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MSNBC is a Cult

Old Bathos
@OldBathos
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As one of the 99.9% of Americans who never or rarely ever watch MSNBC, my viewing habits were unaffected by the reports of the hissy fits triggered by the hiring and then firing of a failed RNC chairwoman. The pull of bias at MSNBC has so completely collapsed into itself like a cognitive black hole that there is not even room for a token punching bag RINO on staff.

I used to tune in occasionally. I was interviewed by Chris Matthews regarding a topical issue way back when the network was brand new, back when he was still using a blue-collar, regular-guy Democrat persona based on his former staff work for Tip O’Neill. That version of Chris Matthews disappeared into the bias black hole long ago.

At his peak, Rush Limbaugh’s audience was 20-40 times larger than any show on MSNBC. Limbaugh and Fox News provided content and a viewpoint that was not available in the media echo chambers online, in print, or on the air. The appeal was because it offered a substantive challenge to the prevailing intellectually lazy, leftish orthodoxy.

In stark contrast, MSNBC is itself a circling of the wagons against any challenge to that orthodoxy, presenting highly distilled versions of The Narrative often using some deeply pathetic presenters and “experts”. Limbaugh’s audience was forced to listen to the other side from many outlets all day and welcomed support for the resistance he led, glad that a debate was undertaken and appreciative of the sheer novelty of common-sense pushback. MSNBC literally wants to prevent such debate. The use of caricature, fear, an aversion to disobedient facts, and a strange common smugness create a well-defined but small and self-limited audience. It is a cult that thinks it is speaking to the nation.

The weird thing is that a show in which articulate conservatives and non-zombie liberals conducted respectful, focused debates with informative interviews of real experts could probably double or triple MSNBC’s net audience in the evening slots; even allowing for the departure of most of their bubble-dwelling regulars, who would be triggered, offended and horrified. But there is a greater probability of LGBTQ+ concerns being debated on Saudi or Iranian news channels than such an event happening on MSNBC.

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Discussion (56)

  • DonG (CAGW is a Scam)@DonG
    Old Bathos (View Post):
    The use of caricature, fear, an aversion to disobedient facts and a strange common smugness create a well-defined but small and self-limited audience. It is a cult that thinks it is speaking to the nation.

    One feature of a cult (or a Marxist) is that hypocrisy is common as their stated principles are not their principles. MSNBC hosts say they cannot have political partisan like RRM, but gladly have Jen Psaki. Or, they are not a cult and are just obedient propagandists. Either way, you don't hate corporate media enough.

    A test case is the RFK campaign. Leftist media will hate him, if he challenges their power. Will they hate him when his VP has $100Million to spend on advertising??

  • Full Size Tabby@FullSizeTabby

    MSNBC did have Hugh Hewitt on in 2017-18 (though on Saturday morning, not a prime time), and Hugh appeared on various NBC programs until 2021. Apparently NBC stopped inviting him to appear. I guess the NBC people aren't interested in appealing to anyone not already in the bubble. (See a column by John Schroeder Wednesday on Hugh's website about the bubble.)

  • Old Bathos@OldBathos
    ReplyingtoFull Size Tabby

    Full Size Tabby (View Comment):

    MSNBC did have Hugh Hewitt on in 2017-18 (though on Saturday morning, not a prime time), and Hugh appeared on various NBC programs until 2021. Apparently NBC stopped inviting him to appear. I guess the NBC people aren’t interested in appealing to anyone not already in the bubble. (See a column by John Schroeder Wednesday on Hugh’s website about the bubble.)

    Schroder made good points:

    The Left has become unsupportable. Their hatred alone disqualifies them from serious consideration, but that aside, as we have discussed here endlessly, their stances have become so radical that they are untenable. They fly in the face of reality – from pandemic policies that shuttered religious practice to forcing us into EVs – they have grown completely out-of-touch with reality. The presence of a realist, which is all being on the right means anymore, threatens the misshapen world in which they think they reside. Put simply Ronna McDaniel was a threat and they reacted like a cornered animal.

    Ronna McDaniel will be, I think, fine. This incident should do nothing but polish her cred at someplace like Fox. I think she is smart enough not to take the utter bile that poured forth from the MSNBC crowd personally. But I worry about all those MSNBC haters. All they have accomplished here is they have increased their isolation, thus increasing their bitterness. They will crow about victory, but they alone will look at what has happened and see victory.

  • Gossamer Cat@GossamerCat

    I guess NBC hasn't learned from Netflix and others that it is better to ignore employee vapors than give into then. Especially with one of those absolutely insufferable "I was wrong" letters from the one who made the decision. Makes the entire organization look weak and ineffectual.

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