This reminds me of the experiment they did on how you create solidarity. The answer being find a common enemy. The long form of the quote below is also nice to read. Read it at the linked site.
The role of the blogosphere
New research supports the notion that we fixate on enemies, and inflate their power, as a defense mechanism against generalized anxiety.
The longer article is here.
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Posted by Tyler Cowen on March 10, 2010 at 06:45 AM in Science, Weblogs | Permalink
via Marginal Revolution: The role of the blogosphere.