Why can’t we just view people as people. You’re either a good person or a bad person, but being one political party or the other doesn’t automatically make them a bad person.
Because issues still in play really do have profound effects on people's lives.
Case in point, the GOP's ongoing effort to repeal Obamacare with no real replacement plan in mind... and I'm only sharing this to illustrate why these arguments matter... but, as many people here know, I'm about to be a dad!!!! Baby comes in less than 2 months! But... my wife can't have kids, and we were only able to make this happen for two reasons:
1) A friend volunteered to be our surrogate, and
2) Obamacare required any new insurance plan to cover all pregnancies.
Literally, without Obamacare, people like me would have never had a shot at becoming parents. (And it still almost didn't happen... none of the IVF is covered and most people can't afford that.)
Thank goodness Obamacare wasn't taken away before we had our chance to make this happen... but man, there are so many people out there whose futures are in total limbo and the death of the ACA is SCARY to them. It's not just a political issue. For many, it's either a serious quality-of-life issue or even a life-and-death issue. Before the ACA, my mom (who has worked her entire life) went years without health insurance because she had a bad knee. (wtf???) But, thanks to the ACA, she got affordable coverage that allowed her to actually receive healthcare without ungodly medical bills. (Before the ACA, the "cheap" insurance plans were basically scams that didn't cover anything but the simplest of doctor visits.)
I remember pre-ACA, once I went to the doc and made the mistake of asking for an inhaler refill. A couple months later, I got a $300 bill in the mail for a "diagnostic appointment." Yep. Because I asked for a refill, the appointment coding was changed I got slapped with a huge bill.... and back then, that was like two months of disposable income.
Anyway... that's where the anger comes from. Political issues that may seem procedural to some are literally cruel to others. I don't think there's any way to get around that. And I'm sure this spins the other way on issues important to the right, too. Like, even though I'm pro-choice, I know people who genuinely feel like abortion is tantamount to murder.
That said... one of my good running friends is a total Trump person, and we go at it like rabid dogs on Facebook, but then we meet up and run and have a great time, because we're friends and we're both good people. So there IS hope. But the divides are real and so are the impacts.
Regarding the thread topic, so this is all somewhat relevant... I am really hoping for the Platypus Bowl. I really think it's a change that nobody thought we needed (myself included), and I know people will be upset with this for a long time, but man... from a marketing standpoint the Civil War really is kind of "meh." It was a slogan created during earlier times when people knew less about mass marketing. There may be other good game names out there, but man, THE PLATYPUS BOWL is just so full of possibilities. I really think most people will get over this pretty quickly.