Trump Supporters: How Can We Bridge the Gap?

I know my worldview is different from both Trump supporters & opponents in most cases.

I feel that most Americans are actually “on the same team,” even though each side views the other as the opposition. I also think it would also require the coordinated effort of these two opposing sides, facing a common enemy, to address and actually resolve the issues in government plaguing America today.

Where do we start?

Well, in your first thread you came off the bat insulting.

Not doing that might be a good place.

That’s fair. Which part was insulting?

And Pedro, what do you feel most strongly about when it comes to the view of what you would consider, “the opponent?”

Also, let me clarify what I mean by most Americans being “on the same team.”

By that I mean I believe most of us have gotten fucked over by the same people for the same reasons with the same policies, and it would behoove most who voted for Trump & Biden to align and unite against “oppressive forces.”

Im on the streets right now but I like this thread and I shall return.

Let’s see to what exrent we can build on good faith.

Right away though, I can tell you we will disagree 9n things and we may not be on “the same team” like you think and I hope the insults dont start then.

Sounds good, looking forward to it.

d0rkyd00d: “I know my worldview is different from both Trump supporters & opponents in most cases.
I feel that most Americans are actually “on the same team,” even though each side views the other as the opposition. I also think it would also require the coordinated effort of these two opposing sides, facing a common enemy, to address and actually resolve the issues in government plaguing America today.
Where do we start?”

P: Well, in your first thread you came off the bat insulting.
Not doing that might be a good place.

K: and right off the bat, you went and attacked Dork…

the first problem to overcome is the very language differences used
by the left and the right…

the right, in pedro, UR, obser, and Karpel have all used radical language
to attack the left… they have called for martial law, prison, dictatorship
and in some cases, death to those on the left…whereas we on the left, the so called
“communist” which in fact, neither IAM or I, is a communist… but those sort of
distinctions are ignored by these posters…

Have either IAM or myself called for prison or martial law or death for
anyone on the right? no, of course not… the very language we use is different…
(now one might argued I have called IQ45 and family to go to prison, and I did,
but they have clearly and indisputable have committed crimes as oppose to going
to prison or dying just for being a conservative or for holding conservative viewpoints)

my very language has been decidedly much softer then the right wing posters…

do we make fun of these posters? hell yah, and I see no problem with that…
but making fun isn’t calling for someone’s death because they are liberal…

what we ask for and especially IAM, is for dialogue… he is constantly
encouraging the right to engage in dialogue…but the right rejects that
call because it isn’t done on their terms…

Ok, let us try this… those posters I have mentioned… where is some middle ground
we can meet and discuss matters… I shall allow you to engage in the discussion
on your terms… so, do you wish to engage in dialogue that might, might bring
us together?

Kropotkin

individual freedom and the constitution

K: ok, great now give it some context, some meaning… individual freedom
for whom and why and in what context about the constitution?

Kropotkin

Thanks for the reply phone. So break this down for a second, because I think if you walked up to somebody who voted for Joe Biden or doesn’t support Trump and asked if they believe in “individual freedom and the constitution,” I cannot imagine they would say no. Is this not a common ground?

in my eyes this is already the wrong mindset
even as your attempt to bridge differences
you’re still trying to work within that frame of “us vs them”
i’m not a jew in egypt
i live in a free country
there wasn’t any fate laid on top of me at birth
preventing me from ever pursuing what i wanted
i am not oppressed
so i am not in the team of the oppressed

yes, until they realize what comes with freedom

But you are concerned that this could potentially change if the wrong leadership is elected, no?

I think the problem is that either the US -

  • 1 - has a constitution,
  • 2 - pretends to have a constitution, or
  • 3 - doesn’t have a constitution.

And the population is divided into the groups -

  • A - wants the constitution to be upheld and limit government
  • B - doesn’t want the constitution to limit government

Group A believes in situation 1 and abhors situation 2 and 3.
Group B prefers situation 3, struggles with situation 2, and abhors situation 1

Basically it is just Constitutionalism vs Communism but the population isn’t allowed to freely learn about or discuss the issue = the problem.

Well you could apologize for saying I called for violence against the Left - see the thread with your name in it in Meta. That’s be a nice start. You could also go to the thread where you lecture the kids that pardons are an admission of guilt, read my posts, check out the links, and potentially admit that the issue is much more complicated than your incomplete presentation allowed for. I think the evidence actually goes against it being an admission of guilt, but baby steps.

Oh, I’m not on the Right, though I do share with them some important criticisms of liberals and parts of the Left. This is my personal take on where we could start having middle ground, not an answer as to how you and the Right can find common ground. I’ll leave that to them to make suggestions. I am also not a Trump supporter, and I have taken shit for that also from the Right here. Which makes this post off-topic in a way. I won’t post in this thread again. Pardon the brief tangent.

Thanks obsrvr, for taking the time to respond. So if I understand you correctly, what you’re getting at here is the idea that the Constitution has been ignored over the past several decades (something once more I don’t think many would oppose you on). Which part(s) do you feel have been the most egregiously discarded? And when you say that group B doesn’t want the Constitution to limit government, in what way do you feel they want to “take off the reigns” so to speak?

oh yeah i would also like to state for the record that i am not a trump supporter

Would you not agree, phone, that Trump supporters do view the world currently through an “us vs. them” lens, as do opponents of Trump & his supporters? It seems to me a line has been drawn in the sand of sorts, are you saying this is a misperception?

From your first thread here (I guess since your return):

              sadly, my family and many others have been duped:

Here already you are basically dismissing any possible diverting view. Since your family disagrees with you, they must have been duped. This is part of a wider problem. You may have heard it in the form of criticism of the “safe space” mentality.

How can we bridge any gaps, when already off the bat you do not hold us as people with legitimate views to discuss, but as bots that have been duped?

Then you go on about hate of colored people (an old racist term which I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that academia brought it back and as the “anti-racist” term, that was a nice coup from the racists). But have you asked us? Is this maybe something you are assuming?

And this goes on and on. How can we have a conversation about the issues, when you set us on a lesser being category where you even decide what it is we think?

Maybe the line has been drawn, but I wish you at least allowed yourself to consider that maybe it was you who drew it.