Yeah we deserve the journalism and entertainments that we get, because we are their patrons.

Very thoughtful and stimulating article. I know that as I get older, I tend to be less inclined to listen to opinions that are contrary to my own--that discomfort of which the writer speaks. We too easily get ensconced in our own positions, and reactively scorn opposing viewpoints. That is one reason I think many of us are here, to try to counter that tendency. Ironically, I have blocked some people here because I no longer wanted to read what they had to say, and for other reasons.

But, there are certain topics I will only entertain up to a point, e.g., arms ownership, but that is a personal conviction, and I'm not interested in extreme positions, either way. I would encourage anyone and everyone here to read the article, start to finish, and to reflect on your own views about the content and its message.

Free speech not only protects me so that I can say what I want, it protects others so that I can't shut them down if I don't like what they say. It prevents me from becoming to others what I would hate someone to be to me.

Excellent: my thoughts exactly

The irony... I read half the article, agree with what I have read, and stopped reading it. I am the problem.

^^^^This!!!^^^^