Hey fam, did you catch the latest poll by Reuters/Ipsos? It turns out 2 in 3 Americans believe that the way people talk about politics is literally fanning the flames of violence 💥.
The online survey of 1,037 U.S. adults (margin of error about 3%) showed 63% said harsh rhetoric does a lot to encourage violence, while 31% said it adds a little. Only a few saw no impact 🤷♂️.
And get this: 79% feel people have gotten less tolerant of different viewpoints over the past 20 years. Sound familiar? It’s kind of like those heated WhatsApp debates in India or fiery Facebook threads in the Philippines, where one wrong emoji can spark a mega flame war 🔥.
On top of that, 71% think American society is broken, and 66% worry about violence hitting their own communities over politics.
Experts like Mike Jensen from the University of Maryland, who’s tracked politically motivated attacks since 1970, warn that the first half of this year saw about 150 such attacks—almost double last year’s count 📈.
Even top leaders get in on the heat. President Trump, who faced two assassination attempts last year, called out “radical left lunatics” and said we’ve “just got to beat the hell out of them” 😬.
The poll dropped right after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at a Utah campus. Incidents like these hit hard—reminders that words can cost lives.
So, what’s the fix? We need to dial down the aggression in our political chat—whether it’s on Insta, Twitter, or around your college campus. Let’s aim for respectful debates and remember: diversity of thought is our strength 🌏✌️.
Reference(s):
Poll: 2 in 3 Americans say harsh political rhetoric fueling violence
cgtn.com
