Super Mad at Everything All the Time : Political Media and Our National Anger

Super Mad at Everything All the Time explores the polarization of American politics through the collapse of the space between politics and culture, as bolstered by omnipresent media. This book seeks to explain this perfect storm of money, technology, and partisanship that has created two entirely separate news spheres: a small, enclosed circle for the right wing and a sprawling expanse for everyone else. This leads to two sets of facts, two narratives, and two loudly divergent political sides with extraordinary anger all around. It is based on extensive interviews with leading media figures and politicos, this book traces the development of the media machine, giving suggestions on how to restore our national dialogue while defending our right to disagree agreeably.Alison Dagnes is Professor of Political Science at Shippensburg University, USA. After being a producer at C-SPAN in Washington, she moved to academia and now teaches courses on American government and politics. Her research interests focus on American political behavior and ideology in modern American politics. She is the author of Politics on Demand: The Effects of 24-Hour News on American Politics (2010). "Super Mad at Everything All the Time explores the polarization of American politics through the collapse of the space between politics and culture, as bolstered by omnipresent media. It seeks to explain this perfect storm of money, technology, and partisanship that has created two entirely separate news spheres: a small, enclosed circle for the right wing and a sprawling expanse for everyone else. This leads to two sets of facts, two narratives, and two loudly divergent political sides with extraordinary anger all around. Based on extensive interviews with leading media figures and politicos, this book traces the development of the media machine, giving suggestions on how to restore our national dialogue while defending our right to disagree agreeably"-- Publisher's description __Super Mad at Everything All the Time__ explores the polarization of American politics through the collapse of the space between politics and culture, as bolstered by omnipresent media. It seeks to explain this perfect storm of money, technology, and partisanship that has created two entirely separate news spheres: a small, enclosed circle for the right wing and a sprawling expanse for everyone else. This leads to two sets of facts, two narratives, and two loudly divergent political sides with extraordinary anger all around. Based on extensive interviews with leading media figures and politicos, this book traces the development of the media machine, giving suggestions on how to restore our national dialogue while defending our right to disagree agreeably. Front Matter ....Pages i-xix Two Truths (Alison Dagnes)....Pages 1-26 Upping the Anti’s: 50 Years of Vilifying Intellectuals, the Government, and the Media (Alison Dagnes)....Pages 27-74 Money + Tech = Problems: Technological Development, Financial Imperatives, and the Ensuing Media Landscape (Alison Dagnes)....Pages 75-117 Us vs. Them: Political Polarization and the Politicization of Everything (Alison Dagnes)....Pages 119-165 Negative Objectives: The Right-Wing Media Circle and Everyone Else (Alison Dagnes)....Pages 167-217 Consequential, Problematic and Perhaps Resolvable (Alison Dagnes)....Pages 219-239 Back Matter ....Pages 241-243