The cycle of hate continues and here is a good example. What makes someone hate this man, to the point of threatening him with assassination? Was this simply a case of a tongue-in-cheek comment? Was it an innocent FaceBook quip? I'm not so sure. This woman runs an organization that's all about guns. When you mix tongue-in-cheek with bullet-in-chamber comments, and those comments are directed toward the leader of our nation, it's going to be taken seriously. I am offended that someone who clearly comes from this kind of a place of hatred and ignorance would threaten my president.
While I hope Ms. Perkins comes to experience the wrath of our Secret Service, FBI and Legal system, I am still left with the question of the bigger picture. When did this become OK? When did we stop respecting the office of our President? I don't agree with everything our President does, but like most Americans, I don't joke about killing the man.
I think that we have somehow lost our way. In our country, we have gone from talking about our problems to spewing hatred, buying into misinformation, and working ourselves up into a shark-like fanatical frenzy. What has changed? Why do we do this now and thirty years ago this would have been almost unheard of. In my opinion it has a lot to do with the twenty-four hour news cycle.
Everyday we watch as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and HLN come on the air, and attempt to fill the airwaves with content. They tell us the news, the weather, and sports information, and this fills about 20% of their airtime. So if you're a news director how do you fill the other 80% of your available time? You begin by finding a news-worthy source to come on the air and voice opinions. Now who might that be? These opinions have to be interesting, well articulated and presented by someone in a position of authority or who has knowledge about the subject. Who do you book to come on your show? You reach out to the one group of people, who are ready to talk about anything, anytime, anywhere. These people do not need a lot of preparation. They can and will come on your airwaves with short notice, ready to spew facts and information and it doesn't even matter if the statistics, and facts they will talk about are based in truth. They can and will pontificate about anything. You call any politician in America and if you are CNN, Fox. MSN or HLN you've get your time slot filled, and it's all you care about. As the News Director you wont check the facts they will talk about. Why should you? The politician wont take the time or wont have the time to check their own facts, they've got to get to the studio. As long as this politician sticks to their parties talking points, anything else they say will be spontaneous and improvisational. Let the cycle of hate begin! The 24 hour news cycle has propagated the 24 hour hate cycle. There is a direct correlation between the hate cycle and this news cycle that we set our watches by. Read the Fox & Friends headline that went along with their post. Interesting that a news organization can stir the hate with such a simple headline attached to the photos.
It is this hate cycle which led Ms. Perkins to make her tongue-in-cheek, bullet-in-chamber comment. It is this ill-conceived, ignorant statement (and the responses to it) that shines a light on the symptom of hate. Ms. Perkins may well end up in court, and she will probably spend a few long hours in a dark room with a bright light in her face, but the real hate has little to do with this woman. She is simply a puppet and a reaction to the 24 hour news cycle. We are in a frenzy of division and hatred and there doesn't seem to be a light up ahead.
Exactly! If you believe that assassination attempt comments on The President, joking or otherwise are ok, then you and I need not be 'friends'...facebook or otherwise.
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