# What Divides Us the Most? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 30, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940 "2018-12-30T20:51:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/21 "2018-12-31T21:22:09Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Religion. Particularly the really religious “rah-rahs” who think their religion has all the answers, is the only right one, and should be followed by everyone." But this isn’t much of a divider at all. African-Americans overwhelmingly identify as Christian and vote overwhelmingly Democratic. They have a lot more in common, politically, with atheists, Muslims, Buddhists and other religions/non-religions who vote Democratic, than with white rural Southerners who also overwhelmingly identify as Christian but vote deep red. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/22 "2018-12-31T21:22:43Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Class divides us most. Everything else is a wedge to confuse class consciousness. Bingo. You win the internet. Condensed and concise. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/23 "2018-12-31T21:42:30Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Class divides us most. Everything else is a wedge to confuse class consciousness. Maybe so, but perhaps a more fundamental distinction is whether or not a person is primarily motivated to value Humanity above all else (and with the ‘all else’ including self, but not God). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/24 "2018-12-31T21:47:58Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Religion. Particularly the really religious “rah-rahs” who think their religion has all the answers, is the only right one, and should be followed by everyone." > [@Velocity](#): > > But this isn’t much of a divider at all. I think it is and I agree with **Annie**. More grief caused world-wide from religion than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![WernhamHogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WernhamHogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WernhamHogg)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/25 "2018-12-31T21:51:36Z")
Empathy. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/26 "2018-12-31T22:36:12Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > I’ll first say I’m in the US… The face in the mirror. You really need to get over yourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/27 "2018-12-31T23:31:19Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But this isn’t much of a divider at all. > > African-Americans overwhelmingly identify as Christian and vote overwhelmingly Democratic. They have a lot more in common, politically, with atheists, Muslims, Buddhists and other religions/non-religions who vote Democratic, than with white rural Southerners who also overwhelmingly identify as Christian but vote deep red. At root, I think there are 2 divisions. In-groups vs out-groups Lower class vs ownership class The in-groups vs out-groups can encompass a wide range of traits. Skin color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, politics, gender, etc. It is based on the idea that in-group traits offers certain privileges, respect and opportunities denied to out-groups. Status is finite, and some groups enjoy more status than others. A good way to tell is what traits are over-represented among the powerful and influential. Among police, judges, politicians, etc. there are far more men, whites, christians, etc. than among the general public. But not all in-group/out-group battles are the same. As you said, black christians are democrats despite christians being an in-group. I think a lot of divisions are secondary to race. Religious division only really applies within white people. Even for immigration, my impression is that it is based on race. White conservatives are upset about brown skinned immigrants, they don’t mind immigrants from Canada. Trump lauded immigrants from Sweden. They should teach this subject in school. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/28 "2018-12-31T23:37:04Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > After multi racial rebellions happened in Virginia almost 400 years ago, Virginia instituted codes to separate blacks and whites so they’d stop uniting to take on the rich. Codes designed to dehumanize blacks so whites wouldn’t unite with them. What you mean to say here is that Virginia _invented_ blackness and whiteness so that they could then codify ways to divide the working class. Before colonization, of course there were Africans and Amerinds and different races, but black and white didn’t exist as categories of humans. It arose out of a philosophical need to decide who could be enslaved. First it was Christian vs. Heathen. Once the Heathen realized the conversion to Christianity was a simple process that gained them enormous rights, and the free laborers started taking their side, the Christian then decided a more color-based approach would address this threat to the labor supply. Again, class is the fundamental division. “Race” and everything else is an artificial and intentional wedge to divide the working classes, in the interest of the owning classes. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/29 "2018-12-31T23:44:17Z")
\*\*What Divides Us the Most? \*\*The way we react to nazi’s. Most find them abhorrent, while some- in the Oval Office-find them cute and snuggly. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/30 "2019-01-01T00:04:37Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > The face in the mirror. You really need to get over yourselves. Nice flag. The point was to compare, but you are probably ill-equipped. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Class divides us most. Everything else is a wedge to confuse class consciousness. I agree 99% with this… Unfortunately, we have “real life” vs. “online life” which seems to be taking most of our time. (more distractions). ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/31 "2019-01-01T00:12:44Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > Nice flag. The point was to compare, but you are probably ill-equipped. I’m serious. What divides you is the 1% - even 0.1% - of important stuff. Get over yourselves and recognise that ---
**Author:** ![WernhamHogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WernhamHogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WernhamHogg)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/32 "2019-01-01T00:14:12Z")
How that Brexit working out for you, man from Sane Reasonable Country of Reasonable Disputes? ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/33 "2019-01-01T01:07:06Z")
Whether it’s class, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or any other fault line, I think there is one overarching theme that differentiates elected officials (and the judiciary) between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans largely tend to favor those who are already powerful and privileged, while Democrats largely tend to favor those who lack power and privilege. ---
**Author:** ![survinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@survinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/survinga)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/34 "2019-01-01T13:28:02Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Probably race. On one hand you have whites who feel threatened by non whites, either afraid of them being criminals, taking their jobs, bringing bad habits and diseases, or supplanting their culture. > > On the other side you have a coalition of non whites as well as whites who believe in multiculturalism. > > I think that’s the biggest division we have that causes our other divisions (political divisions come from racial divisions imo). > > Race also causes the Civil War, the political realignment of the 60s, and arguably is part of why the south and plains states are at odds with the northeast and west coast. I think THIS is what really drove the Trump phenomenon in 2015 and 2016. He used Race and culture/ethnicity to build up his own movement. Keep in mind that most of his economic platform at the time was indistinguishable from Democrats. But he won a primary, first because he appealed to raceial anxiety and concerns, and second because he can rally a room like no one else on the Republican side. There were other reasons that Trump picked up support. But I think this was the main thing that differentiated Trump from other candidates. ---
**Author:** ![JB99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JB99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JB99)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/35 "2019-01-01T15:16:51Z")
People who value facts vs people who don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/36 "2019-01-01T15:25:06Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I think it’s actually very simple: > > One side wants to be left alone to do what they want. But they won’t leave others alone to do what they want. ---
**Author:** ![JB99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JB99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JB99)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/37 "2019-01-01T15:25:14Z")
> [@survinga](#): > > I think THIS is what really drove the Trump phenomenon in 2015 and 2016. He used Race and culture/ethnicity to build up his own movement. Keep in mind that most of his economic platform at the time was indistinguishable from Democrats. But he won a primary, first because he appealed to raceial anxiety and concerns, and second because he can rally a room like no one else on the Republican side. > > There were other reasons that Trump picked up support. But I think this was the main thing that differentiated Trump from other candidates. Yep. He said out loud what other people said in private. I keep meeting conservatives who insist they are not racist, because in their minds a ‘racist’ is someone who literally wears a white hood. And yet over, and over, and over, research finds that racial anxiety, animus, and resentment were the strongest correlation in Trump voters. (Even compared to other Republicans) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/38 "2019-01-01T15:26:19Z")
The worst divider is the urge to demonize everyone who doesn’t hold our cherished beliefs. They can’t possibly be misguided, dead wrong or uninformed. They’re evil. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/39 "2019-01-01T15:29:08Z")
Everyone’s self defined idea of fairness. “It’s not fair that they have more and I have less” “It’s not fair that I should have to give up some of my more to someone else” “It’s not fair that I can’t do what I want” “It’s not fair that they get to do that” ---
**Author:** ![WernhamHogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WernhamHogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WernhamHogg)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940/40 "2019-01-01T16:58:49Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The worst divider is the urge to demonize everyone who doesn’t hold our cherished beliefs. > > They can’t possibly be misguided, dead wrong or uninformed. > > They’re evil. And yet you fall into the same splitting. Those terrible other people who demonize everyone. Stupid rotten other people who aren’t as good as you are and people like you who don’t do that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-divides-us-the-most/826940.md?page=3)