I have, of late, through no choice of my own been subjected to hours upon painful hours of Fox "news". Were I to list everything about this network that disturbed me, I would be writing a novel as opposed to a blog, so I'll spare you the discomfort.
The individual who has so unknowingly caused me to suffer the torment of faux news (thanks Chris Dennett!) is someone that I care for and regard highly. Someone who is from a different time, who believes that news should be news should be news. She watches this channel every morning. At first I asked myself "why? Why would anyone want to watch this? And if she's watching this, does she believe it?" I have to believe that the people who prescribe to what I liberally (yuck yuck) call the "Fox News Melodramas" have to have some idea that this is all the equivalent of a really poorly written soap opera, should anyone believe that there were such a thing as a poorly written soap opera.
See, the thing is, I'm a chronic optimist. I know that those of you who know me well are rolling on the floor in hysterics right now, but seriously. Cynical? Yes. But there has always been this part of me that always assumes that things, eventually will turn out OK; that everyone eventually will wake up and realize that whether it's liberal or conservative, the media tends toward fiction at best and licentiousness at worst.
I believe that the problem stems from our tendency as humans to look for confirmation of what we already believe. I myself am not immune to this practice. An example: I hate Oliver Cromwell. I know. Everyone gasp. In my opinion, however remarkable his military genius, he was a bigot and a bully. So I go to the library looking for historical information on Mr. Cromwell. No particular reason, just curious about the life of this person whose memory (having never had the pleasure) I despise.
Once arrived I find three books, all biographies, two of which are celebrating his achievements in England. I don't want this. I want grit. I want to hear someone echo the point of view I've already chosen. Cromwell: the slayer of my Irish ancestors. The man who rode into Ireland and slaughtered men, women, and children just for being Irish. So I choose the only one of the three books that has any mention of his devastation of Ireland (in the synopsis of course) entitled Cromwell: An Illustrated History. The author is one Helen Litton. I take it home, I dive right in...I read a bit about his life...OK. Fine. Everyone has a life. I read a little about his religious tolerance.....k.
Then, at last, we get to Ireland. Finally! Vindication! Death and dismemberment at the hands of the round heads....What I wasn't counting on, was this little piece of information that popped out at me.
Cromwell shared the prejudices of most of his countrymen. He did not see the Irish as human beings on a level with himself; they were much lower on the scale, and were not necessarily to be treated as civilized enemies, by the accepted rules of war (Litton, pg 48)
....ok...so what does one say when one has suddenly confronted the fact that the actions of an individual who has been so long demonized in one's opinion may not stem from some deep rooted evil. They stem from the upbringing of a narrow and intolerant society; that my disapproval, while not necessarily undeserved, may have rested wholly on the wrong individual instead of giving credit to the intolerance, bigotry, and misinformation that popular society and the media had projected upon the people with whom I so deeply sympathize.....
Point? I come back to Fox News. Pick an issue. Any issue. The "mosque" that's not really a mosque at all. The widespread broadcast of the protest for the "mosque" that is to be built "at ground zero" two blocks away, amid other already existing mosques. The interview, broadcast on Fox News, that shows a construction worker opposed to the "mosque" saying that it would be dangerous for any outside worker to try and build that "mosque" in Union Town USA.
I feel like this is a parallel. We watch our news stations with blind faith, trusting that they're going to give us good information, upon which we can direct our moral compasses. When instead, we picket, we protest, we deprive, and we turn our backs on a founding principal of this country. Freedom. Freedom of religion to be specific. At what point do we walk into the Middle East and cut down every man, woman, and child simply because they're Middle Eastern and aren't fit to be considered on the same level of humanity as we?...wait....
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Inaugural Blog
I'm sorry this had to be my inaugural blog, but I feel like I can't keep it in anymore.
I was sitting here at my computer looking at my Facebook (I was supposed to be researching the connection between eating disorders and culture/gender) and I read yet another slam on Obama. I want to clarify, for both my conservative and liberal friends, I don't care what you think of Obama. I voted for him, I support my choice, but as anyone who truly knows me knows, I don't care that other people don't like him, and I think it's your right to speak your mind. This criticism in and of itself is not the main topic of this blog.
This particular blog is devoted to the small mindedness, the 'our way or the highway', the close minded, the propaganda perpetuating people who refuse to look further than the end of their noses, and yet insist on not just voicing their opinions, but throwing them in your face. These are the people who call you names when you disagree (something my mother has always told me signaled the end of a valid argument and the beginning of a cozy conversation with an unreceptive brick wall). These are the people that tell you 'if you don't like it, leave'.
I've had enough. I'm full to the brim with close minded, backwater statements. Someone from Canada once told me 'you know, it's funny. Canadians, in general, know a lot about America. Americans, however, don't know anything about Canada.' I find this statement in general to be true. I also think that it illustrates a very valid point.
We, as a nation, care only about ourselves. I mean this in a few different ways. Firstly, we care only about ourselves as individuals. This can be evidenced by the deplorable way we care for our destitute, our elderly, and our disadvantaged. As of 2007, 1% of the population (this group is made up of the wealthy) controlled 34.6% of all the privately held wealth in America. The next group, managers, professionals, and small business owners, accounting for 19% of the population, controlled 50% of privately held wealth (Who Rules America, UCSC). What this means, in simple math, is that 20% of our population controls 84.6% of our wealth....Take a moment....process it....it's disgusting.
Now, I'm currently a student along with my husband. When we leave school, we hope to obtain well paid positions in our relative fields. I'm a product of a capitalist system, and want to live comfortably without financial worry, but this particular statistic saddens me. In this country children, that's right children, make up 39% of our poor. And yet, we sit on our computers, reading articles about this person's new so-many-million dollar mansion. We follow Britney Spears on her 'retail therapy' shopping trips.
Secondly, we're selfish politically. Republicans hate Democrats. Democrats hate Republicans. I am liberal, and if I recall correctly, I registered Democrat when I registered to vote. This shouldn't be a surprise. However, I agree that we need to address illegal immigration. Ooo, I shall expect my Democratic expulsion letter any day. In this country, the Limbaughs and the Olbermanns encourage us to delineate ourselves by our political parties. This my friends is why this country is going, and will continue to go in circles where it concerns social reform.
I'm seeing in the media an exodus of sorts. People are moving from one party to the other. This seems to be primarily Republican. I know my conservative friends probably assume I'm rejoicing in the new found support of my 'party' but I'm not. What I'm really happy for is that people are starting to think, and to analyze their beliefs. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican, as long as you're thinking. I personally will register Independent this time. Their going to have to work for my vote.
My biggest issue with this country at this point is how we're moving socially. My Grandfather fought in World War II. He sacrificed, and he gave to his country. He also had an alcohol problem. Correlation? No one will ever know for sure now as he's been gone some 16 years. However, it was his firm belief, and thus imparted to me, that he fought so that we as Americans could have the freedom to express our dissonance. I certainly have here, and I'm sorry if what I've said has offended anyone, but I'm not sorry I said it because it's how I feel. So should I feel free to show myself the door at this point? Because I feel like my country, the country I was born into and taught to love, has in my opinion some things to work on? For those of you that answered yes, I have this simple statement. It's my final argument, and the end of my point, and it is this; go to hell. I'm American. I support my troops without supporting the bureaucratic, mess of a war that they're fighting to further a few people's political agendas. I value the freedom that I have to voice this opinion, and will continue doing so, emphatically. Feel free at any point to take your oppressive, totalitarian, tyrannical attitudes directly to the place you're suggesting I take myself to, and enjoy yourself. You're among friends.
Thoughtfully yours,
Clarissa P.
P.S. Socialism and Communism are different. Look it up. Please.
I was sitting here at my computer looking at my Facebook (I was supposed to be researching the connection between eating disorders and culture/gender) and I read yet another slam on Obama. I want to clarify, for both my conservative and liberal friends, I don't care what you think of Obama. I voted for him, I support my choice, but as anyone who truly knows me knows, I don't care that other people don't like him, and I think it's your right to speak your mind. This criticism in and of itself is not the main topic of this blog.
This particular blog is devoted to the small mindedness, the 'our way or the highway', the close minded, the propaganda perpetuating people who refuse to look further than the end of their noses, and yet insist on not just voicing their opinions, but throwing them in your face. These are the people who call you names when you disagree (something my mother has always told me signaled the end of a valid argument and the beginning of a cozy conversation with an unreceptive brick wall). These are the people that tell you 'if you don't like it, leave'.
I've had enough. I'm full to the brim with close minded, backwater statements. Someone from Canada once told me 'you know, it's funny. Canadians, in general, know a lot about America. Americans, however, don't know anything about Canada.' I find this statement in general to be true. I also think that it illustrates a very valid point.
We, as a nation, care only about ourselves. I mean this in a few different ways. Firstly, we care only about ourselves as individuals. This can be evidenced by the deplorable way we care for our destitute, our elderly, and our disadvantaged. As of 2007, 1% of the population (this group is made up of the wealthy) controlled 34.6% of all the privately held wealth in America. The next group, managers, professionals, and small business owners, accounting for 19% of the population, controlled 50% of privately held wealth (Who Rules America, UCSC). What this means, in simple math, is that 20% of our population controls 84.6% of our wealth....Take a moment....process it....it's disgusting.
Now, I'm currently a student along with my husband. When we leave school, we hope to obtain well paid positions in our relative fields. I'm a product of a capitalist system, and want to live comfortably without financial worry, but this particular statistic saddens me. In this country children, that's right children, make up 39% of our poor. And yet, we sit on our computers, reading articles about this person's new so-many-million dollar mansion. We follow Britney Spears on her 'retail therapy' shopping trips.
Secondly, we're selfish politically. Republicans hate Democrats. Democrats hate Republicans. I am liberal, and if I recall correctly, I registered Democrat when I registered to vote. This shouldn't be a surprise. However, I agree that we need to address illegal immigration. Ooo, I shall expect my Democratic expulsion letter any day. In this country, the Limbaughs and the Olbermanns encourage us to delineate ourselves by our political parties. This my friends is why this country is going, and will continue to go in circles where it concerns social reform.
I'm seeing in the media an exodus of sorts. People are moving from one party to the other. This seems to be primarily Republican. I know my conservative friends probably assume I'm rejoicing in the new found support of my 'party' but I'm not. What I'm really happy for is that people are starting to think, and to analyze their beliefs. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican, as long as you're thinking. I personally will register Independent this time. Their going to have to work for my vote.
My biggest issue with this country at this point is how we're moving socially. My Grandfather fought in World War II. He sacrificed, and he gave to his country. He also had an alcohol problem. Correlation? No one will ever know for sure now as he's been gone some 16 years. However, it was his firm belief, and thus imparted to me, that he fought so that we as Americans could have the freedom to express our dissonance. I certainly have here, and I'm sorry if what I've said has offended anyone, but I'm not sorry I said it because it's how I feel. So should I feel free to show myself the door at this point? Because I feel like my country, the country I was born into and taught to love, has in my opinion some things to work on? For those of you that answered yes, I have this simple statement. It's my final argument, and the end of my point, and it is this; go to hell. I'm American. I support my troops without supporting the bureaucratic, mess of a war that they're fighting to further a few people's political agendas. I value the freedom that I have to voice this opinion, and will continue doing so, emphatically. Feel free at any point to take your oppressive, totalitarian, tyrannical attitudes directly to the place you're suggesting I take myself to, and enjoy yourself. You're among friends.
Thoughtfully yours,
Clarissa P.
P.S. Socialism and Communism are different. Look it up. Please.
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