Sunday, August 13, 2017

Fox News deserves some of the blame for Charlottesville tragedy

I generally try to keep my blog focused on matters of religious right propaganda and how they are used to dehumanize the LGBTQ community. But the situation in Charlottesville is something I can't stay away from.  When tragedies like this happen, I don't like to include my voice in an already noisy din of talking and words unless I have something to say which would add to the discussion.

And in this case, I do. I have a few words and a short video to show.

Fox News deserves some of the blame for the violence.  In the eight years of the Obama Administration, personalities operating under the guise of "fair and balanced" stroked racist lies and tensions about our first black president. From lies about his birth certificate, slyly claiming that his Administration turns an eye to black people committing federal crimes, to lying that he is "apologizing for America," claiming that he hates America, to even calling out the condiments he puts on a sandwich, Fox News cultivated a scenario which sent a message to White America that their country was supposedly being taken away from them.

And it just wasn't with Obama.  In so many other ways, Fox News gave aid and comfort to bigoted stereotypes and hid behind "free speech" and "fighting political correctness" when called to the carpet about it.

Fires, both figurative and literal, are never started by themselves. Someone is always there exploiting and instigating. And, in the case of Fox News, playing innocent when the fire burns out of control.  Don't let them get away with it. I implore you.