Is Fox “State-Run News?”

 

I have a lot of liberal friends. I do not discuss politics with them, because I value their friendship, and I know how they would respond. I keep them on my Facebook page because I like to keep up with their families and so on, but also I am fascinated by their political posts. Firstly, my liberal friends tend to post a lot of political material, whereas my conservative friends rarely do. Secondly, I’m constantly amazed by the content of my liberal friends’ posts.

My friend “Bob” grew up middle-class. Both of his parents were teachers. Bob went on to earn a Ph.D. in some type of chemistry and apparently is very good at it, because he started his own consulting firm, and has made millions in pharmaceuticals. He is extremely progressive. My point is, his background is similar to mine, he’s very hardworking, and he’s extremely intelligent. So I find posts such as the following to be fascinating, considering the source:

Donald Trump is afraid to answer questions from the press. He only wants to answer softball questions from the state-run media: Fox. He works for us. He will answer to us, sooner or later.

OK, so an Obama supporter is criticizing President Trump for not taking unscripted questions from the press. That’s amazing.

Then, he suggests that Fox News is “state-run media.” I’m of the view that Fox News is more populist than it is conservative, but it is most certainly not statist.

Then, he points out that Mr. Trump (who he has repeatedly said is “#notmypresident” in previous posts) actually “works for all of us.” Well, which is it?

Then, he ominously intones that President Trump “will answer to us, sooner or later,” as if he’s an elitist monarch who refuses to speak to the little people, instead of a loudmouth who seemingly can’t shut up or stop Tweeting.

Again, Bob is brilliant. In chemistry, at least. Which means he is a genius at logic and deductive reasoning. So how is his political thought so delusional? Or even, dare I say it, stupid? I’m not saying I disagree with him — that’s not the point. I’m saying he doesn’t make any sense.

And why is he not just openly delusional, but stridently delusional? It seems that those who make the least sense yell the loudest. Not a new observation, I know, but it seems odd coming from Bob, a man of such towering intellect.

As a devout Christian, I understand the power of faith. And I admire people of faith, who understand that there may be some things they don’t understand but are true nonetheless. So you could argue that Bob is simply a man of faith who is not a slave to logical thinking. I guess.

But this seems different to me. Very different.

How can someone who is so good at logical thinking be so bad at logical thinking? And so proud of it?

Published in General
This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 64 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    David Foster (View Comment):

    EJHill (View Comment):
    No, building a re-election strategy is not “how it starts.” Seizing the means of communication, shutting down opposition newspapers and broadcasters, limiting free speech, confiscating guns, using the power of the police state to intimidate and harass your political opponents… those are their ideas. And that’s how it starts.

    But a would-be totalitarian group can’t use the power of the state until it gains control of the state. And it often gains such power thru violence..private violence, not yet state-sponsored violence…against opposition groups.

    German Nazis were beating up political opponents long before Germany had a Nazi government. (So were the Communists beating up their political opponents, but the Nazis won)

    Considering the role bureaucrats play in modern American governance, and how that’s playing out in the FBI, I’m not convinced fascists/progressives haven’t gained control of the state.  Combine that with domination of mass media, including most news media, and you have cover for the violence conducted on their behalf.

    We’re well past the Reichstag fire — Trump represents freedom-loving people’s no-holds-barred push to regain control.

    • #61
  2. I Walton Member
    I Walton
    @IWalton

    HeavyWater (View Comment):

    I Walton (View Comment):

    TBA (View Comment):

    I Walton (View Comment):

    It seems hard working serious people, especially those who studied stem are busy and distracted and without the historical cultural background that we used to take for granted. They get their information and views on these matters by osmosis from the –yep– state run media and peers. There’s no easy fix. Certainly not argument or correction. Only gutting the administrative state, the educational bureaucracy and somehow changing our institutions of higher learning to institutions of higher learning. There is a First Things article last month contrasting liberal arts departments with STEM. The latter is vibrant and well funded. Liberal arts are just dying as the cultural marxists gut them. The problem is those stem student take a course or two in Liberal Arts and have peers from them. It’s a disease that takes root among those ignorant of the richness of our cultural heritage.

    Don’t forget to blame K-12. Used to be that much of our cultural heritage was taught there.

    Always at the top of my list. We’d be better of if we just did away with public schools entirely.

    I listened to a recent podcast featuring Jonah Goldberg. Goldberg mentioned that he lives in Washington DC and he sends his one child to a private school. (The Washington DC public schools aren’t very good at all.)

    But Goldberg says that even in his child’s private school, the teachers still tend to teach the “America is bad” version of history to the students.

    This is a tough issue to deal with.

       “A tough issue to deal with?” worse, it can’t be fixed.    They must be replaced and only a real market and time will replace them.  Choice, i.e. markets take time to adjust to optimum outcomes but they do, and keep doing it.  Our private schools are not really part of a market, they’re on the edge of the guild and can’t ignore it nor the rules that get one into the elite schools or get hired as a k-12 teacher anywhere.   It must be replaced then  existing public and private schools would have to adjust to better choices parents, business, and universities begin to demand.  This takes time although when tiny New Zealand abolished the entire educational bureaucracy and allowed kids to go to any school in the nation, with the money following the kids, it took them only  few years to go from the bottom of the industrial world’s schools to just below Finland and Singapore.

    • #62
  3. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    I Walton (View Comment):
    This takes time although when tiny New Zealand abolished the entire educational bureaucracy and allowed kids to go to any school in the nation, with the money following the kids, it took them only few years to go from the bottom of the industrial world’s schools to just below Finland and Singapore.

    Interesting. Got a URL for that? 

    • #63
  4. GFHandle Member
    GFHandle
    @GFHandle

    I. M. Fine (View Comment):
    It’s a balance between logos (reason), pathos (emotion), and ethos (trust/credibility).

    And character, or reputation, was a big factor as I recall. So back to trust. If all the people you like and admire think X, then X must be true. Maybe that explains the Left’s obsession with ad hominem attacks. 

    • #64
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.