Not since the Civil War have the people of the United States been more hostile to each other. The corporate media and some toxic internet sites are largely responsible. Many Americans no longer seek common ground; our new collective hobby is despising those who hold different points of view.

After the brutal attack on September 11, the country largely came together to oppose the evil Jihad. Initially, President Bush the younger had overwhelming support to right the wrong.

That lasted until the Iraq War went south.

Ever since then, creeping tribalism has badly damaged the USA. Barack Obama could not win over conservatives, Donald Trump was vilified by the left. No matter what these two presidents did, many of their opponents refused to treat them with respect or fairness.

That was largely fueled by a profit-driven media which well understands there is big money in dividing the public. Here are two irrefutable examples of that.

Fox News is in major legal trouble because the company did not want to lose viewers and revenue by challenging fraud assertions over the election of 2020. There is no more to it than that. Money trumped factual reporting, with apologies for the pun.

Example two. NBC News, through its satellite MSNBC, seeks gold in luring African-American viewers. Thus, the cable station presents a steady stream of anti-white commentary, much of it inflammatory.

"Analysts" like Al Sharpton, Jonathan Capeheart, Joy Reid, Simone Sanders-Townsend, and others routinely feed black viewers grievance, some of it hateful.

By the way, CNN actually destroyed its news franchise by embracing "all hate, all the time" directed at Donald Trump.

But the race card is working for NBC. In February, MSNBC averaged 173,000 daily black viewers. CNN had 105,000, Fox News just 24,000.

The harsh truth is that news consumption in America is now divided by skin color as well as ideology.

The result of the money grabs by media companies is a dramatic loss of honest reporting and a troubling diminishment of American culture. Many immature folks now believe they have a license to loathe, and the most extreme of that crew acts out.

Hello, January 6.

Throughout our history, we have always had disagreements among the population. About half the American public didn't want to fight the fascists before Pearl Harbor.

Also, half of the colonists didn't want to show the English king the door.

But today, I fear the political and social divisions are permanent, barring an attack on the homeland. It's too easy and sometimes even fun to despise political opponents.

And it's far too profitable for the powerful and soulless media corporations.

The love of money is the root of evil.

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