Madeline
Rookie
- Banned
- #1
Jimmy Carter appeared on Jon Stewart's Daily Show last night, and among other things, complained that the nation today is polarized, blaming FOX News and the phenomena of the rapid news cycle in general. I like Carter very much, but I think he's wrong. I think we are less and less polarized all the time.
Carter was elected in 1976, a year after the end of the Vietnam War and two years after Nixon resigned. Women were still marginalized in every profession, as were blacks. The Americans With Disabilities Act wouldn't be passed for another 14 years; the Violence Against Women Act, another 18 years. The Stonewall riots were only 7 years before his election, and few Americans had ever heard the term "gay rights".
Carter presided over an America where a person could tell racist jokes at work or refuse to sell his home to a couple because they were black, and not give it a second thought. Girls who wanted to be scientists or lawyers got the fish eye from everyone, and no one had ever seen a paraplegic employed IRL. Few people knew anyone who admitted being gay, and almost no one had ever met a Muslim.
We may have our problems as a country, and Lord knows we have our fair share of haters, wingnuts and fruitloops, but is this nation a better place for virtually any person to live in than it was in 1976?
IMO, absolutely. As I said, I like Carter...but he needs to get over himself. We seem to be surviving FOX News just fine.
Jimmy Carter To Jon Stewart: 'I Occupied The Same Position That The Tea Party Is Now' (VIDEO)
Carter was elected in 1976, a year after the end of the Vietnam War and two years after Nixon resigned. Women were still marginalized in every profession, as were blacks. The Americans With Disabilities Act wouldn't be passed for another 14 years; the Violence Against Women Act, another 18 years. The Stonewall riots were only 7 years before his election, and few Americans had ever heard the term "gay rights".
Carter presided over an America where a person could tell racist jokes at work or refuse to sell his home to a couple because they were black, and not give it a second thought. Girls who wanted to be scientists or lawyers got the fish eye from everyone, and no one had ever seen a paraplegic employed IRL. Few people knew anyone who admitted being gay, and almost no one had ever met a Muslim.
We may have our problems as a country, and Lord knows we have our fair share of haters, wingnuts and fruitloops, but is this nation a better place for virtually any person to live in than it was in 1976?
IMO, absolutely. As I said, I like Carter...but he needs to get over himself. We seem to be surviving FOX News just fine.
Jimmy Carter To Jon Stewart: 'I Occupied The Same Position That The Tea Party Is Now' (VIDEO)
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