The Pew Research Center just released some poll results which were rather troubling, but sadly unsurprising. In this survey, 2,000 people were asked how they felt about different institutions and whether they had a positive or negative effect on the country. Here's how the results turned out:
Churches, religious organizations
Republicans: 73% positive/14% negative (net +59%)
Democrats: 50/36 (+14%)
Banks/Financial institutions
Republicans: 46/37 (+9%)
Democrats: 33/54 (-21%)
Labor unions
Republicans: 33/46 (-13%)
Democrats: 59/22 (+37%)
The national news media
Republicans: 10/85 (-75%)
Democrats: 44/46 (-2%)
Colleges and universities
Republicans: 36/58 (-22%)
Democrats: 72/19 (+53%)
The two sets of numbers which stand out the most are with regard to the GOP's views on college and the media. In my opinion, the Democrats' numbers with regard to the media are rather understandable. If someone were to ask me what I felt the effects were of the national news media, I'd likely sit there in an awkward silence for several moments, before I finally said, "I don't know. That kind of depends on the source and the particular effect you're talking about." So while I'd be the last one to blindly believe every word spouted by the mainstream news media, I'm also not going to believe conspiracy theories which suggest the MSM's main intent is to spread a liberal ideology and brainwash viewers in the process. Just 10% of Republicans believe in the positive impact of the news media; 1 in 10 Republicans think it's a good thing for the American people to be informed about what's going on in the world. Nearly 9 in 10 appear to feel it's best for the public to be ignorant on current events. The mainstream news media may be far from perfect, but their main intent, outside of ratings, is to better inform the public. When a politician makes a wild claim, they research said claim and report on its accuracy (or lack there of). When they make a mistake, unless they're Fox News, they'll likely correct themselves, apologize, and punish the person(s) responsible for said mistake. Rightly or wrongly, when they're approached with a hot-button issue, they tend to provide equal air time to both sides, even when one is backed by science and the other is debunked by it. The mainstream media may not be perfect, but without them, how would we hold our leaders accountable? How would figures of authority be punished due to abuse of power? How would we regularly know what's going on in the world, locally, nationally, and internationally? For the 85% of Republicans who claim the media is having a negative impact on this country, ask yourselves this, where would we be without a free press? I'm sorry, but you can't lay claim that you believe in American principles, in the U.S. Constitution, more specifically in the First Amendment, yet be against a free press. With a free press comes human errors, yet without it comes a dictatorship.
Perhaps even more disturbing, only 36% of Republicans feel that college education has a positive impact on this country, while 58% feel the effect is negative. Really? Educating our kids is a bad thing? Teaching kids critical thinking skills and how to form opinions of their own are bad things? Earning a degree (or degrees) to increase their odds of fulfilling their dreams professionally and making a livable wage are bad things? Many of these Republicans see colleges and universities as "liberal institutions," which pose the risk of convincing their children to be progressives politically. I'm sorry, but this can be translated to Republicans not wanting their kids to find themselves, form opinions of their own, and strive for independence. Once again, do these Republicans genuinely believe in American ideals? They claim to, sometimes in an over-the-top fashion. They'll wear American-flag garb, get on a professional football player's case for not standing for the National Anthem, deck their car out with "I Support Our Troops" bumper stickers, yet they don't support a free press and don't support kids getting a college education and forming opinions of their own without parental interference.
This is why many GOPers spout that they want to take their country back. The country is becoming more diverse ethnically. The country is becoming more educated, and with that, more scientific and less religious. The country is becoming more tolerant of other groups of people, and with that, more in favor of equality for all. That troubles these Republicans, who tend to be old, wealthy, straight, Christian, and male. They may claim to believe in the U.S. Constitution, to believe in the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and equality for all, but in actuality, they only believe these things in reference to them. It's one thing to say you believe in equality, the Constitution, and moving this country forward, and quite another to say these things all the while being against: The media, a college education, universal healthcare, a livable wage, equal rights, and equal opportunities. The Republican Party may claim to be the patriotic party, but anymore it seems the only country they pledge allegiance to isn't the United States, it's Russia.
http://www.people-press.org/2017/07/10/sharp-partisan-divisions-in-views-of-national-institutions/
Churches, religious organizations
Republicans: 73% positive/14% negative (net +59%)
Democrats: 50/36 (+14%)
Banks/Financial institutions
Republicans: 46/37 (+9%)
Democrats: 33/54 (-21%)
Labor unions
Republicans: 33/46 (-13%)
Democrats: 59/22 (+37%)
The national news media
Republicans: 10/85 (-75%)
Democrats: 44/46 (-2%)
Colleges and universities
Republicans: 36/58 (-22%)
Democrats: 72/19 (+53%)
The two sets of numbers which stand out the most are with regard to the GOP's views on college and the media. In my opinion, the Democrats' numbers with regard to the media are rather understandable. If someone were to ask me what I felt the effects were of the national news media, I'd likely sit there in an awkward silence for several moments, before I finally said, "I don't know. That kind of depends on the source and the particular effect you're talking about." So while I'd be the last one to blindly believe every word spouted by the mainstream news media, I'm also not going to believe conspiracy theories which suggest the MSM's main intent is to spread a liberal ideology and brainwash viewers in the process. Just 10% of Republicans believe in the positive impact of the news media; 1 in 10 Republicans think it's a good thing for the American people to be informed about what's going on in the world. Nearly 9 in 10 appear to feel it's best for the public to be ignorant on current events. The mainstream news media may be far from perfect, but their main intent, outside of ratings, is to better inform the public. When a politician makes a wild claim, they research said claim and report on its accuracy (or lack there of). When they make a mistake, unless they're Fox News, they'll likely correct themselves, apologize, and punish the person(s) responsible for said mistake. Rightly or wrongly, when they're approached with a hot-button issue, they tend to provide equal air time to both sides, even when one is backed by science and the other is debunked by it. The mainstream media may not be perfect, but without them, how would we hold our leaders accountable? How would figures of authority be punished due to abuse of power? How would we regularly know what's going on in the world, locally, nationally, and internationally? For the 85% of Republicans who claim the media is having a negative impact on this country, ask yourselves this, where would we be without a free press? I'm sorry, but you can't lay claim that you believe in American principles, in the U.S. Constitution, more specifically in the First Amendment, yet be against a free press. With a free press comes human errors, yet without it comes a dictatorship.
Perhaps even more disturbing, only 36% of Republicans feel that college education has a positive impact on this country, while 58% feel the effect is negative. Really? Educating our kids is a bad thing? Teaching kids critical thinking skills and how to form opinions of their own are bad things? Earning a degree (or degrees) to increase their odds of fulfilling their dreams professionally and making a livable wage are bad things? Many of these Republicans see colleges and universities as "liberal institutions," which pose the risk of convincing their children to be progressives politically. I'm sorry, but this can be translated to Republicans not wanting their kids to find themselves, form opinions of their own, and strive for independence. Once again, do these Republicans genuinely believe in American ideals? They claim to, sometimes in an over-the-top fashion. They'll wear American-flag garb, get on a professional football player's case for not standing for the National Anthem, deck their car out with "I Support Our Troops" bumper stickers, yet they don't support a free press and don't support kids getting a college education and forming opinions of their own without parental interference.
This is why many GOPers spout that they want to take their country back. The country is becoming more diverse ethnically. The country is becoming more educated, and with that, more scientific and less religious. The country is becoming more tolerant of other groups of people, and with that, more in favor of equality for all. That troubles these Republicans, who tend to be old, wealthy, straight, Christian, and male. They may claim to believe in the U.S. Constitution, to believe in the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and equality for all, but in actuality, they only believe these things in reference to them. It's one thing to say you believe in equality, the Constitution, and moving this country forward, and quite another to say these things all the while being against: The media, a college education, universal healthcare, a livable wage, equal rights, and equal opportunities. The Republican Party may claim to be the patriotic party, but anymore it seems the only country they pledge allegiance to isn't the United States, it's Russia.
http://www.people-press.org/2017/07/10/sharp-partisan-divisions-in-views-of-national-institutions/
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