Old, white, wrinkled and angry, they are slipping from polite society in alarming numbers. We’re losing much of a generation. They often sport hats or other clothing, some marking their status as veterans, Tea Partyers or “patriots” of some kind or another. They have yellow flags, bumper stickers and an unquenchable rage. They used to be the brave men and women who took on America’s challenges, tackling the ’60s, the Cold War and the Reagan years — but now many are terrified by the idea of slightly more affordable healthcare and a very moderate Democrat in the White House. We’re losing people like my father to the despair of Fox News, and it’s all by design.
Many a time during a previous career iteration, I can remember sitting in a body shop, waiting for the manager to grace me with an audience. Often the shop’s audio system would be tuned to a radio station spewing forth the voice of Rush Limbaugh. I wanted to be horrified and offended (and on the inside I was), but I reminded myself that I was on the Texas Gulf Coast and I was the “enemy,” at least in ideological terms.
It never seemed to occur to anyone to question what Limbaugh was saying or how he sourced his information. What Limbaugh said was accepted as Gospel; he was the information source of choice. I can’t tell you how many discussions I had with people who’d swallowed his version of the truth whole and without question. If Rush said it, it was true, and to question it was to disrespect their beliefs. I found myself wondering how seemingly good, reasonably intelligent sorts could so blithely embrace such hateful propaganda?
What I learned before too much longer was that it’s far easier to preach negatives- fear, anger, hatred- than positives. For whatever reason, some people find it easier to believe the worst than assume the best. Perhaps it’s the doughnut-or-hole conundrum, but it does seem that a large chunk of the American Sheeple have been conditioned to see the hole while the doughnut remains invisible. That’s probably the best explanation for the popularity of Fox News Channel, and it’s consumed the minds and prejudices of an entire generation.
Those of us of a certain age can remember “All in the Family,” a popular TV show from the 70s centered around generational conflict- the young, idealistic Liberal child and the crotchety, reactionary, Conservative patriarch. Archie Bunker was more than just a character in a sitcom; he was an archetype for an entire generation- and it’s as accurate then as it is now. It’s no secret that people tend to become more Conservative as they get older. Perhaps it’s getting beaten down by life. Perhaps it’s fear, acceptance, and/or resignation. Perhaps it’s admitting the dreams you once had are long gone…because you let them die. Or perhaps it’s a legitimate and well-considered ideological shift. Unfortunately, what too often happens with the Archie Bunker generation is that an increasingly Conservative mindset is accompanied by a reduced willingness to maintain an open mind. Ideals and beliefs become set in concrete, and no amount of reason or facts can change them. The world becomes a very black and white place- “us” against “them,” “good” against “evil,” “takers” against makers.”
I’ve head Fundamentalism described as the sound a mind makes when it slams shut to idea that don’t mesh with tightly held prejudice and anger. The same thing happens when Fox News Channel is your sole information source. If you’ve convinced yourself that FNC is indeed “fair and balanced,” you’ve proven Josef Goebbels and Hermann Goering to be correct: propaganda works.
Fox News Channel has managed to tap into the fears and prejudices of the Archie Bunker generation, to the point where many get their news and information from no other source. It’s like getting dietary advice from McDonald’s; it seems exceedingly narrow and self-interested, but it requires much less effort than seeking out other sources for balance. When you’re watching “news” that dovetails with preconceived fears and prejudices, you’re not learning; you’re having your iron-clad beliefs confirmed by a media conglomerate with a Right-wing agenda.
The success of Fox News Channel lies in its preaching to a choir it created for its own self-aggrandizement. Like the faceless voice from 1984, Fox News Channel pushes a far Right-wing agenda as part of its “news” delivery by consistently sticking to simple talking points. A media outlet having a pronounced and obvious ideological bent isn’t new, but FNC has taken it to new heights (or depths, depending on your perspective). It’s become the most popular cable news channel by delivering “news” in a way that confirms the fears and prejudices of an older, rural demographic who choose not to get their information from other sources.
WE ARE AT WAR WITH OCEANIA. WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AT WAR WITH OCEANIA….
Without Fox News Channel, there would be no Tea Party, which needed a media outlet willing to provide free advertising and ideological support in order to grow and thrive. FNC whipped the suggestible, ignorant, and malleable hordes into a frenzy of rage and hatred. By hewing to an arch-conservative ideology that speaks to birthers, conspiracy theorists, racists, xenophobes, and misogynists, FNC become the propaganda arm of both the Republican and Tea parties.
We’ve become a reactionary nation, in large part due to the fruit borne of Fox News Channel’s commitment to mixing news and propaganda so as to make one indistinguishable from the other. And we’re poorer for it.
