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Encouraging hate

7 replies

PiglingQuartet · 05/11/2023 12:11

I am in my late 40's and under no illusion that the world was ever a tolerant utopia in days gone by. But in recent years, even the past 10 years, I have noticed so much division and hatred of minority groups and those of different views/lifestyle growing more steadily.
My own opinion is that the UK press, especially, actually incites this division and hatred, creating suspicion and blame in an endless merry go round of front page personal bias. To my mind, ALL news ought to be impartial, unbiased, and have no idea why it is so rarely ever mentioned by people in positions of power (surely their not all bad??)

A few days ago I noticed a 'sun' front page, practically inciting people to despise or single out a cultural group. This isn't new for the rags, since over the past 10 years their stranglehold over the views and beliefs of the British population appear to have intensified. I dare say the internet has contributed massively to that, too, of course.
Some of those front page headlines are teetering on the edge of inciting actual violence, and yet no one wants to talk about it.

But I notice this hatred now, and the anger. It is as if something has slowly eroded people's humanity. From government to the average Joe. I know there's a sense of hopelessness for many, people not feeling heard or struggling in so many ways. But the anger is palpable, I have at least never seen it like this in my own lifetime. There is a hugely unacknowledged class war encouraging the working class to shit on the disabled, the poor, the ones who fell through the cracks. It pits all social groups at each others throats although rarely points it's finger to the top.

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PiglingQuartet · 05/11/2023 12:13

I suppose I mean that people's anger is being deliberately harnessed to aim at each other, or other helpless social groups (disabled, etc) rather than at those who make the rules and cause the larger issues.

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LylaLee · 05/11/2023 12:15

It has always been this way. Divide and conquer is the name of this tactic.

PiglingQuartet · 05/11/2023 12:15

i don't think it has ever been this visibly bad in my own lifetime tbh.

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PiglingQuartet · 05/11/2023 12:17

And if so many of us are aware of this, WHO are the people that swallow it? Who is likely to pick up these rags and believe this without criticism? They are obviously appealing to a bloody huge segment of the population, surely?

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SinnerBoy · 05/11/2023 12:27

I don't know, in the 70s and 80s it was gays, the miners, Black youths etc. I suppose now it's refugees, or "illegals" in red top parlance. Their current target audience seems to be manual workers, in insecure jobs.

The tabloids mostly support the Tories and are keen to blame anyone but them for society's ills.

PiglingQuartet · 05/11/2023 12:38

In relation to politics, last nights thread about banning homeless tents, and a recent article about making criticism of the UK an 'extremist' crime are just more evidence that no one thinks the population will mind. It is like a race to the bottom in humanity terms.

I have heard that as a country falls into recession or hard times, the less educated become more conservative and less tolerant. The press feed into this...I have no fucking idea if this is academically true, but it would make sense, sadly.

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Daftasabroom · 05/11/2023 12:43

When you have government ministers such as Suella Braverman wanting to confiscate tents from street sleepers and the homeless, it's hardly surprising (as well as obscene).

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