Like most people, I seek out news that helps reaffirm my sense that there is much injustice. These news outlets then do just that -- reaffirm my sense that there is much injustice. Then, bap bap bap, my mind is off and ruminating. Clearly, this is dysfunctional. I should engage with both sides of an issue. Right? I should watch news outlets that fully argue perspectives that are the opposite of mine. Right? Its just that simple Right? Well... Its not so simple. Let me explain why.
For me, the best example of the "other side" would be Fox news. The problem is that Fox does not represent "the other side" in good faith. The most recent and glaring example of this is Tucker Carlson. Recently, he aired footage of people behaving peacefully in the Capital building. He then stated that this was proof that the Jan 6th insurrection was a lie. Obviously, he has seen the footage of MAGA supporters smashing their way into the capital. He has also seen them injure the capital police and chant "hang Mike Pence."
People such at Tucker Carlson throw a monkey wrench in the listen-to-both-sides philosophy, because they don't care about reason or evidence. Their goal is not to express what they truly believe. Instead, their goals are to create anger, fear and controversy, which they can then parlay into ratings and wealth. Tucker Carlson is just one person, but he embodies the spirit of our time -- a spirit that is moving away from democratic ideals towards a nihilistic emphasis on obtaining raw power.
Over the last few decades, power has steadily flowed from the many (the middle class) to the few (the uberwealthy). In particular, the uberwealthy have steadily increased their ability to direct money from corporations towards supporting most politicians. Naturally, this has left politicians beholden to corporations in order to retain their office and power. As a result, most members of congress advocate for laws that favor corporations and increase their profits. That might be fine, if everyone who worked and invested in the corporations benefited equally from these laws, but this is not the case.
Primarily, it's the CEO's and other top officials who benefit from these laws. Secondarily, it's the stockholders -- most of whom don't work for the corporations. Lastly, it's the poor and middle class who actually do the work for the corporation. How many times in recent years have corporations laid of the masses to maintain value for the stockholders? How many times have CEO's damaged their companies stock but walked away from their position with a golden parachute? Advocating for "corporate rights" has become code for transferring wealth and power to the uberwealthy.
The tendency for corporations to undermine democracy is tragically under reported. This is unsurprising, because with few exceptions, it is corporations that control the news. This brings me back to Fox news and Tucker Carlson. Recent court filings in the Dominion's lawsuit against Fox revealed how Tucker really felt about the claims of election fraud. In his private text messages, he characterized the idea of voter fraud in the 2020 election as crazy. At the same time, he called for the firing of a Fox news reporter who publicly acknowledged there was no fraud. His concern was that her accurate reporting of the facts might harm Fox's stock. This makes me wonder if Tucker owns significant amount of stock in Fox. Perhaps that might be an interesting subject for another blog.
I think I will end here and write more on this blog tomorrow -- wherever my mind takes me, For now the paddle ball inside my head is quiet.
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