic "progressivism" - that would literally rather see the world destroyed than cede power. When you are operating under a scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners mentality, the only response to any threat to your complete victory is total annihilation. That strategy can only evoke a response that is equally extreme and equally violent. Sadly, the response risks furthering and when fulfilling the agenda of the enemy.

Progressivism would rather see the entire planet destroyed and all life obliterated than lose.

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire
a reply to: GoShredAK

From my observations, there was always a shared hope or position, that we wanted to discuss ways in which we might, by informed information retrieval, loosen the shackles of the the powers that be.
When Trump came on the political scene that desire was still here but became channeled into two different groups, those who believed that Trump could be that focal point of change and those who thought that a bozo of a notion.

That was also the event that had the MSM make such a strong propaganda push that it broke many out of their mind control system, me included. In the 'good ole days' the media at least pretended to be unbiased. But starting around summer of 2015 they couldn't help but show their true colors. Myself and I believe millions of others started doing our own news research at that point.

As more break out of that control system, I think we'll get back to decent debates and have less deranged and emotional responses. However, to break away now also means breaking away from social media which many are addicted to.

a reply to: GoShredAK

If you are always for more freedom, not just partisan sides, but for more freedom for all. . . . then everyone who argues against you will be for less freedom.

Then maybe they will eventually see the error of their ways.

When one side declares outright war it's inevitable the target group will respond in kind.
It's the timing and manner of that response that remains to be seen but so far it's been only verbal. Thank God.

a reply to: GoShredAK

So you weren't around when Obama got started huh? It was just as bad, we just didn't have the pit so discourse was a bit more cordial and rules were enforced a bit more stringently. Other than that, no real change since then, even the couple of years I did lurking while Bush Jr. was in the White House still had a ton of political threads.

a reply to: bluesjr

I liked the movie ''Network'' in 1976. It won basically all the Oscars that year and presented picture of media news as influencer rather than just presenter. Depicted the nature of news broadcasting if corporate agendas took control of what was being presented I was in my late twenties at the time and recognized threads of insight I had gleaned over the years for myself.

That battle of revenue for opinion was first magnificently recognized by Fox News with others quickly following suit. Breaking from media now is as you suggest, problematic. Breaking into what is even more so. There are way to many predators waiting in the wings to sway us with their own propaganda. I think the worst kind of propaganda is propaganda that is passed on by those who do not know it is, propaganda.

a reply to: GoShredAK

Another "ATS ain't what it used to be" thread...

You know why?

Because all these crazy conspiracy theories we all had fun speculating about are actually happening, right now.

a reply to: GoShredAK

There can be no peaceful resolution.....so how does this story end?

Unpeacefully, obviously. This is why I have been saying for the past year that this country is in sore need of a divorce now, before the natural mariticide outcome, easily predictable when two parties that loathe, distrust, and victimize each other are forced to remain under the same roof when both would be far better apart, befalls us.

a reply to: GoShredAK

One could always count on a plethora of entertaining discussions covering a wide range of topics.

You still can, but granted there are more political threads now. That's no surprise though considering what's happening in the country and the world right now. All I can tell you is what has been repeated here ad infinitum...
"Be the change you want to see."

The way people conducted themselves was different. There was a level of respect and expectation of healthy debate and exchanging of ideas. A lot less hatred..

Have you read any very old threads? There are threads on here from many years ago that contain more mod actions than posts. Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but don't kid yourself. We've had knock-down drag outs here for many years.

This is kind of the way it's supposed to work. The United States Constitution and legal structure is based on conflict, not cooperation like some other democracies.

Back in the day (1800's), they REALLY used to fight. We're pikers compared to them.

So sit back, relax, and let the mechanism do its job. Messy though it may be.

Everyday I get closer to believing the leftists, liberals, socialists in America actually want to see of conservatives dead.
There's no other way they're headed.
I agree.
Peaceful resolution is long gone.

As long as we allow ourselves to be governed by a corrupt 2 party system, there will always be those who are more devoted to their party than to the people. The 2 party system has too much power, finances, and influence especially over media.

I think some time in the coming decades our children will be so over the political fighting their parents engage in for entertainment and will mend the devide because it has become boring.