TED: Barbara F. Walter: Is The US Headed Towards Another Civil War?

Source:TED- democracy expert Barbara F. Walter speaking.

"Based on her work for a CIA task force aimed at predicting civil wars, political scientist Barbara F. Walter examines the rise in extremism and threats to democracies around the globe -- and paints an unsettling picture of the increasing likelihood of a second civil war in the United States." 

From TED

Is the United States headed to a civil war? Interesting question, but there is no easy answer to that. Are we going to have a civil war even within the next 10 years or so? I would still say of course not and I'll explain that later.

I'll just explain why I don't think America is actually in danger or having a civil war in the near future. 

I think you should look at the possible factions in America that could start that war, if they were actually serious about that. 

You could look at the so-called Far-Left in America (Socialists and Communists) people who are always claiming that America is racist, sexist, homophobic, materialistic, overprivileged, etc. They always are the first to say what a hellhole (or use stronger language than that) America is and are saying how much America sucks and that we should be like Europe, not just ethnically and racially (as we are now) but politically as well. And are the first people to say that they will leave America, if so and so is elected, but then actually never leave the country. 

I think the main problem with assuming that the Far-Left would start a civil war against the U.S. Government, is that they don't believe their own bullshit. (To be frank) I'm sure there are some real Socialists and Communists in America who at the very least, tend to believe what they say. 

But far-leftists in America by in-large are just political hipsters who think it's cool to put down America down from a left-wing perspective. But as they're doing that, they're drinking their capitalist coffee house coffee, capitalist alcohol, looking at their capitalist smartphone and laptop, hanging out in the most yuppie and overprivileged parts of America, with the most yuppie and overprivileged Americans that you could dream of, enjoying American liberal democracy and capitalism as much as everyone else. So don't expect the Far-Left to start an American civil war. 

People, especially in the so-called mainstream media, always look at the Far-Right, people who are called Christian Nationalists. But the fact is there's nothing very religious, or even Christian about thee folks by-en-large, at least not in the classical and traditional sense. Just saying Jesus Christ is your lord and savior, doesn't make you Christian or religious. You actually have to believe in and practice the values of Jesus and Christianity, to be a real Christian. 

The other thing with the Far-Right (and there are exceptions to every rule) is that they tend to be the biggest loser of the losers in this country. People who are not very educated, tend to have at least done some time in prison and are at least somewhat familiar with the criminal and justice system, who in a lot of cases were kicked out of mainstream society because mental issues, or for being prone to violence and end up in some militia/cult, because these are the only groups that would accept them and welcome them in their community. 

The folks on the Far-Right, simply don't have the resources, including money, but training, education, and experience, to take on the most powerful uncle in the world, meaning Uncle Sam. Every time they do, they end up doing long stretches in prison. Just look at 2021 insurrection, or Tim McVeigh from 25 years earlier, and there are a lot more examples like that.

Every free society has fringes in it that would like to see their country be a lot freer and perhaps even take over the government, if they could do that. But one of the things that makes America exceptional, is we love freedom so much and have created government that's simply in the business to defend our freedom, as well as rule of law, and limited government, and our other great liberal democratic values, that most American cherish, but perhaps take for granted too much.

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