“Brainwashed by the military; Brainwashed under duress.
Brainwashed by the media; You’re brainwashed by the press.
Brainwashed by computer; Brainwashed by mobile phones.
Brainwashed by the satellite; Brainwashed to the bone.”
– song by George Harrison.
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | We have a divided nation, more so than any time since the Civil War. But George Harrison wrote his song Brainwashed many years ago.
At the time, we were spending more and more money on our military. We are spending much more now. We had biased media; it is clearly worse now. Certainly, what we read on computers and our cell phones is more targeted and biased than ever before. We are in trouble with no obvious way out.
I had a political conversation recently with a very close friend, a kind, compassionate and giving man. I have known him for years and like him tremendously. But, he supports Donald Trump, 100 percent, no questions asked. ,
He is a retired truck driver, a conservative, blue collar Maga guy. He also is on welfare, getting various services like housekeeping and meals on wheels. He barely makes ends meet.
When he drove his truck, I often rode with him. He would listen to right wing radio for hours on end. He would laugh when liberal callers would call in and the conservative host would hang up on them without answering their very relevant on point questions.
The right-wing radio entertainer did not really desire to have a serious conversation. He just wanted to insult people and make money playing to the brainwashed rubes in his audience. My friend knew this to be true, but it still influenced his attitudes toward political and social issues.
My buddy no longer drives a truck. But he still gets his fill of right ring propaganda by listening to Fox, OAN and Newsmax. So, the result is clear and nothing less than further brainwashing.
People like my friend do not believe facts as detailed on mainstream media. Instead, they believe in “alternate facts” as broadcasted by commentators on right wing outlets like Fox. These entertainers are not reporters. They are there to boost ratings, feeding the audience what it wants to hear, not seeking to provide the truth. They are unabashedly subjective in their statements and approach.
They have talking points which they repeat over and over… things like “woke,” “open borders,” “socialism” and “defund the police.” They have their own unique definition of these terms, stating that all progressives believe radical solutions must be jammed down the throats of Americans.
In their world, there are no nuances. Medicare is socialized health coverage for seniors, a primary audience for these people, but that is never mentioned. Neither is the fact that hardly any liberals want to just do away with police departments. Progressives desire better training and a rethinking of policing practices, not simply removing police presence in crime ridden areas.
Way back when, we had a federal “fairness doctrine” for broadcast media. President Reagan did away with it. Given that the GOP is employing the right wing media to boost alternate facts, I have little hope that our media will become truly fair and balanced (to use a term conservatives should understand) again.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Follow Us