For years now I've been able to laugh off my grandparents, FOX News and brainwashed Republicans in general.
But my roommate's interaction with her parents changed things for me.
Her parents told her that they were scared. They were scared because something serious was underway in America, that a revolution was happening that threatened to destroy the entire country and that it was serious. They told her that Marxists were on the brink of pulling Biden to the Left, and that they were legitimately danger.
I usually laugh this off, but something struck me: they weren't angry, or grumpy, or bone-headed, like I usually imagine Republicans. They were legitimately afraid, and perceived themselves to truly be descending into a national emergency, one that FOX News has completely manufactured.
I used to laugh off people that said FOX is paving the way to Fascism, or Drumpf = Hitler. But I've come to comprehend that fear, not anger, was the driving motivator in Nazi Germany, and now understand that FOX is pumping sheer terror into the American public at levels only possible in modern society.
I don't really think FOX is a laughing matter anymore, because I begin to understand how an American public this afraid could condone Nazi Germany level atrocities under the impression that they were saving themselves.
deleted by creator
The answer is yes, but it's easier said than done. I need evidence for why each of the stories is propaganda, which takes a lot of work. I need evidence for why my evidence is reliable. I need to keep up with every latest propaganda story and repeat this process for each of them.
deleted by creator
It helps that this point applies just as much to the liberal news media as well ("Teens are drinking lighter fluid. Could YOUR kid be the next in the hospital? What YOU need to know!").
Yeah, that's a good point. They can't refute my point as the "liberal agenda" if I'm coming at it from a purely anti-consumption angle.
And it eternally works on all of it too. If you debunk today's Fox stories they'll tune in tomorrow and get 10 more. Debate nerd shit never works in real life because it's faster to bullshit than it is to fight bullshit.