Yeah, the social sites are the worst for this stuff. It gets a little heated from time to time here, but I would never disown someone simply because they have an opposite view from mine. I consider many on BGP friends, even though many of us have never met in person. I may argue with you, but that doesn't mean I don't like you, I don't expect people to view things my way or else....sayonara.

I do think this sort of thing has been around for a long time, but is getting much worse with social media. I also do believe politicians are getting worse with it (on both sides), either that or we just hear it more with the internet and 24/2 news.

Yeah, the social sites are the worst for this stuff. It gets a little heated from time to time here, but I would never disown someone simply because they have an opposite view from mine. I consider many on BGP friends, even though many of us have never met in person. I may argue with you, but that doesn't mean I don't like you, I don't expect people to view things my way or else....sayonara.

I do think this sort of thing has been around for a long time, but is getting much worse with social media. I also do believe politicians are getting worse with it (on both sides), either that or we just hear it more with the internet and 24/2 news.

 

Agreed. I enjoy mixing it up on here, but the quasi-anonymity also keeps disagreements from spilling into the personal. I don’t think it’s anything new, but I think you’re right that non-stop news and social media have made it a different animal today.

 

I should also reiterate that I think disagreement and discussion are good things. But, when people have their identity so wrapped up in their side any dissension is seen as anathema. I don't think that is good.

Not directly related, but here's a recent journal article about the nature of partisan media and what may have caused it. The author posits that there's no real evidence the average American is anything other than the moderate he always has been, but that a very small segment of the population -- around 10 percent -- is more polarized than ever and comprise the ENTIRE cable news viewing audience. It's a good article with a lot more stuff in it than that. Highly recommend.

 

Media and Political Polarization [Warning: PDF]

Not directly related, but here's a recent journal article about the nature of partisan media and what may have caused it. The author posits that there's no real evidence the average American is anything other than the moderate he always has been, but that a very small segment of the population -- around 10 percent -- is more polarized than ever and comprise the ENTIRE cable news viewing audience. It's a good article with a lot more stuff in it than that. Highly recommend.

 

Media and Political Polarization

 

I completely can buy that premise. Almost no one I know personally watch any of the cable news channels or read their sites with regularity. I don't. I have never seen most of the talking heads. I occasionally read, but not on a regular basis.

I completely can buy that premise. Almost no one I know personally watch any of the cable news channels or read their sites with regularity. I don't. I have never seen most of the talking heads. I occasionally read, but not on a regular basis.

 

That's about where I am also. The only time I check any of them out is the runup to election time. Call me under-informed, but there it is.

That's about where I am also. The only time I check any of them out is the runup to election time. Call me under-informed, but there it is.

 

I always figure if I want to know the real "story", I need to research the issue myself. And research, to me, is rarely simply reading/listening to the media. Call me a geek, but I always get struck by something, and then go on the hunt to find out more. Often, something just doesn't sound like it's the whole truth. Whenver I hear or read the words "always", "never", "all", it's a red flag that hyperbole is in play. Then I start digging.