This "Hate Map" of the U.S. is very interesting. Certainly population density plays a role -- there's nobody in flyover country -- but frankly I was surprised to see so much hate speech in the Rust Belt and Northeast, where many of my liberal comrades dwell.
California really stands out though as a highly populated bastion of tolerance, just as we liberals would expect. Way to be, Left Coast!
Let me note that this research started from a data base at the University of Kentucky, woo-woo.
I also note that all this hate speech was brought to us by the great folks at Twitter. Man, what a worthless fucking invention Twitter is! And even if you avoid Twitter like the plague as I do, you still see the bilious tweets of celebrity idiots like Amanda Bynes reprinted as mainstream news. (Sigh)
But Twitter's not the only problem. And at least it's not anonymous. Most open online forums and 'Comments' sections on websites, including sites like CNN and FOX, are filled with nastiness of every kind. Online anonymity obviously allows many people to turn into raging dicks, racists, sexists, homophobes and political extremists. The Internet slang word "troll" falsely suggests such behavior is confined to a few malcontents. It's not true. There is meanness everywhere on the 'Net, from top to bottom.
I really worry that the Internet is not making us more rude, less tolerant communicators, and terrible listeners.
By Kate Chow
June 1, 2013 | NPR
URL: http://n.pr/11akgNl
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