Divisiveness of a population is caused by many things. A traditional one is geography. Weather conditions, resources, terrain, density, and vegetation cause people in one area to feel different about life than others in a different area. Think the Civil War.

            Race and ethnicity are two natural divisions that can be easily overcome in all areas if all agree to jump into the melting pot. Centuries have gone by with some people being kept separate. Millions don’t want to jump into the pot and live with others like themselves. My first actual contact with ethnic seclusion was a very proud Polish Superintendent. He talked about the Polish community he grew up with in Chicago. Many of the older generation had been born in the several blocks and would die there without ever learning English, shopping or venturing outside the community.

            Another barrier is economic; money or a lack of it. Millions have overcome that barrier with education or a skill and have put themselves and their families on a different path. Too often they don’t cross the other barriers because they are not allowed to or don’t want to melt.

            Politics is another divisive issue. Moderates are able to cross back and forth but the more radical people are less likely to join other groups.

            These are just a few of the many issues separating Americans. The primary barrier today is the internet and its social media entities which could lessen barriers but will more probably increase and deepen barriers.

My Mother was in her fifties in the 1960s when Rock-N-Roll and the Hippie culture became the norm. Her complaints may have influenced me to keep my hair length at an inch at my nape instead of my former clipper cut. My music choice is now called the golden oldies of the 60s. My hair is thinner and my music is the same so that is what I consider the norm should be.

I cannot understand why anyone would want to shave their head to look like what the movies made aliens look. To be fair we used to use the Dick Tracy term of “Cue Ball.”

Millions of men are growing long beards which can only be to show their masculinity. Are they taken in by some actors trying to look rough cut. I would think hygiene and sex would be a problem.

Why do man and women cover themselves with tattoos that they can’t see? I don’t sit at a table with servers with tattoos up their neck or on their arms. My generation is very likely to associate those people with poor hygiene and therefore holding our plates abhorrent. A big business has sprung up on removing or covering them up. A friend’s daughter put a tattoo on her hip to remind her of a dead cousin. Does she think of him sitting on a commode?

People seem to go out of their way to look tough and gangster-like. Why can’t people look normal now or is this just a fad that will die out in a few years? If the media caused this behavior then perhaps it can bring it back to the normal American Culture. Is the result of, or cause of, the divisiveness today?