I think that civility, most notably politically civility, is a remnant of the past. I don’t see that there will be any type of reconciliation in the near future and it distresses me a bit. Not to the point of becoming apathetic, just that I can’t foresee any time in the near future when the left and right would be able to come together for the good of the country.
Nothing about this is new and didn’t start occurring when Trump was elected President; It’s been simmering for a long time and the election of Donald Trump pushed some over the edge.
President Trump is certainly not one that seems to want to bring Americans together, but then, neither was President Obama.
The last president I had respect for, that at least attempted to work with the opposition is…Bill Clinton. Yes, I say that as a conservative. Although at first President Clinton didn’t work well with Republicans, after the 1994 midterms, when his opposition took control of the House of Representatives, he had the intelligence to realize that he had to work with the other side if he wanted to achieve anything. Sans the Monica Lewinsky affair, I really do believe that Bill Clinton will eventually be remembered as, if not a great President, a good one.
I’m thinking about this based on a tweet I saw a bit earlier about the left/right schism:
Exactly what I believe, as an American. But we also cannot have one side or the other denigrating each other. One reason I think that Hillary Clinton lost her bid for President was in her calling Trump supporters a Basket of Deplorable’s. The main reason though is that she thought it was Her Time and expected to become President by acclimation. Want the job? Do the work.
Of course the outcry began the next day and still continues today. How could anyone vote for Trump? But they did and they did in the states that Clinton just took for granted she would easily win.
I’m exhausted. The bellicose from both sides have me desiring politicians and their pundit minions would just shut up. Elections happen. People we dislike are elected at all levels of government all the time.
Want to effect change? Stop bitching and vote.
Conservative Skeptic 
rAmen! It saddens me that so many on the left have apparently decided that civility is “privilege” and are equating it with doing nothing. I see no reason why people can be civil to others while protesting loudly. Far too many in my Twitter feed are drawing battle lines and pushing this false dichotomy that one can either be civil or work toward change.
LikeLike
As I become older (I have a birthday on 7/4) I’ve come to understand that there are people, no matter their ideological beliefs, will never come together. I actually cannot remember a time in my life (and I remember the JFK asassinatiom as well as MLK) where people came togehter other than a few days (9/11/2001). It saddens me. It always has, it always will.
LikeLike
I was just thinking about 9/11 the other day. I found myself thinking that it would take something similar to bring us together today, but I found myself feeling less sure that it would do so. Sad indeed.
LikeLike