I don't know what you think the precursors to a civil war looks like, but between ignored Occupy protesters' issues, the Tea Party being co-opted into an anti-abortion group with their original complaints being ignored, and the BLM movement that grew out of Ferguson feeling ignored by those in power, the U.S.A. isn't exactly super stable at the moment. There is a huge group of people who feel (rightly or otherwise) that they have genuine grievances and are willing to get arrested for it.

What spark would be required to light this flame?

Mass media just magnifies the angry 1%, creating mountains out of molehills.

eg the Bay Area has maybe 100 BLM/Antifa instigators total. Every police incident involves that same small group of people, but the media hypes up the number of incidents.

Some group postures to look significant, the media obliges to get ad revenue, a handful of people get caught up in the hysteria, and everyone else... yawns. A homeless man delaying BART by 20 minutes causes more wide-spread civil unrest.

People are upset, yes, and America desperately needs a functional Congress... but we're not even close to

> There is a huge group of people who feel (rightly or otherwise) that they have genuine grievances and are willing to get arrested for it

Yes, but how many who agree with them, but have day jobs they need to go to? I can assure you that my childhood friend was not joining the BLM protests, but he was still calling for Nazis to try to march in Oakland.

* "Racists march in racist territory to intimidate people elsewhere" * "People elsewhere goad the weak cowardly racists"

Uh, obviously? I'd be surprised if that didn't happen.

Racism is not popular. Oakland isn't alone, I have heard the same sentiment from New Yorkers, Seattleites, Houston; urban areas do not tolerate that kind of anti-American discrimination.

Relevant blog: https://predictiveheuristics.com/