18. How The Right Profits From Culture Wars

Nico Lang writes an article about the (sort of) recent scandal involving Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty, who spoke against homosexual practices during the show, and got in trouble with Fox Networks because of it. He didn't express hate toward homosexuals, but said he was against their lifestyle, which angered many viewers. However, what Lang points out in the article is that "scandals like America’s “Duck Dynasty” moment are about nothing more than our ability to exploit current events to further a culture of division and partisanship, igniting our old hatreds for short-term gain." In other words, the media actually enjoys little scandals like these, because it creates an opportunity for selling products depending on the nature of the scandal, and it gives the media something to talk about in the meantime.

The article is very insightful, a nice reality check for people who like to debate these scandals with more intensity. In a deeper sense it gives the idea that hatred between groups does no good for anyone, except the people fueling them for profit in the first place. The author uses many examples of culture wars and how people profit from them, which gives his article much more credibility. The author also includes pictures of Phil Robertson, which get the reader's attention when browsing through the website.

http://www.salon.com/2014/01/05/how_the_right_profits_from_the_culture_wars/