9/11: Division in the country

[QuinnFillory]

9/11 was an event that changed the country forever, in terms of everything from security to values. Nowadays, there seems to be more of a division in the country than ever before. But, did that divide start with 9/11, or did that event just make things even worse and expose that divide? Also, how do we heal that divide?

[shooshoomanjoe]

I think the divide started with Clinton" maybe Reagan, but yes, it's worse after 9/11. Personally I blame misinformation and conspiracy theories. Back in the 90s, conspiracy theories came from fringe groups. Today, conspiracy theories come from the GOP.

[Agent Z]

Do we need four 9/11 threads here?

[CSTowle]

I think the division started before the country did, between landowners looking to acquire wealth through farming in the south and northern urban areas more interested in shipping/banking. Slavery was the original issue, and it continued until it boiled over, and has continued to divide us in one way or another ever since.

A good amount of the pushback to government domestic spending and safety net programs is resentment that the money is going to "those people". Generational wealth and hoarding resources or denying resources and opportunities to minorities is and has been an ongoing issue since our founding and before (after all, the entire country is stolen resources from what is now a minority population).

9/11 was just a wake-up call to many that we're maybe not the nation-state version of Captain America that we've been indoctrinated into believing we are. That other folks not only hate us, but have very good reasons for doing so. And not a one of those reasons is "our freedom".

Don't get me wrong, I think the people of the country are generally no better or worse than any other. And some of the country is absolutely beautiful. And naturally having stolen/funneled/bamboozled/or otherwise acquired such a large percentage of available wealth from this country's natives and others the excess has allowed us to develop some pretty interesting art and culture. But we've always been divided, and likely always will be.