re: #67 OhCrapIHaveACrushOnSarahPalin

Thing is, I don’t need SPLC to tell me about the prevalence of eliminationist bigots. So they’ve once again come out of the closet…I offer they aren’t all that closeted to begin with.

It’s that age old question, especially in the internet age. Are there more of them now, or have they always been there and are now “becoming emboldened”, some combination of the two. I say the two are not mutually exclusive and yes, they have definitely always been there, every bit as virulent and nasty as Fox comments.

I think, like everyone else, they are finding more people to discuss their interests with in the Internet.

If you live in some areas, are brought up in some social circles, you will rarely meet opposition when you express racist ideas.

If you live in others, you will be frequently shut down and socially shunned if you express them. Your relatives will be embarrassed. Girls will shrug you off. It’s better to not talk about.

Except that, on the Internet, the racists, like everyone else from the pedophiles to the collectors of rare antique quilting hoops, can find more of their own kind to talk to. And even those who are not restrained in their own real world communities can find more fuel for their fire here.

It makes some difference. How much of a one, I don’t really know.

Of course, what I notice is that this has relatively little to do with Fox specifically. Most news outlets have comments like these.