One More Opinion

My best friend and I quit smoking cigarettes, (and anything else that contains nicotine,) about six weeks ago. I can trace my “Quit Day” easily because it coincided with the release of the latest “Harry Potter” film, (July 15.)

Kevin and I have been on the 21mg patch, and tomorrow we’re “stepping down” to the 14mg patch. I truly believe it’s the best way to rid oneself of such an amazingly addictive and powerful drug. None of us are smoking the damn things for the taste. Most of us got addicted to the them when we were kids, (from advertising campaigns we later learned that were targeted at us.) Smoking was a much more tolerated back then. Some non-smokers would put out ashtrays for smoking guests.

Which brings me back to Season One of “Mad Men.” Since I don’t watch broadcast TV at all, I wait for certain highly rated shows to be released on DVD. I’ve heard the first season of “Mad Men” is brilliant. But because it’s about advertising in the 1960’s the characters smoke (and drink) constantly. Part of successfully quitting is not thinking too much about cigarettes, (and staying away from them.)

Which brings me to the real subject the above-mentioned story. It got me thinking about why I quit watching TV, why I still have no desire to watch live television, and why there has been so much incivility in our country, especially since 9/11. The roots of our “civil incivility” began long before then, but 9/11 was a turning point because that’s when we turned our national fear into national anger, with no place to put it. It’s human nature to convert fear to anger. It’s a defense mechanism.

But our mass media, particularly television and so-called “radio personalities,” have been abusing their positions to cause fear, anger and division. “Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand,” goes the song*. These people mistakenly put in such positions spread fear and hate through ignorance and a general attitude of intolerance. The circus around this health care issue is a good example, but it’s not the first by far. Certain politicians, the George W. Bush Administration in particular, encouraged and fed this ignorance, intolerance and hatred because it suited their purpose. When we looked to our President to tell us why we had been attacked on 9/11, the “evil-doers” answer wasn’t fit for a retarded third-grader.

But that’s what our mass media taught us to expect from our “leaders.” Real journalism has been replaced by angry diatribes from nasty people I wouldn’t invite into my home, but invite them in you do every time you turn on the “idiot box.” The motivations of such people can and should be carefully examined, although their actual actions and words have little, if any, value. The motivations of the people who produce this stream of ignorance and hate are the ones who should be stopped.

Because this is not “free speech,” it’s “hate speech,” badly disguised as “journalism.” When Glenn Beck (of the most offensive “Fox News,”) stated that; “Barack Obama hates White people..” he wasn’t reporting anything or giving an opinion, he was practicing hate speech. It’s the same for Rush Limbaugh when he said that he hopes the President, (and therefore the country,) “fails.” How much more un-American and uncivil can you get? You want the President and the economic recovery to “fail?” How does that further the national dialogue in any constructive way?

The sad truth is that the national dialogue has descended into extremists on different sides sniping at each other. People have become more intolerant of others. Racist remarks are spouted on syndicated radio programs and national TV all the time, as are sexist and homophobic remarks. And sadder still, instead of rejecting this ignorance and hate, the country has embraced it. Anger, intolerance and hatred have become the level of national attitude, and those of moderate voice are drowned out by the screaming of extremists.

Instead of properly investigating the crimes committed by our politicians and banking system, including subversion of our Constitution, lying to Congress in order to start another illegal war, breaking the Geneva Conventions by torturing (largely) innocent people in the misguided hope that torture actually works, (it’s been proven that it doesn’t,) and destroying our economy and causing untold suffering through greed and avarice – instead of facing these problems head-on and investigating and punishing those responsible – we turned on each other.

The criminals in Washington and New York must be rubbing their hands with glee. They’ve gotten away with crimes that normally (and historically) would have had such people facing long-term prison sentences and firing squads. A friend theorized that breaking our economy out of greed was a subversion of our Democracy and our Constitution. I agree. But these people will never face justice. We only put our poor and people of color into our brutal prison-industrial complex.

Until those who are still being poisoned by our mass media stop watching, (and stop being poisoned,) very little will change. We need to turn off the TV and the radio and start listening to those quiet, moderate voices. Until we do, those watching will keep having their mental health and their spiritual health damaged by people who really don’t care what kind of damage their words of hate are doing to people and to our country.

I don’t know what it will take to wake people up to this toxicity. Most people will not read this essay, and those who show up at town hall meetings with assault rifles won’t care about the opinions expressed in this essay. I fear some of them are too far gone. They were raised by ignorant people who fostered their bigotry and hate. They went to churches that fostered their bigotry and hate, and they watch TV (and listen to radio) that continues to foster their bigotry and hate. In short, they have been fully indoctrinated. Their minds, (such as they are,) are as shut as a bank vault.

Since I stopped watching television, friend after friend has come to me to announce they have done the same. Then they tell me how much less negativity they feel. They no longer feel bombarded by angry pundits or advertisers who literally scream at them to buy their product. One friend said he felt as if he had been released by a form of prison that was destroying his peace of mind and serenity.

And, to me, every person who breaks free from the hate speech and screaming of TV advertisers – feels like a victory for both of us.

(* “Ignorance and prejudice, and fear walk hand-in-hand,” is the final verse of the song “Witch Hunt” by Rush. Lyrics by drummer/percussionist Neil Peart.)

# posted by Phillip T. Alden @ 10:15 AM