General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Is the America we know coming to an end? [View all]ancianita
(36,275 posts)I feel moments of dread, sure. Last night, here in FL, I watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix with friends -- one from NY and two from MI -- and with some hindsight advantage of last year, we swapped among us all kinds of analyses about the docudrama's analyses.
It's not gloom and doom to think we're in a rough transition that might land either way, because there could be some unknowns that cause the tipping points.
One of them, I think, might be the 90 million adults who didn't vote in the last presidential election. They might not vote at all but they are voting elegible. Another is the increase in youth political involvement, increased registration and voting, etc. Another is the growing awareness Americans have of attempts to manipulate their opinions, doubt traditional sources of facts and research, believe the worst about opponents and fear them.
I keep an eye on Pew and Gallup polls. They're the most thorough in sampling and take their measures regularly -- Gallup is the oldest in the U.S. and takes the same polls monthly. I like that Gallup does "world polls." I like Pew, overall, because it's thorough, uses several graphs under one larger topic presentations, and it's non-profit.
When I consider that many of the responders in Pew are not registered voters, I'd like to think that when it counts, what they say and do will contribute to a tipping point in favor of democracy.