Fox News at one level is simply a symptom of the disease overtaking our country. At a different level they are aggravating and are part of the etiology of this malady. The malady is ultra conservatism. The malady is aggrandizing of Trump, unfettered capitalism, racism and pseudo-religious values. The malady is the denigration of immigrants, other religions, people of color, people that do not fit into the Norman Rockwell Continue reading “Dollars are votes for Fox News”
Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #2,228
yeah I know you did not ask!
If you have been watching any TV lately you may have noticed there are a plethora of ads promoting how much various companies care about us in these troubling times. They are touting how they have been here for us, are here for us now, will be there for us after the crisis has passed.
If they really care about us and this country they can do two things right now that would have a huge impact on the quality of life in this country.
First, they can stop advertising on Fox News. This network’s goal is to push America to the absolute lowest common denominator. They seem to be succeeding extraordinarily well at this. Fox News is without question a propaganda machine that does not have the best interest of this country at heart.
Secondly, the companies and the executives of these corporations should stop immediately giving money to the GOP. I cannot figure out if the goal of the GOP is the elimination of our democracy or the creation of a Corpocracy, Well…actually it is both.
Barring these corporations suddenly finding a moral compass, perhaps we should stop doing business with any company that advertises on Fox News.
Yeah, I know, I’m dreaming again.
Rev. Joe’s Random Thought # 4,898
yeah I know you did not ask!
A meme, to use the term loosely, going around right now is “Google Smart”, i.e. you are only smart if you have access to a smart phone or computer and you can Google the answer.
I propose another one, “Fox News Dumb”, i.e., the more you watch Fox News, the dumber you become.
“No Gays Served”
On the Daily Show last night they played a clip from Fox News where they compared the situation in Indiana in regards to the so-called religious freedom act to forcing Jews running a bakery to serve Nazis.
My response to that would be:
First and foremost you are not comparing apples and apples. Nazism was a political movement that as part of their core philosophy incorporated racism, anti-Semitism and the extermination of all inferior beings (physical deformed, mentally handicap, etc.) as defined by the Nazi party. Homosexuality is just another common expression of human sexuality. Any moral repugnance is more an expression of a person’s religion or culture. It is no worse or better than heterosexuality, just not as common. To say a person is gay, is no different than saying they are black or blonde or Hispanic. It is simply a characteristic of a person.
While at one level I believe we should be able to do business with only who want to, there are so many areas of life where this is not true now. We cannot choose on the basis of color, ethnicity, religion or gender who we rent or sale a house to, who we serve in a restaurant, who we hire, who we accept into a school and many more things. What the Indiana law is attempting to do is codify a religious belief to allow discrimination against a specific minority. One way to marginalize any group is restrict where and what they can do. I do not find that morally or ethically justifiable.
Really in the long run what is the difference between a sign that reads “Whites Only” or “No Coloreds” and one that reads “No Gays Served”?
Vermont High Schoolers Just Destroy Fox News About The Ethics Of Journalism
Conspiracy Theory — Not the Movie
I was recently taken to task for a previous blog posting, Opinion Bombs. The precise section that was objectionable to the commenter was:
“I feel like there is some unknown force driving wedges between the various factions of our country and of the world. I’m not a big believer in conspiracy theories, but it feels like the “powers that be” want to keep the little folk bickering among themselves. It is the magician’s sleight of the hand. Distract the masses with these wedges and the powers can go on with whatever it is they want to do.”
Specifically, the commenter found my use of “conspiracy theory” problematic. Perhaps I used the word incorrectly. Conspiracy is defined as – “a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.” A conspiracy theory is defined as – “a belief that some covert but influential organization is responsible for a circumstance or event.” The operative difference is “belief”.
What I was referring to as conspiracy theories is no longer very covert, Continue reading “Conspiracy Theory — Not the Movie”
Rev. Joe’s Random Thought # 8,154
…yeah I know you did not ask!
Fox News seems to be on everywhere. I actually think it is a conspiracy by businesses, but that is just me. Sitting in a restaurant with Fox News in the background I thought they should be forced to put a scroll bar across the bottom that reads “Not for human consumption”, much like offal going to the rendering plant.
Fair and Balanced…Not
There is so much I could say. What scares me is that Fox News is the most popular cable “news” source. What scares me even more is that those folks that watch Fox News seem to accept it lock, stock and barrel. Plus they absolutely are clueless as to why someone would not. I do not think it a coincidence that NASCAR fans are by and by, big consumers of Fox News. There seems to a major dearth of critical thinking and self examination in this country. I have no idea if it is a new phenomenon, but it feels like the extent to which it is happening does seem to have reached new bounds.
I’m not sure what their overarching goal is a Fox News, but it is not the long run good of this country or the majority of its citizens. The country that Fox News and its bought and paid for political candidates envision is not a country I want to live in. I doubt it is a country Thomas Jefferson would want to live in.
Below is a link to a commentary on the study. Obviously from their headline they are a little harsher than I might be. When I read the study the impression I get is that we are all sadly misinformed or captive to our belief systems. My personal opinion is that for democracy to work really well, the voters should be informed and involved. We really have neither. And there are more than a few sources intent on spreading misinformation aka propaganda.
Study Confirms That Fox News Makes You Stupid
The full study from World Public Opinion.org
Fool’s Gold
Fox most trusted news channel in US, poll shows
This one headline summarizes for me why I feel hopeless about this country. The rise of Fox News is one of the most pernicious events to happen in this country in quite some time. It troubles me beyond description that there are multitudes of people that believe Fox News is “Fair and Balanced”.
IQ test here…Fox is to news as pyrite is to _____. If you said gold, you passed.
The Raping of America
Now That’s Rich – New York Times op-ed piece by Paul Krugman
From the article:
“We need to pinch pennies these days. Don’t you know we have a budget deficit? For months that has been the word from Republicans and conservative Democrats, who have rejected every suggestion that we do more to avoid deep cuts in public services and help the ailing economy.
But these same politicians are eager to cut checks averaging $3 million Continue reading “The Raping of America”