The leading cause of hateful division in this country

[SHRED]

I think the two main culprits are FOX so-called News and rightwing talk radio.
There are more reasons but those, to me, are the leading causes with their hateful brainwashing.

[GusBob]

1. Currently yes

In recent modern times yes.

Historically though, racism and class are the dividers

[unblock]

9. Racism and class are the drug. Hate radio and foxnews are the delivery system

[luvallpeeps]

2. yes indeed!

The elimination of the fairness doctrine I believe, is where it began. With that gone, SOME fair and balanced broadcasts are anything but.
And let us not forget churches telling people how to vote.....in the name of Jesus.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-fairness-doctrine-in-one-post/2011/08/23/gIQAN8CXZJ_blog.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b6ca21b8bd73

The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), introduced in 1949, that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was—in the Commission's view—honest, equitable, and balanced.

[Garrett78]

3. The main culprits are racism and sexism, which the GOP and GOP media foster and exploit.

There's no GOP without racism.

[leftstreet]

8. +1 Racism, misogyny, homophobia, classism

exploited by the 1%ers and their media outlets

[JudyM]

20. ... and anti-semitism.

[RDANGELO]

4. Yes. Although it all started with Rush Limbuagh, and nobody stood up to him.

Last edited Mon Oct 15, 2018, 12:37 AM - Edit history (1)

The Democrats ignored him; The Republicans, at the time let him go because it got them votes. Then came the copy cats like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson. making money by spreading the garbage of Xenophobia and veiled racism. Thus we have the current state of the Republican Party. Now the demographics have changed, and they are stuck with this jackass of a base. I honestly believe that the GOP is in trouble in national elections, as long as we choose good candidates.

[oasis]

18. +1

[Botany]

5. please add in evangelical christians to your list too

they are the worst

[TheBlackAdder]

6. I concur. FOX News and anything Murdoch.

[kimbutgar]

7. Yes, yes and yes

Rational informed information is now scarce due to the propagandist network and hate radio gop syndicate.

[Liberty Belle]

10. Right-wing media and kids not in public schools,

getting brainwashed at home and not exposed to diversity when their privileged parents send them to Christian-run charter schools or private schools or just home school them to keep them away from being exposed to alternative viewpoints.

[violetpastille]

11. Kids aren't the problem.

I get that you don't agree with homeschooling, and that's cool.

But I think it's more of a problem (potentially) for the kids that have to catch up culturally once they get to college or the workplace.

I'm not really seeing how it is more than a symptom of a division rather than a cause.

[JI7]

12. yeah, most of the hateful right wing types are old white men

yeah, there are others in other categories. but not when you consider the amount of older white men.

[violetpastille]

15. Old White Men Might Be Running The Table, But I Do Not Think They Are The Problem Either.

Last edited Mon Oct 15, 2018, 03:31 AM - Edit history (2)

"The Problem"

1. "When I'm watchin' my TV and a man comes on and tells me
How white my shirts can be
But, he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me."

2. My neighbors don't even talk to me. Because I don't go to the Church they do. Never mind that their Accountant Jesus has rewarded me with nicer cars and vacations. I don't go to that shit and my kid swears.
Ergo: We are going to hell.
21st Century Christianity is pure bullshit. Christ would not approve.

3.. "If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” LBJ.
"Show them that being white doesn't mean shit and they will burn the whole planet down". Reality.

4. People used to have to talk to each other. Face to face. Boo, Internet, Hiss.

Spoiler Alert: Someone is selling something. This is always and has ever been, "The Problem".

[JudyM]

21. Your #3 last sentence made me shudder. Not even the most basic level of maturity or code of values.

[violetpastille]

25. Have you read "Between the World and Me"?

I'm so glad that kids are being assigned that book in school.

Even my cousin that goes to the insanely overpriced Jesuit HS is going to read it.

I'm optimistic about the kids coming up.

If we can just keep the planet alive for them.

[JudyM]

27. Big if.

I haven’t read that but it looks great, I’ll put it on my list

[DallasNE]

13. In 1950

I remember my dad being glued to the radio listening to Gaberial Heater and later Paul Harvey so it seems that right wing hate radio has been around for a long, long time. That provided the backbone of support for Joseph McCarthy so this is just history repeating itself.

[NCcoast]

14. There could be a law...

It should be illegal to knowingly mislead the public in the guise or a news organisation. I understand Canada had a law to this effect and not being able to get the law overturned Rupert (Beelzebub) Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, stayed out of the Canadian market.

[Kablooie]

17. There was a law. See my next post.

[Kablooie]

16. They were the consequence of abolishing the Fairness Doctrine.

Since 1949 the Fairness Doctrine was law.
The fairness doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters.
The main agenda for the doctrine was to ensure that viewers were exposed to a diversity of viewpoints.

On 5 August 1987, under FCC Chairman Dennis R. Patrick, the FCC abolished the doctrine by a 4-0 vote.

Dennis R. Patrick, Chairman, Republican
(Named a FCC commissioner by Ronald Reagan in 1983)

Soon after, Radio talk hosts, such as Limbaugh, started broadcasting biased, one sided reports exclusively and Fox TV soon followed.

We used to have laws that prevented one sided broadcasting and vote discrimination.
The Republicans have eliminated them and now are using every underhanded cheat they can to retain power even as the country moving towards a calamitous collapse as a result.

[superpatriotman]

19. The Internet

Has given everyone a soapbox and the misconception that their opinion (no matter how wrong) must be shared.

[Act_of_Reparation]

22. Think those are symptoms, not causes.

I think the Vietnam War is a likelier candidate for an immediate, most direct cause of political polarization.

[Initech]

23. Facebook as well!

There's a lot of hateful shit being passed around on Facebook and Twitter. Just look at the feeds of prominent dems like Hillary, Kamala Harris, John Podesta, and Nancy Pelosi.

[spanone]

24. don j. trump

[empedocles]

26. traitortrump provides the Presidential Seal of Approval on HATE

In all of its protean forms.