So much of today’s chapter is relatable to our current climate today. As I read about how protests of the 80s were often unreported, it just made me draw similarities to today. It was interesting because over the summer there were so many peaceful protests all across the United States, but the press didn’t seem to care. The cameras would only be at the violent protests, or riots. So much of what actually happened over the summer got painted in a bad light, and it made people who weren’t out in the streets view the movement as violent and chaotic, when it wasn’t. The media is incredibly responsible for most people’s opinions, and in recent years it has become a corrupted system.
The elections of Ronald Reagan and George H W Bush being declared as landslides also is something that can be connected to today. With our most recent election, the media played a significant role in influencing people. From both sides, they played dirty and reported on the candidates based on their bias. We see that the right-wing media has nothing bad to say about Trump’s lack of taxes, but constantly bash on Biden for every little thing. It really just goes to show how corrupted the media has become. It is insane to think that there was a time when television and news weren’t biased, and it wasn’t about entertainment. I wonder if there is a coming back from this.
I think that media as well as social activism have both played a huge part in influencing polarization between democrats and conservatives. Conservatives used the violence that the media pictures against supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, and although I understand that media wants to present what is actually impacting people’s lives, I also think that it is really important to cover the peaceful protests.
I feel as though the difference in these situations is that social media helped spread the word about non-violent protests and demonstrations. There was at least semi-decent coverage of some of these larger peaceful protests, but many were indeed overshadowed by the violence that ensued.
I find it interesting how you are connecting this chapter to climate change. I feel like it is widely reported now, but I don’t think it was just five years ago. I hope that the news becomes less polarized eventually, but I don’t see that happening any time soon.