The real reason Americans are so damn angry all the time

[Nevilledog]

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John W. Dean
@JohnWDean
Terrific essay. Lengthy but very worth the read. Bottom line: Blame Fox News — reasons set forth. JWD Take: Fox will foster/televise the fall of American democracy! American business should stop supporting them! Americans should boycott all Fox supporters!

The real reason Americans are so damn angry all the time
We are at war with ourselves, but not for the reasons you think.
motherjones.com
8:05 PM · Jul 30, 2021

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/07/american-anger-polarization-fox-news/

Americans sure are angry these days. Everyone says so, so it must be true.

But who or what are we angry at? Pandemic stresses aside, I’d bet you’re not especially angry at your family. Or your friends. Or your priest or your plumber or your postal carrier. Or even your boss.

Unless, of course, the conversation turns to politics. That’s when we start shouting at each other. We are way, way angrier about politics than we used to be, something confirmed by both common experience and formal research.

When did this all start? Here are a few data points to consider. From 1994 to 2000, according to the Pew Research Center, only 16 percent of Democrats held a “very unfavorable” view of Republicans, but then these feelings started to climb. Between 2000 and 2014 it rose to 38 percent and by 2021 it was about 52 percent. And the same is true in reverse for Republicans: The share who intensely dislike Democrats went from 17 percent to 43 percent to about 52 percent.

Likewise, in 1958 Gallup asked people if they’d prefer their daughter marry a Democrat or a Republican. Only 28 percent cared one way or the other. But when Lynn Vavreck, a political science professor at UCLA, asked a similar question a few years ago, 55 percent were opposed to the idea of their children marrying outside their party.

*snip*

[smirkymonkey]

1. K&R

Kicking for later reading. Too tired now. Thanks for posting!

[Jerry2144]

2. Ding, Ding, Ding!

This is the root cause of all or this nation's problems - Fux "News" and all their ilk polluting the airwaves (FM, Cable, satellite, etc.). Without the political propaganda coming from their crap, there would be more progress to that"more perfect union" and less backsliding into the hell-hole that is rich Reupbliklan Utopia.

[GulfCoast66]

3. I'm not always angry. Life is too short.

And it not my nature. People often don’t believe it but I’ve been with my wife for 34 years and we’ve never raised our voices at each other. We disagree at times, of course. But I learned long ago she is smarter the me and if she goes to the mat she is probably correct. Always has been.

Of course we are older within a few years from retirement. With a great pension and lots of money saved. If I was 35 I’d probably be pissed. Working hard with no likelihood of ever being financially well off despite my hard work.

Lots of the trump fans, deep down are angry about the same thing as liberals. Huge wealth disparity. But the republicans have successfully replaced racism as their target. Or gay people. Or Muslims. Same thing has been going on in the South for 300 years.

Liberals are angry at the real causes of problems in this country.

[Deuxcents]

6. Maybe you're not alway angry

Because you aren’t watching or listening to RW tv and radio all day filling every space of your mind and soul with hate and misinformation/lies. These poor followers make me think of Jonesboro.. blindly following a madman .. I’m hoping the ending to this mess turns out with people finally seeing the truth

[GulfCoast66]

8. I don't listen to left media either.

They gin people up as well.

I read the BBC, NPR, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. For the news. Not the editorial pages which I don’t pay much attention to. The ones that have an editorial page.

I make up my own mind. Using my experience to also inform me.

I was conservative until I started traveling around the world. That totally changed me.

[world wide wally]

4. We get angry at Republicans because the hate everything that isn't a mirror image of them.

I wonder why people hate Nazis by the way.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Huh. Is there something wrong with me that I'm not angry all the time?

Or is it that I never watch Fox News. Actually, I don't watch very much conventional news at all. Some Rachel Maddow, a bit of Lawrence O'Donnell, and that's it.

I'm frequently astonished at the way some people here seem to have their TV on all day to one or another of the news channels. Why? Life is far too short for that.

[Hamlette]

7. I am getting angry about the right refusing to help get us out of this damn pandemic.

but my hatred is based on facts.

[monkeyman1]

9. TFG & republican's cranked this shit up ! proven fact knew in late 2019 !

[RANDYWILDMAN]

10. I am angry at Fox, they encourage their viewers to become dumb, like my mom

they constantly muddy the water regarding facts.

Their viewers think they provide a true alternative to the other news stations.

These are just some examples of how Fox destroys America's trust in them.

Fox has trashed the Clintons 1996
They pimped that stupid contract with america which was nothing
Made newt seem normal, he is a freak
Called Florida for W when nobody else would !
Helped accept W was legit ,he was not
Made 911 a perpetual patriotic banner, instead of a republican leadership failure
Helped sell Iraq and Afghainistan wars as legit (on the credit card we are still paying for these )
Repeatedly told us tax cut for 1% were awesome, they were not
Made John Kerry a war hero, into not as patriotic as a draft dodger
Told the fake Pat Tillman story to make you think he was a hero and our wars are legit
Told us the 08 bailout was legit and was not the fault of banks too big to fail
Told us everything Obama did was bad.
Said Obama care was the worst ever, until their viewers loved it
Sold Bengazi cause they knew it would tank Hilary
Emails Emails emails
They constantly pretend that Repubs actually govern and they don't !!!
Sold Their Voters Trump, a failed old man who poops his pants and is a flat racist
Anybody with 2 cents in their brains knew Trump would be a disaster and he was.
Everyday they sow doubt of D's and take every chance to attack anything the Democratic party does for America.

[Skittles]

11. there is a huge difference

between not wanting your kid to marry a racist and not wanting your kid to marry someone who wants universal healthcare