We have enemies but they aren't other Americans | Opinion

One of the most disturbing things about this exceptionally disturbing political season is that a great many conservatives say they are unconcerned that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election. 

Think about it: There are conservatives who do not care that a hostile foreign power is working to corrupt or overturn our American democracy. If you had told someone 20 years ago that a time would soon come when that would be true, you would have been laughed at.

How is this even possible? Obviously, the result was the election of a Republican president, of which they approve. But that is extremely shortsighted, and true Republicans and genuine conservatives should know that. 

The Russians did not interfere on Trump’s behalf because they thought that he would "make American great." Just the opposite. For they interfered in other ways as well. There is reason to believe that helped instigate the "Not My President" movement that developed after the election, and that they stirred up resentment and anger in the black and Latino communities. 

They know Trump is a highly divisive figure with a belligerent and aggressive personality. So they are simply using the time-honored practice of "divide and conquer."  They do not have the power to destroy us directly, so they are inciting us to destroy each other — that is, to destroy ourselves.

True conservatives would not be party to this, but the American conservative movement is no longer really conservative — it has been taken over by burn-the-house-down fanatics. Real conservatives and Republicans who adhere to traditional Republican values are still out there, but they have lost control of the narrative. It is now in the hands of anger merchants whose only real commodity is blinding hatred of blacks, Latinos, and all liberals — that is, of their fellow Americans.

They are certainly not alone in succumbing to rage. Most of us are to blame, liberals certainly included. Anger is dramatic; rage is exciting. It stimulates us and keeps us charged up. So the media, both traditional and digital, use it for their own purposes. 

We have become addicted to fury, and the pushers are only too happy to keep us supplied. But it is killing us. It is destroying our beloved democracy.

The cure, like the cure to any addiction, will not be easy. We must start to recognize that the divisions that separate us are largely artificial. Our values, aspirations and goals are really not that different.

Many people will not believe that, but it is true. We are not just a bunch of cruel, fire-breathing racists on the one hand, and contemptuous, snobbish elitists on the other.  Yes, there are differences, but for the most part they are differences that could negotiated and be largely resolved. 

We must start talking to each other — talking, not screaming. And much more importantly, we must really listen. Listen, and try to understand.

We do have real enemies. We must stop doing their work for them.

Stuart Baker is an emeritus professor of theatre at FSU and current editor of "The Radical Bleeding Heart."