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Who's fault the country is divided? You might be surprised. Or Not.
- Thread starter Twilight Hue
- Start date
The word for Rupert Murdoch is too indelicate to print here.
An opinion survey is fact?
The media's desire to sell ads by engendering fear and anger is certainly not an assembly of saints and contributes to the problem but not all of it does.
I've posted this before but here it is again and we can easily see that there are quite a few reliable and minimally biased media outlets.
The media's desire to sell ads by engendering fear and anger is certainly not an assembly of saints and contributes to the problem but not all of it does.
I've posted this before but here it is again and we can easily see that there are quite a few reliable and minimally biased media outlets.
mikkel_the_dane
My own religion
We do at least - most of us - get to choose which media to imbibe. If one is only looking at what tends to support one's beliefs, is that being honest with oneself? I tried to look at both sides for a while - only really in the UK since it might be tiresome to do it for much else - but eventually had to give up since it took too much time. Hence I settled on the more middle ground outlets.
Curious George
Veteran Member
Looking for black and white answers to complex issues rarely bears fruit.
Whose fault or who is at fault, or who has some fault...
I do not think you can find a very meaningful answer to this question. But I do not think you will find anyone who would hold that "the media" (a favorite scapegoat or buzzword these days) has no responsibility. After all, "the media" impacts us. If we are offering vagueries, i am more fond of the cliche we have only ourselves to blame.
I am not surprised, Murdoch and other right wing media moguls dictating the content of the news have much to answer for. Its pretty much the same story in the UK and guess whos driving the media there???
Murdock
stvdv
Veteran Member
Americans !
PureX
Veteran Member
The media has long since realized that they can get more eyes and ears on the advertising, and so make more money, through peddling hyperbole than through peddling accurate, unbiased news. So yes, they are partly to blame.
But so is the republican party, that learned from Carl Rove that by spreading racist and sexist lies about their political opponents, they can get lots of bigots to run to the polls to vote against those opponents, and thereby, vote for your otherwise lousy candidates.
The first time Rove did this was in Texas, when he got the unpopular George W. Bush elected governor by distributing leaflets in church parking lots on Sunday mornings, falsely claiming that his opponent was a lesbian. The good Christians then ran to the polls to vote against her, and so, for Bush. It worked so well that later, when Bush ran against John McCain in the presidential primary, who was far more popular than Bush, Rove spread the lie all across the south that McCain was having sex with a black woman while his wife had cancer. And the racists ran to the polls to vote against McCain, and so for George W. Bush. And Bush won the primary. And the republicans have been using vicious slander against their opponents to get racists and bigots to vote for their own candidates, ever since. And in fact, they believe they cannot win elections without catering to these racists and bigots and firing them up to vote against their opponents, and so for the republicans without peddling hate and division. Which is why they have become the hate and division party. And why people like Fox Phony News and Rush Limbaugh joined their endless slander machine. Sadly, it works. The bigots watch the ads, and run to the polls; to express their disgust and vitriol. And the lies just keep on coming.
But so is the republican party, that learned from Carl Rove that by spreading racist and sexist lies about their political opponents, they can get lots of bigots to run to the polls to vote against those opponents, and thereby, vote for your otherwise lousy candidates.
The first time Rove did this was in Texas, when he got the unpopular George W. Bush elected governor by distributing leaflets in church parking lots on Sunday mornings, falsely claiming that his opponent was a lesbian. The good Christians then ran to the polls to vote against her, and so, for Bush. It worked so well that later, when Bush ran against John McCain in the presidential primary, who was far more popular than Bush, Rove spread the lie all across the south that McCain was having sex with a black woman while his wife had cancer. And the racists ran to the polls to vote against McCain, and so for George W. Bush. And Bush won the primary. And the republicans have been using vicious slander against their opponents to get racists and bigots to vote for their own candidates, ever since. And in fact, they believe they cannot win elections without catering to these racists and bigots and firing them up to vote against their opponents, and so for the republicans without peddling hate and division. Which is why they have become the hate and division party. And why people like Fox Phony News and Rush Limbaugh joined their endless slander machine. Sadly, it works. The bigots watch the ads, and run to the polls; to express their disgust and vitriol. And the lies just keep on coming.
Taking a hard look at the media is a good first step unless it -- as it inevitably will -- turns into a blanket condemnation of all media outlets. At that point, it plays right into the hands of other groups who folks should be taking an even harder look at. Feel free to make your own list of those groups, according to your understanding.
If I've learned anything in my old age, it's that almost no one accepts information except on their own terms. Even propaganda must be designed to be accepted on the terms of its intended audience.
Anyone who wants references and links can PM me. The gods help you if you are that desperate.
If I've learned anything in my old age, it's that almost no one accepts information except on their own terms. Even propaganda must be designed to be accepted on the terms of its intended audience.
Anyone who wants references and links can PM me. The gods help you if you are that desperate.
At least you've found someone to blame.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I think it has more to do with viewership that creates the division.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the highest ratings comes from media that has a reputation for far left or far right sensationalism and outright tabloid reporting.
That apparently is whom people listen to the most, and whom I blame for much of the division.
The elimination of the fairness doctrine by Ronald Reagan also started the swift downfall and corruption of journalistic integrity to the point we see now.
This is a reasonable conclusion and I tend to agree even though I do not have the numbers in front of me. Outrage almost always sells out faster.
Well, we've always had political divisions and disagreements in this country. But we've also been able to overcome our differences and compromise for the sake of the country. But now, more and more people seem unwilling or unable to do that anymore.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I came across a synopsis of how all this came to be.
It Took Decades for America to Become This Divided
Murdoch is just one player....a big'n, but just one.
He didn't cause NPR to frighten liberals into believing
that Trump was Hitler. We have left & right wing media
all trying to echo chamber the consumer.
mikkel_the_dane
My own religion
Now that is a fairly good piece.
He's not the only player but not being american i can only go of experience and that experience does not include npr but it does include Murdoch
We have a vast array of news media across the spectrum.
Murdoch isn't the problem at all. It's consumers who limit
themselves to bias confirming sources. Wanna love Trump?
There are sources. Wanna hate Trump? There are sources.