One reason racism is alive and well is that it's a political and corporate agenda to keep it so

[alp227]

20. Republicans appeal to the lowest evolved form of humans out there.

Otherwise, why else in 1980 would Reagan have traveled all the way to a rural Mississippi county where civil rights workers were murdered 16 years prior to deliver a campaign-launching speech specifically about states' rights? Why else this year would Gingrich call Pres. Obama the "food stamp president"? Oh, at least Santorum was more open about linking minorities and food stamps. Why else would there have been rumors during the 2000 GOP primary accusing John McCain of having a black...gasp BLACK!!...baby out of wedlock? Why else would The Fox Nation (the social network for the Fox News-watching intellectual neanderthals) run a front-page display labeling Obama's 50th birthday party a "hip-hop BBQ" along with photos of Obama and three black celebrities? Why else would the Drudge/Sludge Report run a front-page tabloid headline "Obama goes street" after he said "ass to kick" answering an interview question about the BP oil spill?

I recently read Thomas Byrne Edsall's newest book, The Age of Austerity. The book covers the rise in austerity in American politics including the tea party movement. Go to pages 44-46, where Edsall cited research conducted via the website YourMorals.org. Conservatives were very likely to agree with this statement: "If certain groups stayed in their place, we would have fewer problems." That goes in tune with the authoritarian conservative ideology. Edsall also cited research about social dominance theory in which conservatives were more likely to agree with statements "Some groups of people are more just more worthy than others", "It's OK if some groups have more of a chance in life than others", and "If certain groups of people stayed in their place, we would have fewer problems." (p. 60).

I know I should have made this an OP in itself, but this topic is just so compelling I have to add this much to my reply. To quote Michael Savage on the day of that school shooting near Cleveland (first posted to DU): "The entire history of the human race is that of pushing the other guy around to get the best out of him." That is very revealing of the right wing authoritarian mentality: it relies on the naturalistic fallacy. Conservatives have this aggressive, competitive worldview that encourages bullying and hatred because...hey, that's the way humans have been for millions of years, so be it! (Guess what? Humans have murdered and raped and robbed for millions of years too, so why not get rid of laws too?)