Sunday, September 1st, 2019
Stephan: We are two countries. One country supports Donald Trump, Massacre Mitch, White supremacy, male dominance, what I think of as pseudo-Christianity, and guns. That America does not believe in climate change, or thinks it is being grossly over-hyped. Today, according to fivethirtyeight, 41.3% of Americans overall, or about 72% of Republicans, support Trump, Mitch, and the Republican Party. The other America is its antipode. You know who you are and what you believe.
The country’s heightening polarization extends even to the television we watch, severing another thread of America’s collective consciousness as it gears up for the 2020 presidential election.
Why it matters: Americans used to have only a few TV options, leading to moments of mass culture like The Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” or the “M*A*S*H” finale. But just as the spread of social media jumpstarted political tribalization, the rise of cable and streaming services has necessitated a need for a wealth of content — increasingly targeted and niche — that has hastened a cultural splintering.
The state of play: That split is evidenced by the geographic schisms in Google interest in two programs — HBO’s “Succession” and USA’s “WWE Raw” — which both air weekly to similarly-sized audiences.
- “Succession,” a comedy-drama about the machinations of the ultra-rich family running a media conglomerate, kicked off its second season this month with constant coverage in the country’s papers of record (see: “The Making of Wealth Porn“) and a slew of awards nominations. Its search interest is highest on the coasts and in the […]
