Let the World See What True Hatred and Stupidity Look Like
In response to this surreal discussion begun by Rupert Murdoch, a dear friend writes: The world will be better when he isn’t influencing it.
That’s certainly true in the main, but now he’s so senile that he’s made a laughing stock of himself. In all, I think this is very good for the world to see, i.e., what unvarnished hatred and bigotry really look like.
It’s not unlike the presence of the true anti-environmental idiots in the U.S. Congress, e.g., Jim Inhofe, who, by virtue of the asinine things that pour out of their mouths, do their causes far more harm than good.
Regrettably, this man leaves a bitter and poisonous legacy in his wake – a “media and entertainment” company masquerading as a news service.
At the risk of being labeled a “conspiracy theorist,” allow me to point out (as was firmly recognized by Teddy Roosevelt, Adam Smith, and many other notables across human history) that “capital organizes.”
The wealthy interests at the “top” of our society – and who exert massive and undue influence in all areas of human endeavor – have no interest in a critically thinking and imaginative population over which to rule. Instead they encourage ignorance and demand obedience and conformity.
This is why the regular consumers of “Fox News” are shown not only to be more ignorant and misled on a whole range of issues, but actually grow more ignorant and misled over time with increased exposure. This well-researched and demonstrated fact puts me in mind of a quote by Samuel Foote, a British actor and dramatist of the mid 1700’s, “He is not only dull himself, but the cause of dullness in others.”
Rupert Murdoch and others like him are not interested in providing a public service to circulate crucial and valuable truths. They are instead intent on luring humanity into a snare of illusion and deceit, to preserve and expand their own political power and their own personal financial gain.
Regarding the effects of “Fox News” on its viewers… Examine the study referenced here:
http://publicmind.fdu.edu/2011/knowless/
Further, A study by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs, as published in the Winter 03-04 issue of the Political Science Quarterly, reported that poll-based findings indicated that viewers of Fox News, the Fox Broadcasting Company and local Fox affiliates were more likely than viewers of other news networks to hold three misperceptions that were repeatedly and continually professed across that network:
• 67% of Fox viewers believed that the “U.S. has found clear evidence in Iraq that Saddam Hussein was working closely with the al Qaeda terrorist organization” (Compared with 56% for CBS, 49% for NBC, 48% for CNN, 45% for ABC, 16% for NPR/PBS).
• The belief that “The U.S. has found Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq” was held by 33% of Fox viewers and only 23% of CBS viewers, 19% for ABC, 20% for NBC, 20% for CNN and 11% for NPR/PBS
• 35% of Fox viewers believed that “the majority of people [in the world] favor the U.S. having gone to war” with Iraq. (Compared with 28% for CBS, 27% for ABC, 24% for CNN, 20% for NBC, 5% for NPR/PBS)
Additionally, PIPA conducted a statistical study on misinformation evidenced by registered voters prior to the 2010 election. According to the results of the study, “…false or misleading information is widespread in the general information environment…” but viewers of “Fox News” were far more likely to be misinformed on specific issues when compared to viewers of comparable media. The study revealed this likelihood increased proportionally to the frequency of viewing “Fox News,” and that these findings are statistically significant.
Incidentally, a study just revealed not long ago that watching Sponge Bob Squarepants actually lowers your kid’s IQ. At least Sponge Bob doesn’t try to pass himself off as an authority on reality.