Ehrlich introduces the ten dimensions of America's social heritage that are necessary for a complete understanding of prejudice and explains the complex differences between ethnoviolence and hate crimes. Through analysis of network television news programs and in-depth interviews with newspaper editors and reporters, Ehrlich explores how our mainstream media maintains racial and ethnic stereotypes. Case studies (the Oklahoma City bombing, Rodney King riots, Columbine High School shootings, and Hurricane Katrina) show how traumatic events are manipulated by political elites and the news media to shape intergroup relations. Ehrlich concludes with a personal and political look at the concentration of power in the United States and the increasingly prevalent and concerning employment of political ignorance as a tool of oppression.--From publisher description.