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We Finally Have Facts - Right-Wing News is /RELIGION/
4 months ago
General
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.....52751251326951
https://www.researchgate.net/public.....ous_Phenomenon
For decades now, it's been largely observational evidence that news outlets that cater to conservatives and right-wing political ideologies is not based on facts. Most of them claim to fall under 'entertainment' for legal purposes, and stick to being classified as 'entertainment' even when taken the court. Many folks know that when Fox News and Tucker Carlson was taken to court, Fox won the suit with the claim that "given Mr. Carlson's reputation, any reasonable viewer arrives with an appropriate amount of skepticism about the statements he makes. This general tenor of the show should then inform the viewer that he is not stating actual facts about the topics he discusses and is instead engaging in exaggeration and non-literal commentary."
But now, we have facts. Actual empirical research that shows that right-wing news sources and the entire ecosystem of conservative 'news', functions neither as news, nor as entertainment.
It functions as religion.
Boomers are the primary consumers of right-wing news. This aging and increasingly lonely population seek community, nostalgia, and cultural and political vitality, while also maintaining outsized control of the news and our political system. Right-wing news caters to them, and right-wing spaces provide them meaningful collective identity and community. Do you know any non-Boomer consumers of right-wing news?
The decline of religion overall across the U.S allows political media (OF ALL TYPES) to fill that void. Social capital has shifted from offline to online, and right-wing communities which are more often based on shared ideology and ethnic/religious identity fills this void very successfully. Do you know of any Churches that now focus entirely on politics?
Mis/disinformation survives and thrives as religion. When questions stem from religious belief instead of actual fact-finding, no amount of finding evidence to the contrary successfully resolves the question. Questions like "was the 2020 election fraudulent?" and "is climate change real" survive because those who ask those questions are more likely to be reaffirming their position in the religion and their status compared to other believers than seeking any actual definitive factual answer. Do you know someone who keeps asking the same kinds of political questions as if they were an actual skeptic and not a denier?
Faith-based approaches to knowledge and truth claims are much more susceptible to propaganda because the approach aims to build and reinforce a strong moral subculture rather than to inform, and are much more prone to rapid organizational change, instability, and schisms. The way right-wing 'news' consumer communities function is identical to how Church Sects work, with their dynamics of competition, decline, and growth. Are you familiar with any right-wing communities that mirror the 'pastor-flock' framework?
Check the second link for the full paper, and give it a skim.
https://www.researchgate.net/public.....ous_Phenomenon
For decades now, it's been largely observational evidence that news outlets that cater to conservatives and right-wing political ideologies is not based on facts. Most of them claim to fall under 'entertainment' for legal purposes, and stick to being classified as 'entertainment' even when taken the court. Many folks know that when Fox News and Tucker Carlson was taken to court, Fox won the suit with the claim that "given Mr. Carlson's reputation, any reasonable viewer arrives with an appropriate amount of skepticism about the statements he makes. This general tenor of the show should then inform the viewer that he is not stating actual facts about the topics he discusses and is instead engaging in exaggeration and non-literal commentary."
But now, we have facts. Actual empirical research that shows that right-wing news sources and the entire ecosystem of conservative 'news', functions neither as news, nor as entertainment.
It functions as religion.
Boomers are the primary consumers of right-wing news. This aging and increasingly lonely population seek community, nostalgia, and cultural and political vitality, while also maintaining outsized control of the news and our political system. Right-wing news caters to them, and right-wing spaces provide them meaningful collective identity and community. Do you know any non-Boomer consumers of right-wing news?
The decline of religion overall across the U.S allows political media (OF ALL TYPES) to fill that void. Social capital has shifted from offline to online, and right-wing communities which are more often based on shared ideology and ethnic/religious identity fills this void very successfully. Do you know of any Churches that now focus entirely on politics?
Mis/disinformation survives and thrives as religion. When questions stem from religious belief instead of actual fact-finding, no amount of finding evidence to the contrary successfully resolves the question. Questions like "was the 2020 election fraudulent?" and "is climate change real" survive because those who ask those questions are more likely to be reaffirming their position in the religion and their status compared to other believers than seeking any actual definitive factual answer. Do you know someone who keeps asking the same kinds of political questions as if they were an actual skeptic and not a denier?
Faith-based approaches to knowledge and truth claims are much more susceptible to propaganda because the approach aims to build and reinforce a strong moral subculture rather than to inform, and are much more prone to rapid organizational change, instability, and schisms. The way right-wing 'news' consumer communities function is identical to how Church Sects work, with their dynamics of competition, decline, and growth. Are you familiar with any right-wing communities that mirror the 'pastor-flock' framework?
Check the second link for the full paper, and give it a skim.
- Our President probably (just wait and see)
You have to go what freedom-maximal/freedoms-are-static-entities people consider authoritarian to get to the disease. Which means you'll have to regulate speech, news, media, and information.
Anything less is folly.
People assumed that unregulated information is a boon when the reality is literally the opposite. Reality is rife with evil rising because it had a platform.
We need to accept that men like Hobbes, Locke, Machiavelli, and the Chinese Legalists are -at best- close to the money when it comes to the human condition.
They say America is about free speech but I've seen sudden censorship on many a site from observing a couple stances. Such as say, wanting to believe the best in people but keeping a eye open if a open hand is slapped, taken for granted or bitten.
I've seen some say that some of the things they missed from the past before 9/11 was a sense of friendly united community without any sense of ill will or dangerous actors.
They said that there was a perception and common observation that it used to be row after row of neighbors would play together. swing bats and balls, wander house to house and mingle and communities would look after each other.
Now its not uncommon to see discourses where peers wish ill on each other or see what 20 years ago countrymen as rivals. Some speculate on if we divided ourselves or the media, but there's a huge spectrum of people imho on a huge slider with lots of extremes Im not quite sure of.
I think if you take away the political wars, 90% of people in countries are seeing harsher economic times with less safety nets, economic instability, looking at job layoffs, outsourcing and ai automations next to students loans and rushing 5-60% college graduate un/der/employment.
People are sold dreams that happened years ago and in some cases plans that did. Only to feel replaced or rug pulled when they sign up for 10-200k of debt.
In many cases from a center view it feels like there's not a lot of protections and sometimes when you talk to neighbors as people and not demons. I find tired workers and dads and families who want ends meeting.
Other times yeah full crazies or someone screaming at them nonstop makes them decide to vote against whatever the annoying person doesn't want.
Our countries are divided and I've had some European friends comment that its like chickens and bulls trying to decide on if the coyote should help itself to a egg or if the fox should be allowed to set up smog factories to kill people.
Not a lot of politics seems aimed at improving the life of the common man or a lot of apparent benefits for the taxes vs a Norway style system where taxes are high but benefits seen.
Its more like a sports game where 50-55% of the world is your enemy and even sides in fight regularly.
Sadly, Fox News is likely to register itself as a religion to get the tax cut now :P
Soo surprised to see -you- in this commies page commenting, exactly the sort of lowly miserable being TK has to pander to.
And I guarantee you that not a single Fox News proponent will read all the sources and stop defending Fox News.