Politics costing you Facebook friends?

Study: Liberals more intolerant than conservatives online

This is a rush transcript from "The Five," March 14, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GREG GUTFIELD, CO-HOST: So according to a new survey, lefties are less tolerant than righties when online. This Pew poll -- is there really any other -- examined how Facebook and Twitter users -- quote -- responded to political content they didn't like.

Of those that unblocked or unfriended someone, 28 percent were liberals, versus 16 percent for conservatives, a massive difference.

Here is my theory -- both political stripes think they're right. But one side, the liberals, has had it pretty easy for a really long time, whether it's in the media, the movies, television or the arts in general. Left wing views go unchallenged, as most people just politely nodded along.

Remember the '70s? Norman Lear? Mod? "Mash"? That decade was one long screed by a shrill ogress. But the problem with arrogance, it leaves you with skills that are flabbier than my thighs at Christmas. And they are flabby.

So when faced with someone they disagree with online, they berate or they block. It's the same thing when Fox News comes on. Some just can't handle a popular network where people don't always conform to their world view.

Now I understand blocking people on Twitter for vulgarity. But for someone you don't agree with, it's like putting your hands over your ears and yelling blah, blah, blah, I'm not listening to you, which is what I would do to Bob if he wasn't so darn adorable.

So instead, be helpful instead of hurtful. And start today, the first one to Tweet me a decent Deviled Egg recipe gets a free book. The worst recipe gets two free books. Old joke, old joke.

Bob, you're like -- you're here. It's four against one. You know, the majority of the Twitter users that watch "The Five" probably disagree with you. But they are very nice.

BOB BECKEL, CO-HOST: Yes, they do.

GUTFIELD: By they're very, very, very nice to you, aren't they? They --

BECKEL: Most of them are very nice. You know what I mean. You know, they say I don't agree with you on anything; I like you. Or some say you big fat Commie and they go -- at which time I get back to them and say, thank you for your kind words. Was it your mother who married your brother or your father married his sister? And one guy got back to me and said, you lying Commie, my fathered married his cousin, which is all you need to know.

No, I don't -- I get an awful lot, as you can imagine. I get a lot of emails -- I don't read the Twitter thing because I can't pronounce it right or learn. But I think basically most people are reasonably good folks.

GUTFIELD: Except when they get -- it's been said before, Kimberly, the anonymity factor. It changes the way people respond to people. They get creepy. They get weird. And you have to --

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST: They really do. They hide behind this veil. And it just makes you want to go on full assault on Twitter for some of the stupid things people say. And yes, how about the thin skin? People, some like liberals -- they don't like you if you -- oh, you work at Fox, you work at this, you work at that. And right away, you become arch enemy number one.

This is totally ignorant.

GUTFIELD: I like that, though. I'm not whining at all about that. I like the fact that they can't stand me. I think that's --

GUILFOYLE: Because you don't want to talk to anybody.

GUTFIELD: Yes, I hate people.

ANDREA TANTAROS, CO-HOST: I don't mind when people disagree with my politics. But usually the left -- and if you're a woman and you're a conservative, they nasty name-call right away.

GUTFIELD: It's weird. And from -- and from male feminists, no less, will come after you.

TANTAROS: And call names. That is when I actually block them. But I do think it's good policy on Facebook -- I mean, look, people get in a lot of debates on Facebook. I have friends that they will literally -- I have a friend named Kenny and he fights with his friend. And he has defriended him seven times or something like that.

He'll say something nasty and then he'll defriend him.

(CROSSTALK)

ERIC BOLLING, CO-HOST: You have no idea how many nasty libs come after me because I say a lot of conservative things. I'm not afraid to say it.

GUILFOYLE: Some of it is vicious.

BOLLING: Very vicious. Sometimes I say things that really riles them up. But I don't block them unless it's hate speech. If you have hate speech coming out, goodbye, you're blocked. In the meantime, I think it's great, great. You learn a lot. I mean, if you just go out and listen.

BECKEL: If I knew how to block people, I would. But let me tell you, some of the stuff that I get -- by far the tough stuff I get is from liberals.

GUILFOYLE: They're hard on you, right?

BECKEL: Are they hard on me?

GUILFOYLE: It's true.

BECKEL: You know, the thing that bothers me about it is some of these jerks who get to me from the left say, you know, you're not a real liberal. I have got more liberal credentials than all of you combined who send me that crap. And I'd be happy to my liberalism up against your any day.

But that's not -- who is that guy, that Greek guy from --

TANTAROS: Easy.

BECKEL: -- MoveOn.org, whatever his name is. Whatever his name is. The guy has never done a campaign in his life. Never done it, but he shoots his mouth off like he is a big liberal and he takes on Fox. All I can say to him is --

TANTAROS: Not all Greeks are as smart as I am.

GUILFOYLE: You were so close to an apology.

GUTFIELD: I miss you, Bob. You see, Bob is different. Bob is brave. You know what I mean?

GUILFOYLE: They're lucky to have him on their side, so treat him with some respect.

GUTFIELD: I like the badgering. Badgering online got me to lose weight. When everybody kept call me a fat pig on Red Eye, I lost 40 pounds.

BECKEL: It hasn't helped me at all.

GUILFOYLE: Yes, but now you're manorexic. So --

GUTFIELD: Yes, I am. All right, when I said I am going to give away a book, I do mean I am going to give away a book. It just may not be my book. It might be a book I found on the street.

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