Relating to my post “Man Smashes News Videographer’s Camera”, I received the following response, upset at my assertion that:
“Watching Fox News makes people stupid – literally. It moves people toward the ‘stupid’ end of the spectrum by intentionally leaving its consumers ignorant of a whole-and-complete view of relevant facts and thus prone to make destructive choices.”
To be fair, I could have been clearer that it is the trusting of what is said on Fox news that does the damage, not the simple act of watching; and that there is a spectrum of response to believing Fox News’s misinformation. That Fox News is the premier American distributor of politically-motivated misinformation is an easily proven fact. It is not a legitimate source of information about American politics.
The complaint about my assertion:
I guess I’m a little taken aback… Although you and I don’t often agree on opinions I’ve never considered you to be stupid because I disagree with where you get your information… but I am stupid because I listen to Fox and CNN and I compare the two?
I respect your right to your viewpoint and will defend your right to have it, but apparently I’m not allowed to have my viewpoint because I’m an idiot, and because I watch Fox News I am prone to violence if I find someone who disagrees with me.
Well, I happen to watch and pay attention to both sides because it takes analysis of both sides to make a fair decision. And I’m not calling people who follow CNN idiots… because I’ve seen both Fox and CNN leave out massively critical details to stories simply to coax along their jacked-up mission followers.
If anything, when people like yourself start name calling I feel sorry for you because it’s obvious you’ve only swallowed the hook from one side of the story.
My Response:
Actually, I do tune in to Fox News on occasion, just to see what they are saying. Unfortunately – especially with one of the prime time hosts – it seldom takes me more than about 10 minutes to detect the morally deficient context they speak from, and the manipulative mode of communication they employ.
I take my news from a variety of sources, and the political perspectives I hear on Fox News are often at odds with every other news source, and simply promote the Trump / Republican agenda. I consider the other news sources I regularly consume – CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters to be fair-and-balanced in their presentation of current events. Only MSNBC clearly selects stories to show the dark side of Trump and the Republicans, something that has been easily demonstrated time and again.
On the other hand, Fox stands alone, and in a distinctly untrustworthy way. Many of its stories would never make it on other networks, because they simply don’t stand up to independent scrutiny. The continued denial that the Mueller report found anything seriously damaging about Trump, and its Covid-19 related reporting are clear cases in point.
I’m glad you do consume news from other sources, because at least you get competing perspectives. When all the other major media outlets are reporting similar perspectives on current events, and only Fox stands alone with a perspective that coincidentally supports what Trump and the Republicans are doing, it should make you stop and think – and at least question what Fox is saying. You want to talk about name calling? You hear that daily from Trump, and often from Fox, especially prime-time hosts. Rarely from other prominent media sources. Fox really is nothing but a massive manipulation machine to get gullible people to support conservative politicians, and the corrupt, destructive agenda they implement once in power.
My intent has always been to educate. My assertion is not name-calling. Rather, it is a factual diagnosis of the impact Fox’s reporting has on its loyal followers.
As for violence, I see the tendency for violence in individuals overall as falling in what statisticians call the bell curve of a ‘normal’ distribution. It is pretty clear that during Trumps years, that bell curve has shifted toward the side of more bigotry and violence towards minorities, and more calls for ‘let’s roll’ from the real gun-toting right-wing loonys. This is only aggravated by conversations that portray Covid-19 management measures as infringement on personal liberties, although that is only one example of the ‘red meat’ Fox regularly serves up. Trump words aggravate tendencies towards violence, and he has never spoken sincerely otherwise.
Fox is clearly an untrustworthy news source, even though Trump and Republicans have been painting it as the ONLY trustworthy source for years – and a lot of people continue to drink that Kool-Aid every day. The more a person trusts what they hear on Fox over what is reported across other major media outlets when they conflict, the more misinformed they become, and the more likely they are to make destructive, misinformed choices. That is a fact. Basing choices on bad data when better data is readily available is pretty much the definition of functional stupidity.
From where I sit, the conservative context is the source of most of the true evil in the world, especially when viewed from a context of fundamental principles of human rights, because it lacks Integrity at a very fundamental level.
Conservatives don’t believe in personal freedom – to a conservative, personal freedom means that others are only free to live their personal lives in a way that is consistent with what the conservative believes is right. Just look at issues like abortion and gay marriage.
Everyone has a right to their personal beliefs, and to live their personal life consistent with those beliefs. No one has a right to impose those personal beliefs on the personal lives of others.
Conservatives believe that any use of personal power to manipulate people and events and to conceal fact is just fine when it helps them to get what they want. Trumps obstruction of justice, withholding of information, and the Senate Republican’s refusal to allow witnesses and full disclosure of information at Trump’s impeachment trial are clear examples. These actions are about as un-American as you can get.
I know that neither end of the political spectrum is perfect, that there are irrational extremists on both ends. But it is the conservative end, not the progressive end, where the anger and violence most often shows up these days.
Like I’ve often said, the value of the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth is not limited to the courtroom. Facts Matter. All too often, that is not what Fox News serves up.
I never intended to imply that you or anyone is as bad as the individual who assaulted the videographer. But everyone is somewhere on that bell curve between making highly informed decisions, and making damaging uninformed decisions. Trusting what you hear on Fox pushes you in the wrong direction.