Today we’re revisiting something I did here four long years ago.
Back then, I had come across an academic study purported to show that American politics is driven more by sincere beliefs than by hatred of the other side.
It was hopeful but sadly contrarian. Basically, “everyone knows” that the way to get your base out to vote for you is to preach incessantly that the other side isn’t just misguided, or wrong, or dangerous—but flat-out evil.
To make a very long story short, however, once I dug in deep on this study, I just wasn’t convinced. So I set it aside, and I thought to myself:
“We’re a divided country, but the one thing we can all agree on is ... “
Truly, bupkis. Zilch. Nada. Not for lack of trying.
“We all love our children?”
“Life is inherently good?”
“The color blue is pretty?”
I’ll bet you’re feeling it now, too. Welcome to my world of overthinking everything, but can you imagine making any of these statements without fear of any contradiction?
Is there anything at all that we could agree on, 100 percent? How about 95 percent?
“You might think we love our children but a country that allows ... abortion ... or doesn’t have adequate gun control ... or has out of control housing or medical or education costs ...”
“Life might be inherently good for you, in your upper middle class world of privilege but did you ever stop to think about people who ...”
“I don’t like blue and I never have…”
So, here’s my challenge, back in 2022 and then only more apt today.
Can you think of a single thing that you think everyone would agree on? Let’s limit it to the 35,000 or so people who will probably read this newsletter today. A single thing you can be certain that not one of the other 34,999 others or so would disagree with?
Let us know in the comments!
P.S. Part 1:
When I asked this in 2022, more than 200 readers replied—and the answers were revealing. The closest thing to “universal agreement” wasn’t a value or belief.
It was biology and physics: we were all born, we all need air and water, the sun rises, death is inevitable.
The moment people reached for anything more meaningful—love, fairness, freedom, “we can do better”—the cracks showed up immediately.
Most common “agreement” answers: born / death / sun rises / gravity / oxygen / clean water
Next tier (more contested): respect, love, gratitude, “we’re divided/broken,” “we can do better,” “school murders are bad”
Most self-aware reply: “The one thing we can all agree on is that we can’t all agree on any one thing.”
I wonder if we can do better this time.
P.S. Part 2
Postscript: Turns out Oprah.com also tried to come up with at least one thing everyone could agree on.
The only one I agree with is on their list kind of funny and highly specific:
In the movie Titanic, “Rose absolutely had room for Jack on that floating door.”
But other than that…
Other things worth knowing …
The U.S. Embassy in Denmark removed 44 Danish flags honoring the 44 Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan, drawing outrage from the country’s veterans amid heightened tensions over President Donald Trump’s dismissal of the country’s contribution to the war in Afghanistan and threats to take over the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland. A State Department spokesperson said there was no malicious intent. (WashPost)
Nine progressive prosecutors from cities around the country are launching a coalition to prosecute federal law enforcement officers who violate state laws, one of the prosecutors, Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, said on Tuesday. The organization, which is called the Project for the Fight Against Federal Overreach, will also include Mary Moriarty, the elected prosecutor in Minneapolis. Its acronym, F.A.F.O., references a slang term for negative consequences, and its formation was spurred by “growing concerns about warrantless entries, unlawful detentions, and coercive enforcement tactics by federal agents,” according to a news release. (NYT)
The FBI raided Fulton County, Georgia’s election operations center Wednesday, an action apparently connected to the Trump administration’s long-held, but unproven, belief that Fulton’s handling of the 2020 presidential election was rife with fraud. Last week, Trump repeated his false claim that the 2020 election was “rigged” and promised that “people will soon be prosecuted.” (AJC, NBC News)
For average wage earners in Russia, it’s a big payday. For criminals seeking to escape the harsh conditions and abuse in prison, it’s a chance at freedom. For immigrants hoping for a better life, it’s a simplified path to citizenship. All they have to do is sign a contract to fight in Ukraine. As Russia seeks to replenish its forces — and avoid an unpopular nationwide mobilization — it’s pulling out all the stops to find new troops to send into the battlefield. (AP)
How a canceled Hollywood director is spinning the ‘Melania’ movie into his comeback. (WSJ)
A new study published in JAMA by projects that by 2035, nearly half of all American adults, about 126 million individuals, will be living with obesity. The projections show a striking increase; in 1990, only 19.3% of U.S. adults were obese; that figure more than doubled to 42.5% by 2022. While every state is expected to see increases, the sharpest rises are projected for Midwestern and Southern states. (Los Angeles Times)
Thanks for reading. See you in the comments.
We all “enjoy” reading Bill Murphy, Jr.
Everyone has an opinion.