America Is Not Israel/Palestine—But Right-Wing Media Wants You to Think It Is

Why Americans share more common ground than we’re told, and how media manipulation fuels the illusion of division.

Mar 06, 2025

I’ve had this nagging question rattling around in my head for years now. My wife has probably heard it a hundred times at this point—judging by the eye rolls, I know I’m pushing my luck every time I ask it again:

“Do conservatives actually have any liberal friends, family, or co-workers?”

Now, on the surface, this is an objectively dumb question. Of course they do. Even in the reddest corners of America, you’ll find conservatives who have liberal relatives, neighbors, or colleagues. The idea that we all live in neatly divided ideological bubbles is a myth—though, granted, I’m sure a few exceptions exist (looking at you, certain parts of rural Idaho).

But my real question isn’t whether they know any liberals. It’s whether the liberals they know seem so unhinged that peaceful coexistence feels impossible.

Because if you only listened to right-wing media, you’d think liberals and conservatives are lobbing Molotov cocktails over each other’s fences like Israel and Palestine. You’d think America was on the brink of civil war. But we’re not. We’re nowhere close to that.

I live in a heavy MAGA county—the kind where the entire city council is decked out in Trump hats while cutting the ribbon on a newly “re-dedicated” public library (after, of course, burning a few books for good measure) with the acronym MAGA. Nearly all of my neighbors are Trump supporters, some of them hardcore ones. And yet, somehow, I’m still standing. I still coexist with them just fine.

So why is right-wing media so determined to convince people otherwise?

The Manufactured Boogeyman

Right-wing media has spent years whipping Trump supporters into a frenzy about a mythical liberal menace—one that’s supposedly coming to confiscate their guns, outlaw their religion, and tax their soft drinks into oblivion (okay, that last one kind of happened, but that’s on Bloomberg).

None of this is true. And yet, Trump voters are actively tearing down the very democracy they claim to love—because they are convinced of a fiction.

Here’s the scary part:

You don’t need a political science degree to disprove this fiction. You don’t even need investigative journalism. All you have to do is step outside and look around.

Notice anything? No liberal stormtroopers coming for your Bible? No shadowy Democratic cabal plotting your financial ruin?

We have a word for when someone ignores obvious reality and instead clings to a manufactured narrative.

It’s called brainwashing.

Yes, we have real political differences. But this idea that the average Democrat and the average Republican are sworn enemies with irreconcilable worldviews?

That’s not political reality.

That’s a carefully curated illusion—one designed to keep us outraged, engaged, and, most importantly, clicking.

Follow the Money

Nobody likes being told they’re being brainwashed, but it’s time we call it what it is.

There is a massive right-wing media-industrial complex—a multi-billion dollar, highly coordinated operation backed by corporate wealth, billionaires, and dark money networks. Meanwhile, progressive media remains fractured, underfunded, and reliant on small-dollar donors and nonprofit grants.

Take a look at the estimated spend by the right-wing media infastrcuture, in comparision to progressive left-wing media. There’s no comparison between the two.

So ask yourself: who really benefits from keeping us divided? Because it sure as hell isn’t the average conservative or the average liberal.

The Business Model of Division

News outlets aren’t just reporting the news—they’re selling it. And what sells better than unity? Conflict.

Every major media company, whether it leans left or right, is competing for your attention in an oversaturated attention economy. Rage and division are simply more profitable than agreement. Studies show that negative news spreads faster and farther than positive news. Social media algorithms reward outrage because it drives engagement. And engagement drives ad revenue.

So what do you do if you’re a media outlet trying to survive? You hyper-focus on wedge issues. You exaggerate the scope of division. You take a normal policy disagreement and frame it as an existential war for the soul of the nation.

And if you can’t find enough conflict? You manufacture it.

What Americans Actually Believe

Now, let’s step away from the media narrative for a moment and look at the data. What do actual Americans—real, flesh-and-blood people—think about the country’s most important issues?

When you strip away partisan branding, a surprising thing happens: the left and right agree on way more than you’d expect.

Here are just a few areas where polling shows strong bipartisan agreement:

📌 Inflation & Economy

According to Gallup, 90% of Americans—across party lines—say inflation is their top concern.
Both Democrats (94%) and Republicans (96%) say the economy is in bad shape. (Gallup, 2024)

📌 Health Care Costs

67% of Americans—including majorities of both parties—believe the cost of health care is a major national problem. (Pew Research, 2024)
71% support government action to lower prescription drug prices, including 66% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats.

📌 Big Money in Politics

84% of Americans (yep, even Republicans) think the U.S. government serves the interests of the wealthy and big corporations over everyday people.
76% want stronger regulations on campaign finance, including limits on corporate donations. (Ipsos, 2023)

📌 The Need for Affordable Housing

74% of Americans agree that housing costs are out of control and the government should do something about it.
Even in deep red states, a majority supports zoning reform and incentives for affordable housing. (National Association of Realtors, 2023)

📌 Education & Childcare

82% of Americans support universal pre-K.
73% believe college tuition is too high and want federal action to lower costs.
68% of Republicans and 81% of Democrats support expanding paid family leave. (Brookings, 2023)

📌 America’s Political Dysfunction

81% of voters believe democracy is under threat.
And get this—67% believe both parties are failing the American people and serve their own interests instead. (Georgetown University, 2024)

So Why Does It Feel Like We’re at War?

If Americans agree on so much, why does it feel like we’re constantly at each other’s throats?

Simple: The way issues are framed manipulates our perception of division.

For example, if you ask a Democrat and a Republican, “Do you support government regulation of businesses?” you’ll likely get wildly different answers.

But if you ask them, “Do you support laws that prevent corporations from price-gouging on essential goods?” boom—majority agreement.

This is backed up by a study in Science Advances that found Americans vastly overestimate the ideological divide between left and right. In reality, the biggest factor influencing division is how issues are framed rather than actual policy positions.

In other words, much of the “division” we see is the result of language tricks, partisan branding, and media spin.

How to Break Free From the Illusion

Want to stop being played? Here’s what you can do:

✅ Question how issues are framed – When you hear “The left wants to destroy America” or “The right wants to kill democracy,” pause. Is that true, or just an exaggerated media narrative?

✅ Look at the actual data – Not just the hot takes. Polling and research tell a different story than cable news.

✅ Talk to people outside your bubble – Have real conversations, not just Twitter debates. You’ll find more common ground than you think.

✅ Ditch the outrage machine – If a news story makes you instantly furious at half the country, ask yourself: Who benefits from my anger?

✅ Focus on shared interests – At the end of the day, most Americans want the same things: a good economy, affordable healthcare, functional democracy, and a future for their kids.

The House Isn’t on Fire—They Just Keep Pulling the Fire Alarm

If you believed everything you saw on the news, you’d think America was in the middle of a civil war, with Democrats and Republicans sharpening pitchforks and preparing for battle in the streets.

But step outside the media bubble, and what do you actually see? People going to work. Parents trying to raise their kids. Neighbors helping each other out. Americans—regardless of political affiliation—trying to build a stable, decent life.

We don’t hate each other as much as we’ve been told. We just think we do because a multi-billion-dollar industry profits from keeping us in a constant state of outrage.

The real crisis isn’t that Americans are hopelessly divided—it’s that we’ve been tricked into believing we are. And that belief is powerful. It makes people cynical. It makes them disengage. It makes them stop fighting for the things we actually agree on.

Here’s the truth: The foundation of America is not cracked beyond repair. We’re standing on solid ground. But as long as we let the media and political elites keep yanking the fire alarm, we’ll be too busy running from imaginary flames to fix the real problems we actually do agree on.

So maybe it’s time to stop falling for it. Maybe it’s time to start talking to each other instead of screaming past each other. Maybe it’s time to recognize that we’re not enemies—we’re just stuck in the same rigged game.

The question isn’t whether America is broken. The question is: Are we willing to stop being played?

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