One of my main frustrations with the state of politics is the absolute absurdity of it all. This absurdity is not any one persons fault (although the man in the picture above deserves a lot of the blame). It is not entirely our fault as consumers, nor is it entirely the fault of the media. We all have a part to blame in turning our political culture into one of absurdity (Jon Stewart tried to warn us). We owe it to ourselves and our country to be more critical when we consume information. Especially as we live through an age where information and misinformation, are not only more available than ever before, they are impossible to avoid. Through a critical lens, we will be able to reclaim our sanity when consuming information.
In 21st century America, everything is about entertainment for us. We have lost our ability to just be mindless for a few seconds. We took our material consumer culture, made it digital, and found a new way to make our brains consumers. You may not know it, but you crave information. We are constantly scrolling twitter or facebook seeing information flash across our screens. Don’t feel guilty, consuming information isn’t the bad part. What’s bad is our ability to differentiate between what is factual and what is fictional, what is productive and what is misleading, and what are the intentions of the information. Too often, we are drawn to what is interesting, fun, or exciting, rather than what is correct, productive or informative. We must be better, in order to rebuild a climate of knowledge, rather than the current climate of reaction.
Politics are supposed to be boring. Cable news networks have made it not so. We are constantly flooded with “the end is near” type analysis from all sides that is mostly not genuine, fear mongering, aimed at making us tune in for more info about whatever is on the docket for that show and advertisers. Depending on what show you watch, you may end up afraid that Democrats are going to take away your right to say “Merry Christmas,” a migrant caravan from Central America is full of criminals ready to invade and commit crimes, or communism is one election away from seizing all your personal goods. Obviously, none of this is true. Companies have a right to acknowledge the holidays anyway they please and in behooves them to be inclusive. It’s just good business. Secondly, migrant caravans are not “invading.” They are mostly people forced out of their homes, or people looking for more opportunities elsewhere. This may sound familiar to your own ancestral stories. Finally, not even the most socially democratic members of congress want to privatize the entire industry of the U.S.. I find that most people sharing memes on Facebook don’t have the slightest idea of what communism and democratic socialism are nor do they understand the impact of capitalism in America today. I digress.
I may have gone hard on Fox News and right wing talking points there. On their best day, Fox News is a hypocritical conservative news outlet. No different then their counterparts for sure. Chuck Todd from NBC though Hillary Clinton was “too prepared” during one of the debates in 2016 (in hindsight, over-preparedness sounds great in these times). However, on their worst day, Fox News is purposefully misinforming their viewers. Some of these can be abhorrent and racist, like the Obama birther conspiracy, also parroted by President Trump. During times like these, they can be deadly as well. Look no further than the “miracle cure” hydroxychloroquine. Fox News was trumpeting the malaria drug while actual doctors were advising to only take it under extreme circumstances under the supervision of a doctor. I’m under the impression that nobody, should ever, under any circumstances, watch Fox News in order to figure out what is actually going on in the country and the world. I would not watch it even for entertainment reasons, but entertainment is up to y’all. I don’t care how you get your kicks.
Fox News and their blatant dishonesty, combined with other media outlets going for entertainment over preparedness, looking at you again Chuck Todd, has left us needing to be more critical with what we are consuming for news. We cannot allow our short attention spans and need to consume entertainment get in the way of our democratic values. Here are a few things we can do.
Know What you are Consuming. If you are getting your news from memes, try again. You have to be better. If you are sharing from an unverified account, find some corroboration. It is so important to take politics seriously at this moment in our history. We have a President who became elected partly due to a misinformation campaign from Russia. It didn’t have to work. Instead of blindly sharing memes about “Hillary’s emails.” You could have read an article about how she voluntarily testified for hours in front of a Republican controlled congress and was determined to have done nothing wrong. Remember, actual reporting still exists, and is actually informative. If you want to scream fake news at the NYT, Washington Post, or CNN, those screams are misplaced. If you open an opinion page, take it for what it is, an opinion. Yours is as good as theirs if you have supporting factual evidence.
Read over Watch. This may come down to personal preference but I always prefer to read rather than watch the news. Reading the news rather than watching it, requires more of your attention. TV demands your attention. Of course there can be sensationalized written work, but you are reading it in your own voice at your own pace, rather than that being dictated to you. This can allow you to be more critical. (As the world of sports journalism “pivots to video” I am continually frustrated.)
Find an Additional Source. Is it being said in multiple places in the same manner? Are those places all near the apex of the pyramid in the “media bias chart” I placed above? If so, you’re good! What you are consuming is factual. With politics it’s even easier. Every single candidate running for office has a website where they are telling you where they stand on the issues. You don’t even need those stances run through the corporate media washing machine. Also, Congressional records and court cases are all public. If a candidate is saying they want to do something, but have voted the opposite or are litigating the opposite, you can actually see that. For long term politicians, this may be problematic as the landscape has evolved over the years. use your own discretion for that.
Take it Serious. Politics isn’t a joke. Our democracy isn’t something to take for granted. Don’t share misinformed political memes. Write your own thoughts after doing a little bit of research. You may find out that you are being either duped, distracted, lied to, or misinformed. Zuckerberg, Murdoch, and other media executives aren’t going to keep you safe from it. They only care about eyes and clicks on their sites and networks. Use platforms like Facebook for good discourse and actual news sharing. Be honest with yourself because they will not be honest with you.
Defend the Truth. One of the great ironies of the current political climate, is having the head of the “Constitutional Conservative” Republican party constantly scream “Fake News” and call the media “the enemy of the people.” Freedom of the press was so important to the founding fathers they mentioned it as one of the first “rights” in the Bill of Rights. The President does not like to be held accountable by the press when that is their job. If you aren’t acting in the best interest of the people, they will let the people know. That’s why freedom of the press exists. The president has only found friends with Fox News and OAN (OAN is One America News network and it makes Fox News look like CNBC) because they play nice with him. Even local reporters are not immune to this culture of hatred for the media that the President has enabled. It should worry you. The President doesn’t believe in facts or science and would rather use conspiracy theories to back up policy, than actual information.
The 60 minutes interview linked in the sentence before should serve as severe warning enough. Our own lack of critical thinking and ability to sift through dishonesty combined with our need to consume entertainment at all times, got us a failed trust fund baby turned reality TV star in the most important office on the planet. We have to be better people. Use all the platforms for good. Use your voice for good. Information have never been easier to find, don’t let the men behind the curtain confuse you.
Thank you for reading for the sake of democracy
John
She's Worth It 