It is said in the advertising world that “sex sells!” It is also true that in the political world “hate sells.” Sad - but true.
Hate sells. One of the first reactions to the tragic shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is the right-wing media echo chamber’s effort to push the narrative that “all the bullets are coming from the left.” President Trump appeared on “Fox & Friends” this morning to make the point that radicals on the left are the problem.
Democrats were shot and killed in Minnesota in June apparently by someone that disagreed with Democrats and was willing to manifest their hate for the left with bullets. The hateful talk that flows from the right is tangible and real.
President Trump is using the death of his friend, Charlie Kirk, to push an agenda of hate and a lot of Americans are buying into the hate. On my talk show today, there was a comment about the teacher in Michigan who posted on social media an inappropriate comment about Kirk’s murder as if to demonstrate that the left is evil. That teacher was immediately put on leave while an investigation takes place. The teacher’s negative comment was dealt with and so was the teacher.
The shooter does not represent the left. The shooter only represents himself and any attempt to claim that the shooter represents the left should be seen as the selling of hate and seeking evidence to support the idea that the left is evil. The evil hate that I receive from the right is proof that the right has evil players, too.
The goal of the news and the goal of the talk media is to attract an audience for the purpose of generating revenue. A talk host promoting the idea that the bullets are only coming from the left excites many people into believing and participating in a war. A talk host promoting unity will be viewed by many as an individual with little conviction who is afraid to tell it like it is and is sitting on the fence with this do-good attitude about bringing everyone together. That doesn’t sell.
The talk media, and especially social media, strive for getting attention by promoting the easy sell as opposed to promoting the more benign idea of unity. Also on “Fox & Friends,” President Trump said he has no interest in uniting or fixing America. Even for those who have given Trump the benefit of the doubt, the fact that a President of the United States does not have any interest in bringing America together is a very dark reality. Any Republicans who support President Trump’s lack of care for uniting this country following a tragedy really have no right to ever express respect for former President Ronald Reagan. I guarantee that at this moment in our country’s history that Ronald Reagan would deliver a brilliant speech about uniting America.
Hate feeds a raw emotion and it is much easier to push hate than push unity. What many in the media are doing is taking the easy path and pushing an agenda of hate, rather than take on the challenge of promoting the much grander goal of explaining why we should unite as Americans.