Fox news has really torn a lot of families apart

[FM123]

(Article from New York Magazine)

It was somewhere around the 100th response that my brain turned to mush. Last week, I devoted an installment of my newsletter Welcome to Hell World to a dozen stories from people who, like me, had close relationships that had been strained or ruined by family members who’d become obsessed with Fox News.

No matter where the stories came from they all featured a few familiar beats: A loved one seemed to have changed over time. Maybe that person was already somewhat conservative to start. Maybe they were apolitical. But at one point or another, they sat down in front of Fox News, found some kind of deep, addictive comfort in the anger and paranoia, and became a different person — someone difficult, if not impossible, to spend time with. The fallout led to failed marriages and estranged parental relationships. For at least one person, it marks the final memory he’ll ever have of his father: “When I found my dad dead in his armchair, fucking Fox News was on the TV,” this reader told me. “It’s likely the last thing he saw. I hate what that channel and conservative talk radio did to my funny, compassionate dad. He spent the last years of his life increasingly angry, bigoted, and paranoid.”

Something about the piece struck a chord. It had gone viral, and wave after wave of frustrated and saddened Fox News orphans began to commiserate with me and with each other on Twitter and in my messages. Others wrote of similar phenomenon in Australia with the television channel Sky or in the U.K. with the tabloid Daily Mail. I heard from more than a hundred people who felt like they could relate to what they all seemed to think of as a kind of ideological brain poisoning. They chose Fox News over their family, people told me. They chose Fox News over me.
Read More:
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/i-gathered-stories-of-people-transformed-by-fox-news.html

[FM123]

1. One of their stories that really explained it well:

My father was always conservative. He wasn’t particularly interested in politics until his brother turned him on to Rush Limbaugh and conservative AM talk radio in the mid-nineties. His family was extremely racist going back generations, and I’ll go ahead and assume white racism finds a more welcoming home in the Republican Party than the Democratic Party, while I know that example is not absolute. Anyway, I regret ever showing him Fox News. I turned it on as a teenager and showed it to my parents as a goof. I was laughing at how irresponsible Bill O’Reilly acted on air as an anchor. My mother, a centrist Republican, thought it was funny. My Dad started watching regularly.

Soon it was the only programming he ingested other than talk radio. He became addicted to the anger. He thought if he was angry at all the “injustices” Fox News presented to him he must be righteous. He grew more irritable. He banned watching any news other than Fox News in his presence and failure to adhere would lead to abusive emotional outbursts. Soon he lost his sense of humor. Everything became about punching down at gays and minorities. Then he started making derisive comments about Democrats during family functions when it was considered inappropriate. He declared his favorite show was “The Five”, which then led to it being required viewing at our dinner time. If any real life occurrence interferes with him viewing “The Five” our family would be subjected to hours of screaming and cursing. He then became more paranoid, claiming that power or cable outages were a plot by the Democrats (who secretly control everything).

My mother had enough. Out of the blue, she filed for divorce. He was crushed, couldn’t understand why, and took comfort in drinking while watching his friends on TV. She is happier than I have ever seen her and he is sad and angry living in the basement of a rented house, still watching “The Five”, Tucker Carlson, Jeanine Pirro, etc.

Rupert Murdoch ruined my family and my country. If a genie gave me wishes I would hope his private plane crashes into the sea and every single person that works for Fox News gets trapped in the building and burns alive.

[Karadeniz]

3. Wow! I guess the man had hidden problems that normal societal conventions kept in check.

That must be what's going on with lots of people. Someone posted a video about the difference between sociopathy and psychopathy. She said psychopaths were born. Sociopaths were created. Society and one's upbringing matter.

[Mariana]

14. I guess the man had hidden problems that normal societal conventions kept in check.

Yes, he did. Just like everyone else.

One of the big problems I see is that the hosts of the RW radio and TV shows are so incredibly rude and nasty toward everyone who doesn't agree with what they say. Listeners/viewers are hearing/seeing this go on for hours and hours every single day. They don't realize these shows are performances, and come to believe this is how normal people act, that this behavior is acceptable in real life. At the same time, they're being encouraged to feel angry and fearful and persecuted. It makes for a very bad combination.

[patphil]

2. Fox news doesn't tear families apart

It's the people who listen to Fox news and embrace their lies and hatred that tear families apart.
What Fox news does is provide a means for the darkness within to come out...they legitimize it.

Patrick Phillips

[Niagara]

5. Hello

Welcome to DU

You should be wary about posting your real name and other sensitive information here because the same people who watch faux news have no problem doxing us publicly here at DU. I just want you to be aware of that.

[Blue_true]

12. You may want to stop using your name in posts.

People you know may see it and figure out who you are, some may be family or coworkers.

But welcome to DU.

[Archae]

4. I describe Faux "news" as a third worl sewer.

And the worst is "Fox and Friends."

The aer the stupidest bung on it.

[Crunchy Frog]

6. This issue was explored really well by the film "The Brainwashing of my Dad".

http://www.thebrainwashingofmydad.com/

There's numerous places online where you can watch it.

[FM123]

7. Just watched the clip, looks good!

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. I saw it. It was really good. nt

[mountain grammy]

8. There's no question Fox news had dumbed down America and raised the level of hatred

and white supremacy. What a damn sad state of affairs how easy this was. All it took was corporate control of the media.

[dlk]

9. Rupert Murdoch, with His Propaganda Empire, is the Essence of Evil

And he had help in the US from Ronald Reagan and his canal of enablers.

[leftyladyfrommo]

11. It sure has torn a lot of friendships apart. nt

[Blue_true]

13. I honestly don't know what to think of people that readily believe a lie.

Some people observe and/or try to find the truth. I have listened to Fox News loving people and always walk away thinking about how it could possibly be for people to have their head shoved so deep in the sand. What may be happening is the seeds for the darkness was already within those people and Fox News just caused them to sprout.