Is the United States Already Engaged in Civil War?

What a wild ride we've had these past three years. Since I last updated this article:

• A pandemic was the vehicle for misinformation and shaming of anyone who asked questions.
• Our president called a large portion of the population extremists.
• Justice has proven to be slanted.
• Gun control advocates are openly stating they want to take all our guns and people pretend they're not.
• The list goes on. Division is stronger than ever.

I personally have to conclude we've been in a civil war for several years. One of information more than any other avenue. Keep reading to see a snapshot of March 2019 when this was written. It seems to me, people have been intentionally pushed to create even more division. On to the article.

This article seems determined to break the video links, so I've removed them. I'm curious what you guys think, so I'm also adding a poll at the bottom.

This article was written prior to when Black Lives Matter and Antifa joined forces and took over a section of Seattle. Since then, we've had riots and even more division. It's not a civil war on large scale, however; I think an argument could be made that we are seeing a form of civil war. Unfortunately, it looks like the divide will get worse before it gets better. Time will tell.

Stay safe and choose peace.

Simply put, a “civil war” is a war between two factions of the same state or country. The last civil war in the US was between the Northern Union and the Southern Confederate states. Commonly portrayed as the war to end slavery, it was about far more than that. Lincoln himself said that if he could end the war without freeing even a single slave, he would do it. As much he believed everyone should be free, it was not the deciding factor in war with the South. His stated concern was to stabilize the Union. There were differences in the way two major groups wanted to run the country. Seeing no other way to work out their differences, the two sides turned to armed combat.

I’m writing this article on the sixteenth of March, 2019. The New Zealand terrorist attack just happened and is dominating the news. I mention this because it’s important to the social climate we’ve reached.

The response of the media seems to be blaming Trump, PewDiePie, and the alt-right for inciting this attack. One of the problems with this narrative is how the label “alt-right” is being used. “Alt-right” used to be reserved for Christian extremists (like the KKK). Now, it’s being slapped on anyone who even questions the media and those pushing for social justice.

The loudest voices in control of the media keep pushing this idea that you must follow them or you’re as bad as a Nazi. I wish I could say this was only a lie spouted by the “alt-right” but it happens openly.

PewDiePie has almost 90 million followers today. The first gamer to start uploading videos on YouTube with wild success, PewDiePie has done many silly stunts for views. I ignored his presence until the media started calling him a racist. I wanted to know what he did that deserved this label. Watching the videos the news stories claimed made him a racist, it was clear to me this was nothing more than a smear campaign for their own gain. As a test and social commentary, he paid someone to hold up signs with hateful speech to see if they’d do it. He recorded his reaction to the video. He was shocked and apologized then and there for the gag.

That is what it took for The Wall Street Journal to proclaim him an "alt-right Nazi."

They then doubled down. PewDiePie made a video mocking the idea that he’s racist. The Wall Street Journal used clips from that video to push the idea even harder.

He’s not even allowed to mock Nazi’s without it being used as proof that he is one. This is why millions of people are subscribing to his channel in protest.

It’s hard to put into words what’s going on in the US. Labels are being abused. Language is being abused. Certain loud people within the “left” side of the political spectrum and especially politicians and the media are pushing a hard-line stance. The stance is that we either conform, or we’re the enemy. There’s no room for debate or conversation. Hold a different political view and you’re in danger of being kicked off social media. If you’re like me and ask a lot of questions, watch out.

This push to conform has been successful in many ways with companies trying to cater to the ideas of social justice. When a game or movie with a heavy social justice narrative flops, instead of understanding what happened, the “alt-right Nazi, white males” are blamed. Insults are showered on anyone who disagrees, and the divide gets wider.

In the recent attack (in Christchurch New Zealand), the killer’s manifesto says he planned the attack to create further dissension in the US and the world narrative. He also stated he would shout “subscribe to PewDiePie” to get the media to run the story that PewDiePie is responsible.

Looks like he was right. The media did exactly that.

Anyone who's not “towing-the-company-line” is being branded “alt-right” by the media. Even those who identify as left.

I started saying about a year ago that it seems we’re headed to a civil war. I’m not the only one who saw this. Those with the loudest voices don't seem interested in a conversation. Opposing viewpoints are considered oppressive and labeled as hate speech. In a country with an amendment protecting radical speech we now have a law against hate speech. We’re at a point where anyone who speaks their mind can be arrested.

When communication breaks down completely, that’s when war becomes inevitable.

This brings to mind a line that has become ominous in our current climate: “United we stand, divided we fall.” Will the USA become a nation divided so far it’s vulnerabilities open it to another country’s rule? Will we spiral into a civil war and destroy ourselves instead?

I’m still hopeful. The more we talk, the more we show we’re not there yet. I hope you’ll stick with the rest of us who choose to keep talking.

Thanks for reading.

I'd love to hear your thoughts below in the comments. Don't forget to do the poll, please.