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Notes -
Besides general American values, how do we address the issue I mentioned of idealogy changing constantly? Plenty of Americans shift beliefs given the back and forth between parties. Lots of idealogical goals even within parties change, the republican and democratic party of today looks drastically different then just twenty years ago!
Speak up against Israel now and you're anti American. Speak up for Israel now and it's ok. But every four years it could be completely different. Speak up against Israel in 2029 and you're fine, speak up for Israel and you're anti-American.
Against gay marriage in 2010? Perfectly normal American values. Against gay marriage in 2020?. Anti American values.
Legalize marijuana? Countrywide abortion access? Legality of sports betting? Support/don't support the Iraq war? Edit: here's 2016 Trump saying trans people can use whatever bathroom they want so even with the same person in charge you could be perfectly fine idealogical agreement one day and wrong the next.
This is the price we pay for being a propositional nation; the proposition changes as the populace does...when the melting pot itself melts and Jeffersonian democracy wears away to nothing, there's a fight over how to replace it. And like most fights, there's swings back and forth until a new consensus emerges.
This presumes that "consensus" remains an unbreached scaffold. What do you do when consensus itself melts, and all that's left is a Will to Power knife fight?
Er?
Like I said...there's a fight. And whoever wins, wins. That's not a tremendously happy answer, but I think it's fairly descriptively accurate, no?
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Evidence indicates that we fight, with ever-increasing viciousness, over unilateral enforcement of our tribally-preferred ideologies, and the devil take the hindmost.
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