It would seem that the politicians who are instrumental in maintaining democracy are using divisive politics (divide and conquer strategy) to simply further their personal agenda, as well as the agendas of those who support them. Trump is doing this in the US, and similar is happening in UK and no doubt many other countries.
Australia is an interesting country because, like the US, it had its citizens long before being “discovered” by Europeans. Australia was also deemed the destination of choice by Britain for their law breakers. It was later determined to have significant potential and, in the 1950s and 1960s was the immigration choice made by many British families. Australia has a fascinating history … but what has that got to do with the US and divisive politics?
I recently came across a song, from the late 1980s, quite by accident and which made me stop and think “How unusual to find an interest in everybody working together, regardless of their background.”
From the dusty red-soil plains
I am the ancient heart
The keeper of the flame
I stood upon the rocky shores
I watched the tall ships come
For forty thousand years I’ve been
The first Australian
Bowed down by iron chains
I bought the land, endured the lash
And waited for the rains
I’m a settler, I’m a farmer’s wife
On a dry and barren run
A convict, then a free man
I became Australian
Who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman
On the long and dusty road
I’m a child of the Depression
I saw the good times come
I’m a bushie, I’m a battler
I am Australian
And from all the lands on earth we come
We’ll share a dream and sing with one voice
I am, you are, we are Australian
I’m a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira
And I paint the ghostly gums
I’m Clancy on his horse
I’m Ned Kelly on the run
I’m the one who waltzed Matilda
I am Australian
I’m the black soil of the plains
I’m the mountains and the valleys
I’m the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock, I am the sky
The rivers when they run
The spirit of this great land
I am Australian
And from all the lands on earth we come
We’ll share a dream and sing with one voice
I am, you are, we are Australian
And from all the lands on earth we come
We’ll share a dream and sing with one voice
I am, you are, we are Australian
🐾💜🐾
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I think that it is going to take a long time to reunite the United States after Trump is hopefully voted out of office. The base supporters of his hate are now out from under the covers, and will carry on for him if he is voted out. We may be at the point of no return.
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I prefer to believe that a sufficient number of voters are so disillusioned with Trump, that anybody who shows similar characteristics will be shunned at the ballot.
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Sadly, like you I think it will be decades before the great divide heals, if ever. It is true that many are fed up with the madman in the Oval Office, but his base remains a steady 40% or so of very bigoted people who translate Trump’s slogan into “Make America White Again”. Trump is truly only the head of the snake … the rest will remain long after he’s gone, unless we find a great statesman who can unite the people, and I don’t see one on the horizon.
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There is a perspective that says “If you want a diverse group of people to act as one … threaten them as a group”! Sadly, not only does a war stimulate the arms industry. bu it makes allies out of the most unlikely groups. The way Trump is “playing” with Iran, that threat may be coming sooner than any of us would like. If that’s the price of unity,then I think we would all agree that it is a very high price to pay.
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Yes, in grad school I did research for a political science professor who was writing a paper on that very topic, that governments had created external threats to bring cohesion to a divided nation. Trump hasn’t the experience, knowledge or intelligence to understand the Middle East, and his taunting of Iran is dangerous, not only for the U.S., but for the entire globe. Sigh. You’re right … could be a very high price indeed.
By the way … how is Ray? Carolyn told me he had surgery a few weeks ago, but I haven’t had the chance to ask her how he’s doing. I hope he’s on the mend.
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Ray is doing very well thank you. You can still feel the incision area, but his fur is slowly growing over it. In attitude … he is back to normal! 🙂
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That’s awesome news and I am so glad! Thank you! Please give him a hug for me!
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My pleasure to give him a proxy hug! 🙂
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In the moment that I read the first line of this song, I knew it was The Seekers! I discovered them way back in 1966 when a group of my fellow nursing students and myself attended the movie “Georgy Girl” and heard their song by the same name. Their album “Georgy Girl” was released in late 1966, though titled “Come the Day” in England which was another song on the album. That album was played often and loudly in the dorm halls! This song is on the October 2002 album “Night of Nights…Live”. It is a marvelous 2 CD collection that also has their version of one of my favorite Peter, Paul and Mary songs. “Puff the Magic Dragon.” Be that as may be, I must commend you on this eloquent post and the addition of “I Am Australian” is perfect. Divisive politics is becoming the norm the world over, and it must end. Thank-you!
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Thank you Ellen. Your comments are always full of interesting bits of additional information. 🙂
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Good post and yes I truly hope and pray that things do change with the next election! That there is more acceptance of all knots of people. We all have our own unique characteristics and our uniqueness should be something to celebrate not to look down on.
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All “knots” of people?
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Shaking my head, meant “kinds”! What can I say, the sun has affected my brain. 🙂 The weather has been gorgeous here!
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🙂
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I am an immigrant too here in Liechtenstein although I have lived here for 40 years of my life. Since the country is so small, at least a third of the population are immigrants. And that is a very good thing. Yes, why is it such a problem to accept immigrants simply as people we are living together with? We can only win in using all the wonderful differences everybody brings in!
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Great response Erika. Somebody once said “Variety is the spice of life”. It is so true in this context. 🙂
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Oh, yes, absolutely! I think mankind has learned that only the variety makes progress possible… although many still try to resist…
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Nice poem. I think politics will always be divisive. That’s the nature of it. But it’s one thing to be divided on differences in philosophy, and another to be divided by personal attacks. The two sides, left and right, have belittled each other so much, that it’s hard for them to develop trust in each other, and achieve compromise or find common ground. Candidates who can restore mutual respect and trust are probably our only hope for overcoming this kind of divisiveness.
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Totally agree with you TG. A democratic system does inherently need a party in office, and an opposition party to keep things in check. It’s when it goes beyond the political structure that it starts to get difficult and (I would suggest) dangerous. We just need to limit the political profession to adults, as children clearly cannot act responsibly.
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And ironically, he’s the oldest president we’ve ever elected.
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… and perhaps the most unqualified, juvenile and egotistical?
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And why do you say “perhaps”?
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Just being courteous as we are referencing an official elected by the people. Also, it is not for me to determine the desired attributes of a country’s leader, and I am not qualified to categorically specify what is juvenile. As for egotistical? 🙂
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Heh-heh. Well I was being a little sarcastic.
I guess the good news here, is that his approval rating has dropped to nearly an all-time low, of 40%. But even 40% seems crazy high to me. I don’t understand his appeal.
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With the greatest respect to the American people, I think his voters are comprised of individuals who are simply very naive about what government can/cannot responsibly do; have little idea as to how the world interacts in this century of international trade, and do not understand that false bravado serves no purpose in any position of authority. Glitch, glamour and drama is wonderful in entertainment from Hollywood, but has no place in running a country.
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All that could very well be true.
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Not sure why trump came to my mind today, but…I remembered what you had said about “Hollywood and entertainment”. The irony is that if we were watching him on the big screen, we would think how Hollywood has outdone themselves, for surely no one that CRAZY would ever really be President. That it would be like a science fiction movie! But sadly we are not watching it on the big screen, its real life. As they say sometimes ” life can be stranger than fiction!”
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I don’t think there is no “perhaps!”
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That’s a double negative! If you do not think there is no perhaps … then you must think there is a yes. What exactly are you trying to say?
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Oooh I … I sense a pattern developing with my recent comments! 🙂
I was trying to say that there is no question as to whether he is egotistical, childish and unqualified. So yes, it’s a yes! (double positive)
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