Can't find hate? Here's a map

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 the way, I always try to be polite to commenters on my blog, as my long-time readers (all 3 of you) may have noticed. 

Haters Gonna Hate, As Shown On A Map

By Kate Chow

June 1, 2013 | NPR

URL: http://n.pr/11akgNl

'08 vs. '12: 'The 'Most Important Election Of All Time'

Andrew Sullivan, Bill Maher and others have mentioned this dug-up letter from the anti-gay Christian group Focus on the Family in 2008 that gave 34 dire predictions if Obama got elected.

Exactly none of them has come true.  BUT if we re-elect Obama, surely all of them will.

Seriously though, don't these people feel at all ridiculous playing Chicken Little, over and over again?

“This is the most important election of all time!” (again)

By Libby Anne

October 1, 2012 | Patheos

URL: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2012/10/this-is-the-most-important-election-of-all-time-again.html

Lysistrata-style 'sex strike' for gay rights?

Here's a brilliant idea:  U.S. gays fighting for their rights should follow the example of women in Togo and Colombia and refuse to have sex with their closeted-gay, publicly anti-gay lovers and johns from the GOP until the Republican Party amends its platform.

To achieve real results would take a few weeks, max.  

UPDATE: It took only 3 months for a prominent HuffPost blogger to come up with the same grand idea.  As far as I know I was the first... and I'm not even gay!  Damn, I'm good.

A nation's sex strike for democracy

By Frida Ghitis

August 29, 2012 | CNN

URL:  http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/29/opinion/ghitis-sex-strikes/index.html?hpt=hp_bn4