by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I really, really, REALLY don’t want a civil war. And, yet, I need to make my abstract fears concrete, so I keep writing about it. Here are what I feel are some of the basic reasons why the most powerful democracy in human history could very well collapse into civil war / revolution.
Vibes
While this is obviously the most nebulous of the issues facing America, it’s very potent in the minds of a lot of people who don’t feel like constructing any sort of overarching reason for why they’re unhappy. All a lot of people know is they don’t like what’s going in the country and some of them — mosty Traditionalists — feel “oppressed” because “woke” Gen Z people won’t let them mutter the “N-Word” under their breath.
Religion
A lot of these issues overlap or have a symbiotic relationship to each other. For a lot white Christian conservatives, being gay is, by definition, a sin. Hence the Gay Panic that America is going through at the moment. So, while growing number of young people see being gay as nothing short of aspirational, for your typical white Christian, it’s just another marker on the highway to hell. So, while it’s not really an economic reason for a civil war, it doesn’t exactly help the situation.
Abortion
This is an economic issue that is probably the most corrosive. The reason is, abortion has always been a legal firebreak for the real issue — birth control itself. So, as the two sides begin to recede from each other and radicalize along the way, the very idea that a woman would have bodily autonomy becomes controversial. Red States crave those sweet, sweet white babies to the point that they would rather put millions of women under the state’s jackboot than risk allowing the browning of the country to continue unabated.
Income Disparity
This sort of an abstract, but it is very destabilizing. Especially when it comes to basic things like education. The wealthy can afford better health care and education and, as such, their entire perception of what it means to be an American is different than someone who has just a high school education.
Regional Differences
I don’t think people really appreciate that if the country collapses, the very size of the United States on a geographic basis will begin to play a part in things. One thing I just can’t game out is how likely it would be that, in the end, the final battle royal would be decided by regional alliances determined to own the USA “brand.”
Guns
This is a real cultural difference between many Blues and Reds. There is some overlap, but, in general, Blues want more gun control than Reds. And if you combine guns with all the other problems facing the country, it only throws fuel on the flames of division.
“The Woke Cancel Culture Mob”
I add this one because there are elements of the center-Left who seem determined to alienate Traditionalists to the point that they feel forced to embrace fascism. Not great, Bob.
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