Am I wrong in thinking the Corporate-Owned News/Media Elite (aka the CON/ME) is deliberately pushing

[Blue Velvet]

a narrative of racial divide in this country in order to keep us weak and divided?

'Cause it seems to me that since the day Obama was elected - and a clarion call for unity went out to tens of millions (and was heard and embraced by them) - I've read multiple stories every day about some racist jerk causing trouble for people in their community, or someone wanting to do harm to our new president. Hell, I'll even throw in the many stories of all the new gun sales as playing its part in the CON/ME's divisive agenda.

To my eyes and mind, these stories have been an intentional backlash against the clear and undistorted cry that went out on November 4th to discard our perceived differences and work together to take back this country. I mean, haven't there always been as many racist 'sswipes and 'ckwads making life miserable for people BEFORE the election? And apart from very specific and sporadic cases, these previous racial incidents have not been pushed to the front page and the fore of the CON/ME consciousness.

Also, you can't tell me that there haven't been just as many people - black AND white (and red and yellow and purple and green...) - who have had less-than-well-intentioned feelings about the outgoing president this past bunch of years. There's probably been way more ill will toward THAT guy, but somehow we heard about it a lot less.

Now, I'm not trying to whole-handedly dismiss all these new stories or to not take them seriously - they are all serious matters and should be addressed as such. I just think I'm seeing a pattern here, and I want to run it by y'all to see what you think. And if it does seem to you as if there's a deliberate attempt by the CON/ME to sow the seeds of racial distrust and discontent, now more than ever, what can we do about it?

[Sinti]

1. With labels and categories we become smaller and smaller fragments of the powerful whole

They've divided us for years, black-white, rich-poor, red-blue, blue collar - white collar. The point seems to break the community beyond family into individuals - individuals can't stand up against the juggernaut. OTOH, if they (the monied elite, war and misery profiteers) had to face us as a whole people, rather than classified into manageable segments, we would plow them down.

Racists exist, but I do think they're making more of it than need be. It's also true that * is definitely not the most popular guy around today, but they don't make nearly as much of it. His unpopularity is spoken of as an abstract thing, with no repercussions in the society. It does seem like they're trying to prop up the divide, and make it seem bigger than it is.

What can we do? Stop watching TV and convince others to do the same. Stop accepting their definitions, and categorizations. Call them on their BS, via e-mail and other complaints - make other people aware of the distortions of reality they're presenting.

[Blue Velvet]

3. Oops - I didn't mean to post and run like that. Thanks for this thoughtful reply.

It's good to know I'm the only one who thinks the media seem a bit more zealous in their reportage of these kinds of divisive stories than they were before Obama got the nod. Your suggestions on what we can do about it all sound like good ones to me!

[man4allcats]

2. They might well be trying to the fan the flames,

but the flames don't really need fanning. This country is and always has been loaded with bigots. If you doubt it, read the comments in some of the Houston Chronicle's posts at http://www.chron.com . There are major bigots in this country. If America survives as a democracy, I expect it will one day be different, but in the foreseeable future bigots will at least make themselves heard. I'm grateful Obama was elected. I'm proud to say he certainly got MY vote. Still, I think this country has a long way to go before it achieves anything close to racial equality.

[Blue Velvet]

4. Absolutely agree. I don't doubt your assessment one bit.

The flames, as you say, do not even need fanning. Sadly, that it what it feels like the CON/ME is doing.