Originally Posted by
Steve Blair
I'm not 100% sure that this is anything really new (look back at some of the debate surrounding the Mexican War and Spanish/American War for starters), but I agree that what has accelerated the trend is the stunning access to multiple, real-time (or almost real time) media sources. Hearst never held office, but his impact on American politics and policy is pretty much beyond debate. Punditry has been around for ages, but the media has accelerated the process and then (IMO) super-charged it by an addiction to polls and soundbites in place of real stories. When views are presented as being held by "most Americans" (when in fact it's a poll sample of the same 1000 people in the greater NYC area), many people start thinking that if their neighbors think that way, then maybe they're holding the wrong opinion. It's all exaggerated by a political process that really only engages enough of the fringe to win an election and isn't honestly interested in engaging the majority in any sort of discussion (too many memories of the Silent Majority, perhaps?).
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