Couldn’t agree more with the OP.
Wait, yes I can. I agree even more.
Typical deflection strategy from a bottom-feeding Demoscat like yourself, *FinnAgain. Spraypaint me unsurprised.
El_Kabong: Right on. And, say, if you ever find yourself in Austin and feel like a beer, first round’s on me.
stately plump buck mulligan: Pssshaw.
(paraphrased and misquoted)
“There were left-anarchists, and they sounded like democrats except they wanted to get rid of government.
And there were right-anarchists, and they sounded like republicans except they wanted to get rid of government.
Then there was a group affectionately dubbed the crazies.
Simon, was one of the crazies.”
I, mah dear, when faced with choices A and B, often choose C.
~contemplates rant about the fallacy of the excluded middle~
Damn fine OP, FinnAgain: as a non-American, I took to actively avoiding The Pit in the lead up and follow up to the US election, and take a perverse pleasure in the resurgence of “Mother Suffocates Baby; Sells Corpse To Fund Gambling Addiction” threads - shows that Pit normality is gradually returning. It’s probably tilting at windmills, mind you, but hand me my rusty armour and saddle my trusty nag.
You’re fighting the PR and advertisting Department on all sides of the political spectrum, who find that they get great success by demonizing the opposition.
It’s an old trick, it goes back centuries. If the “others” are frothing-at-the-mouth, rabid, inhuman monsters out to destroy Our Way of Life… well, that rallies support and money in contributions.
Middlecase: Thank you very much. If we only picked fights we could win, we probably wouldn’t be fighting ignorance 
C K Dexter Haven: Wow, an admin read my OP, and for reasons other than seeing if I should be banned. This is neat!
A quote springs to mind: “History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awaken.”
Having spent a good few years in the ivory tower, and studied linguistic/literary theory till it was coming out my ears, I’m well aware of the Self/Other dichotomy. It’s also ironic, as identity politics almost always rely upon false premises. The only constant is change, the only generalization is that all generalizations fail.
Whether it’s been providing an excuse for war and atrocity, or uniting one domestic ‘faction’ against another, the use of identity politics has been shown to be, again and again, a way of attacking The Other without going to the trouble of thinking or being true-to-facts.
“They’re savages!”
“They’re baby eaters!”
“Them Republicans just don’t care about anybody!”
“Them Democrats are too busy doing lines of prostitutes’ tits to get read the paper!”
After a certain point I’m not sure if it’s better to laugh or cry.
But it seems to me that in a community as vibrant and vital as the Dope, a community that is a veritable think-tank, we should expect better of ourselves.
Perception is creation.
And paradigms do not change overnight.
But damnit, we’re Dopers.
And if a minor revolution in cognitive trends can’t occur here, where can it?
I agree that a vote is in order…no fucking machines though!
All those who wish to have civility, rationality, and a good enviornment in which to debate as well as rant, say aye.
All those opposed, remain silent.
Motion carries.
There are websites devoted to that sorta thing… can’t link to 'em though