I've got 1 percent left on my phone, so at the last minute I'm saying hello, because I like y'all (even if I'm not a follower/convert).
But while I'm here, I'll take any flak you got -- I won't argue or go into lib disproving mode. I saw the leftist AMA the other day and left disappointed, so I just thought I'd take the temperature of the board a little, from my nonthreatening obvious interloper account.
(And if I don't respond, it's because my phone died and I'll be back later, charged.)
Frustrated, furious, anxious, excited, cool as a cucumber -- How are you?
This is going to get into some personal opinions on media, so forgive me if I start relentlessly bullshitting/pontificating or whatnot. But with this:
I think the operative words are
Right-wing news portrays liberals as anarchist monsters, the same way left-wing news portrays conservatives as backwards rednecks. Rachel Maddow frames the news for her base, Laura Ingraham frames the news for hers.
And the picture of liberals/conservatives that spreads is the loudest, most offensive picture, because it's the easiest to encapsulate in a segment, an image, or a tweet, and have something snarky to say about it. The most colorful targets are the easiest targets -- that's the blue-haired SJWs, and the red-hat MAGAs.
The result is a sort of funhouse mirror representation of the other side. I've had trouble with it my whole life -- I grew up on the West Coast, knowing zero conservative folks, and my only experience with the political right was seeing it mocked on The Daily Show.
I didn't really choose to be a liberal, I just saw the dem party ideology lined up the nicest with my personal set of beliefs. I didn't choose to be a liberal any more than I chose to be a size 13 mens shoe.
What attracts people to it? Not sure, I haven't met a lot of liberal-converts. But what attracts anyone to any ideology? It just clicks, right?
I hate to play the "everybody does it" card, but I could make those exact same accusations about the conservative side, or any party. Hijacking language is good politics, and squashing differing opinions is a pretty handy way of maintaining power. Cynical, but hey, I'm a liberal.