I've considered that the country suffered a bout of mass temporary insanity after 9/11, fueled by wall to wall coverage on all the media outlets. The whole of the country would have been fine eventually, had Fox not continued the pound the drum of partisan paranoia for 15 long years. "Shut down the border!" "Close the Mosques!" "Open the door to racial profiling!" "Get me another beer!".
I believe the Tea Party was borne of such "patriotic" fear, and went completely over the edge when a "Muslim" was elected president. To clarify my view, I believe the Tea Party lay dormant in the sunken foxhole of American society the whole time since 9/11. That strata of fearful hatred was kept simmering by Fox News, but their fundamental racism brought them to the surface in 2009 like an obedient army of ignorant zombies.
I predict that one day one of this recent spate of killers is going to be apprehended before he can finish himself off, and will cite specific quotes from his favorite Fox or AM radio hosts as his call to action. The ensuing civil law suits will change the voice of the media forever, and perhaps call for disclaimers that such shows are for entertainment only, and may or may not be based on actual fact. It still won't be voluntarily responsible journalism, but a matter of covering their legal asses, much like the cigarette companies did.
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