Us and Them Is All the Rage

[Zorro]

“When you worship power, compassion and mercy will look like sins.”

Benjamin Cremer, a Wesleyan pastor and writer who is based in Idaho, posted that thought last year. I saw it last week and immediately forwarded it to some of my close friends with a note that said that this sentence captures our political moment. It helps describe America’s moral divide.

Over the last decade, I’ve watched many of my friends and neighbors make a remarkable transformation. They’ve gone from supporting Donald Trump in spite of his hatefulness to reveling in his aggression.

This isn’t a new observation. In fact, it’s so obvious as to verge on the banal. The far more interesting question is why. How is it that so many Americans seem to have abandoned any commitment to personal virtue — at least in their political lives — and have instead embraced merciless political combat so enthusiastically that they believe you’re immoral if you don’t join their crusade or even if you don’t mimic their methods?

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/opinion/trump-maga-schmitt.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sE4.zRvc.ywEsbVB9hMdC&smid=url-share

[NoMoreRepugs]

1. It's just so much easier to hate is my thought.

[BOSSHOG]

3. So much easier to do the wrong thing. So easy to worship evil

So easy to scream and shout. So easy to steal. So easy to abuse. So easy not to think. Hard to lead, govern and manage money. Hard to problem solve. Easy to pick out who is on what side.

[Skittles]

5. yes

and hatred makes the news much more than does compassion

[thomski64]

2. Time to read, once again..

The 1959 play by Eugene Ionesco,
"The Rhinoceros " about the rise of fascism and conformity.
For my part, I intend to extend the period of mourning for Jimmie
Carter, and keep my flag at half staff for four years... None of the warnings that moron and his minions would be the death of this country were hyperbole. And it's only week one...

[JT45242]

4. "Pluralism requires both law and ethics to function. Without ethics the law fails"

The law did not fail because of mango Mussolini. It failed because ethics had long ago been abondoned by the republican party.

The America first Nazi collaborators of the 1930s and 50s (listen to ULTRA by Rachel Maddow) who had no consequences.
McCarthy and his red scare nonsense.
Nixon stealing the election by tanking the peace talks and getting a lot of people killed.
Bush senior, Alexander Haig, etc. blackmailing to protect Spiro Agnew.
Reagan, Baker, etc Al (including Haig and Bush again) paying the Iranian to hold the hostages.
Billy Barr working hard to cover up Iran contra as Attorney General.
Stealing the 2000 election by republicans on the supreme Court
WMD lies.
Mitch McConnell blocking everything then reversing course to push thru rethug judges.

Mango is the latest symptom. But this guy is correct. We cannot find mutual ground because the last ethical republican died with John McCain (and he had a fair amount of party over country in him).

They had one last chance to show they had ethics. To convict Trump on impeachment when he was wounded and disgraced. But they showed that ethics and the rule of law were dead when they acquitted him and allowed him to run again.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

6. ....

[Alice B.]

7. It's not just easier, it eases the conscience

TFG has made “every man for himself” okay (for tiny keyboard’s sake, I’m using the broad, old, gender specific expression—though you can read much into that, too).

He essentially killed Jiminy Cricket.

And I think, for most of us, there is an awareness of privilege and a sense of how precarious it is. Especially if you’ve ever been vulnerable or poor, it can be hard to enjoy what you have when you know what someone else is going through. I think a lot about the phrase “turned to ash in [one’s] mouth” — which you read in stories where someone is enjoying a good meal only to be reminded of something or someone that kicks up guilt.

TFG offers a real release from that and the freedom to ignore the ladder, if not pull it up behind you because it’s okay to stop fighting your prejudices now, too.