[billethkid]

Originally Posted by eweissenbach

There are many reasons that people may act more rudely today than in the past, but I would posit that mass media is a large one. You can't turn on talk radio without hearing someone screeching about the other side in the most mean spirited way possible. Sports talk radio is filled with egomaniacs who are rude to anyone with a differing opinion. Fox News channel and MSNBC are both full of partisans who love to paint anyone with a differing viewpoint as subhuman. People listen to these one-sided diatribes and many come away believing that only one point of view is reasonable and any other is wrong and even evil. Decorum, reasonable debate and disagreement, and yes, good manners have been replaced by unyielding confrontation. Some people pay no attention, and others simply don't take this contentiousness seriously, but a seeming growing number get very agitated and this often spills over into real life. It is my opinion that politics and political viewpoints are more intense and more freely expressed, often in a rather discomforting way, because of this. This confrontational style has spilled over into other areas of peoples lives, leading to uncomfortable and angry exchanges in some cases. I don't find this issue any more prevalent in TV than in any other place I have been, but find it a troubling sign of the times. JMHO

I agree 100%. I would only suggest that your last sentence have one more word included as below:

"...find it another troubling sign of the times...."