this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2024
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People keep talking about "Federalizing the National Guard" and now you've got other States pledging their NG to Texas in defiance of the Supreme Court (see image).

So is this what CW2 looks like?

P.S. I'm a Brit

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[–] [email protected] 127 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Highly unlikely this is what the civil war would be like. It's not a state v state thing necessarily although that might be a small part of it. In the first civil war, the south unified and its people largely supported the war, except their slaves. It's unlikely something like that will happen again. It's not impossible but unlikely.

What is much more likely is rural v city. Even in red states, cities are blue and will often vote for blue policies. Rural areas are where things get dicey. They've been largely left behind by the surge in industry and general expansion of the capitalist economy we currently have (they've had a lot of businesses (including grocery stores) close because more people are leaving, and their rural towns are frequently having their hospitals close leaving large swaths of areas where the nearest hospital is an hour away). As such, they've got a grudge against the cities. What's likely to happen is rural counties and their local governments trying to cut off their food supply, starving the cities to win the battle. There's tons more possibilities, but this one I think is the one that's got the highest likelihood.

Another possibility that is scary, but is highly dependent on the party of the people in power, is the government using their power to actually strike the cities, like in Syria where Assad bombed and used chemical weapons on his own people. Syria is actually a pretty good example of what more modern civil wars are like, or can be like. Governments v rebels and militias, and cities v rural (although there's much less rural land in Syria).

If you're interested, the podcast It Could Happen Here has a great first season where they go over possible disasters including a civil war and a pandemic (it was actually made in 2019 so before covid). It's really helpful and can teach a lot, especially for an outsider from across the pond. It also does a lot better job giving an explanation and actual sources.

Hope this helps since it didn't seem like you were getting a real answer.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

The geographical separation of slave states by an actual border allowed the first Civil War to take place on a stage perfectly suited for traditional warfare. North/South division and the formal joining of the Confederacy by state governments kept it all straightforward. Point South and tell the generals "Go."

It definitely won't be that simple again.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago

I also recommend It Could Happen Here

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Another thing the world ought to know is that the folks who are identified by “red” and “right” in America are in the minority.

Significantly so.

However our voting system uses geography / land as a modifier so while there are less of them they occupy a larger land mass and have an outsized vote strength because of that.

When total votes in a state can be split 45-55 but the delegates go 90-10 there is a problem

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago

Another fun thing about that is that most folks who identify "red" or "right" actually aren't paying enough attention to know that. Go ask them, they think people like them make up 70% or more of the country. If they do try to activate their little civil war they are going to find themselves very quickly surrounded by folks who do not like them at all, as their expected 200-million strong army ends up actually only being 1.5 million people spread out over 30,000+ square miles. Watching the realization dawn on them might actually even be fun if it weren't a herald of Troubles for America.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Another thing the world ought to know is that the folks who are identified by “red” and “right” in America are in the minority.

Significantly so.

This isn't accurate. In 2020, 29% of voters identified as Republican, 33% as Democrat, and 34% as independent. There certainly were more Democrats, but only by a 5% margin.

Playing up exaggerated differences between the number of Democrats and Republicans and emphasizing the "we outnumber you" rhetoric is extremist and should be avoided. It makes you a part of the problem.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

I had to stop listening to ICHH it gave me way too much anxiety and was just too stressed back when i listened in 2020. I've since taken up to instead listen to BTB and cool people who did cool stuff off the same network. Monsters that are usually dead and people who kick ass make me feel better.