A Nation Divided?



Blogging has been light. Between redesigning and rebuilding our kitchen, illustration deadlines, and weeping day and night over the passing of Ronald Reagan (okay, that last part is fiction) I've neglected recreational reading. However, a few articles got my attention over the weekend. Having fully internalized this notion that we're living in some of the most divided times since the Viet Nam era, I found this item from the New York Times to be a refreshing contrary view. What if it just ain't true? What if we agree on more stuff than they're giving us credit for? Michael Moore, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Rielly, are among the reigning (and overpaid) gladiators in the culture wars, but for all the smoke and noise, no one's bothered to notice--they're shooting blanks.

A Nation Divided? Who Says?
By JOHN TIERNEY


If you've been following the election coverage, you know how angry you're supposed to be. This has been called the Armageddon election in the 50-50 nation, a civil war between the Blue and the Red states, a clash between churchgoers and secularists hopelessly separated by a values chasm and a culture gap.


But do Americans really despise the beliefs of half of their fellow citizens? Have Americans really changed so much since the day when a candidate with Ronald Reagan's soothing message could carry 49 of 50 states?

To some scholars, the answer is no. They say that our basic differences have actually been shrinking over the past two decades, and that the polarized nation is largely a myth created by people inside the Beltway talking to each another or, more precisely, shouting at each other...

Posted: Mon - June 14, 2004 at 12:20 AM        

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