
The obsession with discussions of past (or present) events seems to be
largely centered on trying to "prove" that "they" are worse than "us".
As we see over and over, that leads nowhere except to make ourselves
feel superior. It's as if we've become addicted to periodic injections
of "self-affirmation" that draw their power from denigration of the
"other" and romanticization of ourselves. The hope is that we will begin 
sometime to apply these discussions in some way towards consideration of 
how to defuse the situation, advancement of negotiations and the search 
for common ground between the parties involved.
 
Of course, for this to happen we can't believe that the best path to 
*making ourselves feel better* is at the expense of others. As long as 
those valuing the coming together of "opposing" parties do not pursue 
their vision with the same passion as do those polarization specialists, 
we will stay stuck in the circus of one-upsmanship we now have. We're
getting precisely what we are willing to work for.