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Comment by Retra | Hacker News Reader

Why do you think that any of this is new?

The concepts aren't new, the fact that they're now mainstream is new. Do you think Trump would have been elected 20 years ago? Do you think comedians would actually be scared to perform on college campuses 20 years ago?

The insanity was always there, but has become mainstream.

These things come in waves and it happened in the early 90 late 80's also. We get ultra PC it goes to far we over correct and the start inching back to it.

I don't know, did we actually over correct from the "ultra PC" movements of the 80s and 90s? I don't think we've seen anything like what's happened lately.

You would disagree that American politics has become more polarized in the last two decades?

What is the special significance of the 20-year time frame? It's not more polarized now that it was in 1860. Or 1760. Or 1960.

Sure... but do you think it really makes sense to compare today to 1760 or 1860?

When you are saying some social phenomena is "new", yes.

I never said it was new. I don't see why this makes it matter more or less anyway? It's sort of irrelevant whether we have seen this social phenomenon before. What is relevant is the impact it is having on society now.

> You would disagree that American politics has become more polarized in the last two decades?

Yes. American politics is not notably more polarized now than in the time immediately preceding the Clinton impeachment. (Now, had you said either 10 or 30 instead of 20, the answer would be different.)

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