In a recent interview with “CBS Mornings” host Nate Burleson, former President Obama expressed concerns about Americans being in “different realities.”
Obama stated that what he found most concerning was how divided conversations are, which to an extent he claims is because of the divided media. He added that he was concerned about this “splintering of the media” since it appears as if the people “occupy different realities.” He added that in the past, when something significant would happen, people would come together – even if they disagreed – in order to solve the issue. However, that has now changed, with some people denying certain things have happened or becoming increasingly skeptical of scientific data. He proceeded to state that there were also many who did not believe experts and dubbed everything either liberal or conservative propaganda.
Obama then spoke about the Obama Foundation, adding that one of the things he wanted to achieve was to have people agree on a “common set of facts.” He proceeded to discuss the difference in what media was available while he was growing up and how people perceived it differently.
During the interview Obama also spoke about the recent increase in mass shootings, and gun control laws, stating that the United States was the only developed nation in the world to be accepting “gun violence” on a regular basis. He added that in Australia, there was only a single mass shooting – five decades ago – and that this was something that no longer occurred. He further argued that this is the normal response you expect from a society that wants to protect its children.
