Over 46k people follow the ‘Wow, That is VIOLENTLY American’ Facebook page, and we can see the appeal of being a long-term fan. The social media project is unapologetic in how it documents the most American things ever. It’s razor-sharp social commentary, packaged into memes. And, from what we understand, some Facebook users actually get offended at the satire and take things way too seriously. (All that stress seriously can’t be healthy.)
People who get offended at obvious satire and sarcasm probably belong in the same facepalm-worthy category as folks who clap when a plane lands. But poking fun at the latter is just going for low-hanging fruit, so we won’t poke fun at them. Besides, clapping on a plane isn’t just American—it’s international cringe and something quite a few different cultures have in common.
Polarization in the US is a huge issue because it reduces the chances for cooperation across the political divide when it comes to issues that affect the entire country. In fact, a study published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace found that no established democracy in recent history has been as deeply polarized as the United States.
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The Atlantic draws attention to the fact that, until a few decades ago, Democrats and Republicans got along fine; they did not ‘hate’ each other as they do now. Currently, however, members of the two parties tend to think that each threatens the future of the country with its policies.
The Pew Research Center found that in the run-up to the 2020 presidential elections, 9 out of 10 supporters of either Joe Biden or Donald Trump thought that the opponent winning would cause “lasting harm” to the entire nation. In short, there’s less unity, and more Americans are at each others’ throats over what they see as fundamental, unbridgeable differences in values and aims. And it’ll take more than a list of funny memes about American culture to bridge that divide… but humor is as good a first step as any.
