Thread by @DeFi_initiate

Many #Americans are led to believe that there are only two sides to a question. This way of thinking goes back to the times before the civil war (1861-65), when the two major political parties had already formed.

cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/a…

In other western democracies, a plurality of parties is the norm: there are typically 3 or 4 major parties and a large number of others: Japan 3, Germany 3, UK 4, France 3, Italy 4.

Here is a list of political parties around the world: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_r…

False dichotomy leads to a polarization of views and gives rise to movements on the extreme left and right. How is it possible, that every federal election goes right down to the wire on a 50-50 split?

logical-fallacy.com/articles/false…

Thinking outside the two main options is unthinkable: you are either a Republican or a Democrat, a liberal or a conservative. Since the civil war, the winner received 52% of the popular vote on the average - just 2% more than a coin flip.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U…

Luckily, the happy reality is that there are more than two sides in any debate. Taking a recent example from Canada, you do not have to choose between the truckers and the government: you can decide to be in the middle, seeing the good and bad on each side. Left - Center - Right