I actually agree with Bill Maher on this subject: getting the news your way.

[kiwiman127]

"And this is the problem with how Americans now get their news. It’s designed to reinforce what we already think, and in a way it never was before. It’s the age of partisan news. If you like the President and would like to have your news filtered for you that way, there are news sites for that. If you hate the President and would like to view everything he does as evil and dangerous, there are news sites for that. Independent thinking is at an all-time low. We’re all press secretaries now. We don’t study anything. We only know how to regurgitate the talking points supplied to us by our respective sides. And then we wonder why Congress is polarized."-Bill Maher

I totally agree. Particularly these thoughts:

1, Independent thinking is at an all-time low.
2, We don’t study anything.
3, We only know how to regurgitate the talking points supplied to us by our respective sides.
4, And then we wonder why Congress is polarized. (And I'd add, and we wonder why this country is so polarized.

I often wonder how much smarter people would be if they turned off/tuned out all these hyper-partisan resources. Americans are getting dumbed-down and manipulated by these hyper-partisan resources. Why would anyone want to be dumbed-down and manipulated? It's a true sign of weakness.

Discuss.

 

[Sonny Clark]

"And this is the problem with how Americans now get their news. It’s designed to reinforce what we already think, and in a way it never was before. It’s the age of partisan news. If you like the President and would like to have your news filtered for you that way, there are news sites for that. If you hate the President and would like to view everything he does as evil and dangerous, there are news sites for that. Independent thinking is at an all-time low. We’re all press secretaries now. We don’t study anything. We only know how to regurgitate the talking points supplied to us by our respective sides. And then we wonder why Congress is polarized."-Bill Maher

I totally agree. Particularly these thoughts:

1, Independent thinking is at an all-time low.
2, We don’t study anything.
3, We only know how to regurgitate the talking points supplied to us by our respective sides.
4, And then we wonder why Congress is polarized. (And I'd add, and we wonder why this country is so polarized.

I often wonder how much smarter people would be if they turned off/tuned out all these hyper-partisan resources. Americans are getting dumbed-down and manipulated by these hyper-partisan resources. Why would anyone want to be dumbed-down and manipulated? It's a true sign of weakness.

Discuss.

Thus the reason this once great nation is spiraling down into the abyss of ruin. And, what's worse, these people actually vote.

 

[Stephanie]

whoa, I found Bill Maher to be one those polarizing figures and it was for the left/Democrats. I can't believe he actually said all that.

Maybe his viewership is fading because of his usual hateful spew. Beats me but it sounded good

the man called Sarah Palin a cxxt for crying out loud

 

[kiwiman127]

whoa, I found Bill Maher to be one those polarizing figures and it was for the left/Democrats. I can't believe he actually said all that.

Maybe his viewership is fading because of his usual hateful spew. Beats me but it sounded good

the man called Sarah Palin a cxxt for crying out loud

Yep, it's very ironic Maher would say this. He's made a nice tidy living being a hyper-partisan comic.
But stranger things have happened in my life, not much stranger but certainly stranger.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

The fact is that the vast majority of Americans are apolitical, with very little difference between and among Americans politically, where there really isn't a 'left' or 'right,' just variations on a centrist, moderate theme; this is why weak democrats, moderates, and independents end up deciding presidential elections.

Consequently, partisan politics fills this political vacuum, the policy differences between 'democrats' and 'republicans' are few, and voters end up voting only for letters of the alphabet as opposed to actual policy positions.

The solution to this problem is pragmatism, which is always the best course of action, where policy and governance are predicated on facts and objective, documented evidence, not subjective, errant political doctrine and dogma.

 

[Mac1958]

.

Funny how many hardcore partisan ideologues fancy themselves "pragmatists".

But they really do. Adherence to a partisan ideology warps perspective.

.