In this episode we discuss the problem of vilifying and generalizing political and social groups. You know: “Them” or “those people.” Just as an exercise, Corey did a quick search of “top conservative podcasts” and it was quite revealing. There’s a consistent, pervasive use of sensationalist and divisive rhetoric to portray liberals, “leftists” and anyone not aligned with their respective views, which ultimately fosters misunderstanding and division. So it’s important to think of individual perspectives vs. the dangers of “nut picking”—highlighting extreme cases as representative of whole groups. We can engage in discussions about politics and religion with respect and patience. We can see people as individuals beyond their political beliefs. We also touch on the responsibility of media consumers to critically evaluate the sources and perspectives they engage with to avoid falling into the trap of “the perniciousness of them.”

01:12 The Perniciousness of "Them"; 

02:31 Exploring Top Conservative Podcasts; 

03:53 The Impact of Media Consumption; 

06:20 The Mischaracterization of "The Left"; 

06:54 The Question of Conservative Identity; 

08:57 The Influence of Media on Perception;

09:58 The Decline of Traditional News Sites; 

13:43 The Danger of Generalization; 

28:00 Seeing the Individuality in Each Other

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Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

Here's that article about the dropoff in traffic to news sites: https://www.therighting.com/therighting-unveils-2020-to-2024-election-year-traffic-comparison