Defiant loyalists paid dearly for choosing wrong side in the American Revolution

Modern “Tories” and US Two‑Party Politics

• Thread jumps quickly from historical Tories to using “Tory” as a modern US slur.
• Some argue Democrats and Republicans are substantively different: opposite stances on tax distribution, criminal justice (punishment vs rehabilitation), civil rights (especially for women and LGBTQ people), public investment in education/science, and capital punishment.
• Others say this describes voters, not party establishments; Democrats are portrayed as “controlled opposition” that symbolically resists but rarely uses hardball tactics (court-packing, filibuster, mobilizing grassroots).
• A conflicting view claims both parties mostly serve corporatocracy, differ mainly on social issues, and share tactics and rhetoric.
• Disagreement over polarization: some say US parties are far closer together than UK parties; others insist they’re much further apart than any two parties in other English-speaking countries.

Media, Social Media, and Polarization

• One camp blames “corporate media” for narrowing the Overton window.
• Others argue social media is now the main radicalizing force, yet itself corporate.
• Points raised about deregulation, media consolidation, bot farms, and algorithmic amplification of extreme viewpoints.
• A counter-view says the core problem is public susceptibility to misinformation, not media per se.

Loyalists, Erasure, and Family Memory

• Multiple comments express surprise at Benjamin Franklin’s loyalist son and how little loyalists feature in US education compared with Civil War-era internal divisions.
• Observations that Boston’s revolutionary and New York’s loyalist past may echo in modern city rivalry.
• Personal genealogy story: a loyalist officer’s family fled to New Brunswick, suffered losses but received partial compensation; later descendants obscured their loyalist roots, and modern relatives reacted with discomfort rather than pride.
• Noted that some modern US military traditions trace lineage to loyalist-era units.

Public Apathy and Astroturfing

• The article’s point that most colonists just wanted to live their lives is seen as still true; protests that disrupt daily life provoke hostility.
• Reddit is cited as heavily astroturfed; skepticism that any large online forum is free of manipulation.
• Hacker News itself is acknowledged as skewed by a relatively well-off user base.

Institutions, Land, and Aftermath

• Appreciation for Smithsonian content alongside worry that cuts and policy changes may be deliberately degrading cultural institutions; some families feel urgency to visit before things worsen.
• One commenter questions the “paid dearly” framing, arguing many on both sides suffered and few family dynasties persisted, making strong “spoils” narratives feel off.
• Brief note that treatment of loyalists contrasts sharply with post–Civil War reconciliation.