Before each of the 20th century’s social disasters, an “all sides need to come to their senses” sentiment failed. Reality isn’t found by splitting the difference. The split in America isn’t liberal-conservative, because those labels have lost their meaning. It’s being driven by demographic change and the corporate control of government. There are many people who would abandon the nation’s democratic history, if they can exclude non-white people from economic and political power. They’re channeled by right wing populism, which appeals to companies whose profits rise in low-tax, low-regulation conditions.

The key division in America goes back centuries. In the pre-Civil War south, most whites were poor farmers. They couldn’t compete with slaveholders, who had free labor. Their interests allied with slaves. So slaveholders ginned up racism, to split poor whites and blacks. It worked, and still does. Divide and conquer.

Corporations aren’t evil. Nor are wealthy people. They have self-interests, which are different from most of ours. They appreciate divide and conquer. Someone like Ted Cruz or Donald Trump uses language that will divide their base from others who share their interests (consider health care.) This isn’t due to Democrats or blacks. It’s a strategic effort by wealthy groups to control power.

Tribalism is always with us. What changes is the propensity of those with access to mass media, which for decades has been a profit-only enterprise, to use tribalism as a tool. If we want to decrease tribalism’s impact, we need to reduce their control of media.