We are divided politically by people using the media to stir up fear and hate for the purposes benfitting themselves by putting themselves on top of the feud.
Most of the memes posted online by people are fed to them by Facebook in order to start arguments. They use emotionally charged talking points that don't encourage critical thinking but instead work to encourage blame.
One meme showed a veteran with an amputated foot. It said, "I bet none of you kneelers are gonna get this vet a new leg."
- It wasn't a link to a fundraiser.
- It wasn't an information picture about what injured vets need.
- It wasn't a critique of Colin Kapaernick.
It was posted by my neighbor who is constantly drunk and looking for an argument.
Memes that tap into your hurt feelings are looking for an argument, but not a constructive debatre.
Memes that say, "I bet you won't share this." are looking for an argument, not to further a cause, not to raise money for a charity.
It completely ignores the fact that Kapaernick's kneeling was about Treyvon Martin and other Black people murdered by bigots. Colin Kaepernick's kneeling is not an antiwar protest.
Misinformation is being removed from Facebook, which might help.
The other media source that intentionally divides people is Republican Party radio and Fox news.
They use:
Misinformation (Limbaugh denying COVID-19 and saying it was like the flu)
Scapegoating
-When FOX News ranteed on and on during the weeks mleading up to the midterms, about immigrants who are refugees from extreme poverty and painting them as thugs.
Encouraging Violence
-When Tucker Carlson makes an excuse for political violence done against people he disagrees with. Like his rationalization for Kyle Rittenhouse's shooting of non-violent Black Lives Matter protesters.
It is hard ti debate politics when the people you are talking to think murder is okay against political protesters.
MSNBC uses the script in less extreme ways against Republicans.
I like when MSNBC interviews progressives like Warren and Sanders.
But I hate their opinion pieces about Republicans that repeat an opinion for five minutes.
And when they slam Trump for being weak on military. They are partisanly encouraging war. Not because we need to be at war, but because they want the other party to look bad to voters.
When MSNBC does this, they sound like Republican partisans to me. I wish I could play the videos on both FOX and MSNBC for the opposing sides so they can see how they are being manipulated at specific times for specific reasons.
We are so divided in our information that most Republicans don't know that during the Capitol Hill riot Trump was watching it on TV, and didn't call in the National Guard. Republicans who are elected to office feel they need their president to win so badly so that the party ticket can win and carry them to victory. This forces them to put party over country and the world and be more likely to allow a bad decision by their president to go uncritiqued.
How do you have a debate when one side doesn't hold their leaders accountable for anything because they either don't want to do the intellectual work of understanding others. Or because people who own media have a vested interest in manipulating their emotions for partisan and or personal political gain.