THIS is what Fox News has done to people, guys

[mreilly]

I'm sure you've all heard a similarly outrageous story so I'll keep it brief.

My sister (I'll call her Laura) volunteers with the schools, helps place disabled people in jobs, and otherwise has pretty much dedicated her life to making a positive difference in this world. She married a somewhat moderate Republican who is actually not a bad guy - but his elderly parents (whom I'll call Louis and Sharon) are extreme right-wingers. Laura (and my family of course) are all sensible progressives.

Despite her views, Sharon was really not a bad lady - just misguided by Republican propaganda and something of a "traditional wife" who probably echoed her husband's views (not being judgmental; just stating that their marriage originated in the 1950's or so when times were different). Sharon passed away earlier this year which was a genuine shame and we miss her.

Louis, as is the case with many right-wingers, is very upset and bitter about this and his mental state has slipped as a result. He is so bitter, in fact, that he seems to hold Democrats directly responsible for his problems, and thanks to Fox News has decided to lash out at anyone who even vaguely resembles "the enemy."

Two nights ago Louis visited my sister's house for dinner (she has taken excellent care of him before and after Sharon died; brought him meals, made sure he wasn't left alone, and otherwise bent over backwards on his behalf) and spent TWO HOURS BERATING HER for her political views. I will quote my sister directly from her email:

"He thinks that poor and disabled people are "leeches" on the system and that I'm a socialist and a communist for my views. He said I should stop listening to mainstream media and watch Fox News because they're the only news sources that "tells the truth." He claims I don't care about small businesses and want to see this country go down the tubes. He said Bush is not to blame for any of this countries' economic woes, rather it's Clinton and his philosophy that every person should be a home owner. In his view, Obama is the one responsible for the deficit and the recession; the Democrats are to blame for everything because they controlled the House and Senate while Bush was President (Of course it doesn't matter that this was the case for only one term.) Also, he insists the Democrats and the lack of torte reform are the reason why his wife died. She had to get a biopsy which he believes is what killed her, but this is due to the doctors being afraid of being sued for malpractice. If there wasn't malpractice, Sharon could have just gotten the radiation w/o the biopsy and she would be alive and healthy today. When I tried to explain that we need medical malpractice for all of the bad doctors out there he told me that I was being inconsiderate for not caring about his wife and her situation. Can you believe it? I felt like screaming at him to get out but I just stood up, said that I couldn't do this anymore and went upstairs. I sincerely don't want him in my house again until he promises to keep his views to himself. What a bitter, insensitive, egocentric, self righteous and bigoted person. I had no idea how extreme his views were until tonight. He actually thinks that that all of the various Christian sects needs to come together and unite against the Muslims and the Jews! Plus, I'm afraid for my children to listen to this garbage and have it poison their minds. I tried to tell them last night that no matter what anyone says, you should have your own opinions and beliefs and that making a positive difference in the world is a good thing. Hopefully they'll take that to heart and listen to his rantings and ravings. I don't care if you're 100 years old, you can still be respectful and courteous to another human being, especially when you're in their home."

We can all sympathize with someone who is elderly and suffering the loss of a loved one. But note how Fox News preys upon people like this - people who are angry, seeking to blame others and find fault. It was more important for Louis to shout down someone else's views and behave like a total prick than to preserve a familial relationship that he personally benefited from to a great extent. Sad, sad, sad how these people are just so pumped full of hatred and rage.

Louis has not only alienated my sister, but my mother - a good friend to he and his wife - is royally pissed at him and is probably going to tear his lungs out the next time she sees him. He's been told he needs to apologize and keep his abhorrent views to himself from now on - time will tell whether he can manage that; I suspect he'll cut off his own nose to spite his face and refuse to "kowtow" to such a thing. If he won't behave like an adult, fuck him.

That these people can consider themselves "the good guys" is truly amazing. I suppose this is no surprise given how these people are manipulated by this same crowd into voting against their own interests or even giving up their lives for their little cause (Tim McVeigh, anti-abortion murderers and other lowlives that have worshipped the people pushing this crap - obviously McVeigh didn't watch Fox News, but it comes from the same spring of hatred). What's a little sacrifice of a few relationships when you know "the truth," right?

Further words on this just really fail me.

[DesertFlower]

1. my friend is a republican and a lesbian.

about 19 years ago she got sick -- combination of chronic fatigue syndrome and anxiety attacks. i told her to apply for SSDI. she did. she got it and of course was eligible for medicare.

she's still thanking me for telling her to do that, but she doesn't realize that if republicans had they're way she be f----d.

[SharonAnn]

27. My older friends and relatives who got like this were diagnosed with Alzheimer's within 2 years.

As we looked back on their behavior and thinking, it became apparent that they had become obsessed with right-wing radio and TV and their thinking had become very "black and white" before the diagnosis. And the "black and white" thinking only became stronger with time.

A physician friend of mine thinks it's because complex thinking becomes difficult and frustrating as we begin to lose our cognitive facilities. There's no longer any ability to handle subtlety, nuance, shades of gray, nor to se individuals as people inside of as some "labeled" group.

Makes sense to me.

[MrScorpio]

32. I think that you may be on to something nt

[SoCalDem]

2. They are the Tel-evangi-news

Not that long ago, the elderly fell prey to the smarmy evangelists who got them to send money to them...money they could not spare.

Those guys are not as in-vogue these days, but Fox has stepped into the void.. They prey on the same folks, and don't even ask for money.. they only want their minds:(..and their votes:(

[pacalo]

16. I'm going to take a picture of a massive compoundish-type of mansion that's

being built in a residential neighborhood near us by a local tv evangelist named Jesse Duplantis & post an OP about it. It's the talk of the town because of its size & because it's made of steel beams instead of wooden ones, concrete walls -- no expense spared, it seems. The rumor is that he's having it built for his daughter as a wedding present.

It's a vulgar display of a tv evangelist's greedy use of money that most probably came from those who live very meagerly but have been hoodwinked by his sermons.

[NNN0LHI]

20. Most of those evangelists were exposed as the hucksters they were. Some went to jail

Fox news isn't worried about being exposed because no one will take them on. And if someone tries to take them on they get hammered on right away.

Don

[Ilsa]

3. So, is he for executing disabled people so they won't be "leeches?"

He better be careful. He could be disabled in a few years. And no one will want to take care of such a miserable person.

Fox News is evil for manipulating people into hating the poor and disabled. Very un-Christ-like.

[mreilly]

6. That's exactly what I told my sister!

This guy could very well suffer a debilitating stroke quite soon - and I hope he would then adhere to his views and not choose to be a "leech" (I don't believe this but he himself made this statement).

But these damned right-wingers never live by their beliefs. ALWAYS screeching about those horrible people on unemployment - and then they lose their jobs and just start screeching for assistance. Even Rush Limbaugh himself admitted once to receiving assistance while unemployed - but of course anyone else who does is a worthless piece of shit.

Their ideology is truly that of a four year old. A spoiled, nasty, petulant, shrieking four year old.

[pacalo]

8. Don't forget that Limpballs ran to the ACLU to prevent his medical records

from being opened. The good old liberal ACLU.

[Mnemosyne]

13. My sister believes that most disabilities are "faked to get money". Fux news 24/7. Yet

she tried to sign up my perfectly normal nephew, at age 4, for disability. She claims he's autistic; no one else sees it but her.

She is actually delaying the distribution of Mom's estate because I need money and medical care, and even brags about it. She has plenty, no worries.

[FSogol]

4. Reprogram his remote control to block Fox News and Fox Business News.

Tell him the Kaiser took those stations off the air.

[PA Democrat]

5. FOX is poison.

I've seen several family members transformed since they started watching Fox. People who NEVER talked politics seem hell-bent on pushing their views at every opportunity.

[pacalo]

7. Your sister is a saint. The difference in behavior between the f-i-l & your sister

highlights the difference between the character make-up of Republicans & Democrats.

And, as you said, the blame is Fixed News. The hate network is protected by freedom of the press, but FN's lies & disinformation shouldn't be allowed to continue. There's a desperate need to add an amendment to the Constitution that would require integrity in news reporting.

Your OP is so well-written & eye-opening to what many of us has experienced with our own family & friends that I wish you'd send it to your congresspeople. We all need to do the same thing with our own reps. But your sister's situation is heart-breaking; the man whom she has taken such good, loving care of has turned on her for being a Democrat because Fixed News has put crazy ideas into his head.

Hugs to your sister.

[mreilly]

21. Thank you, I plan to send your reply to her directly

The irony of the situation is that if my sister WASN'T one of those "socialist" liberals then her father-in-law would have had a rough time of it. She could have done the Republican thing, told him "Fuck you, Louis - you're on your own. Your wife died? Too fucking bad! Make your own meals, do your own laundry, run your own errands, and pull yourself up by your bootstraps!" But instead she chose the kind and decent way, and then this idiot thinks her views are so wrong.

I understand first and foremost he's an old man and is likely deranged by senility and grief for his wife. I get that. I also get that his behavior is probably better to be shrugged off than taken seriously. I actually don't dislike Louis AS A PERSON - but I must note that he knows I'm a liberal too and he has NEVER, EVER attempted to engage me verbally. Because I'm thirty-something guy and a lot less nice than my sister. Such strong heroic men, these Republicans, who attack caring women in their own homes as being "communists" or "socialists."

[mrs_p]

9. I'm sorry this is happening to your sister

in my family it is the right-wing fascists who are the political bullies, too. maybe her children saw how horribly nasty and irrational their grandfather was to their mother and will be turned off by it and his beliefs. i know, i always was.

[gulliver]

10. Fox News lives with Luis, talks to him, jiggles blondes at him.

It's his family. Good luck getting him getting him out of the cult.

[Odin2005]

11. I'm a LEECH? FUCKING BASTARDS!

:grr:

[caty]

12. I refuse to discuss

politics with someone who watches Fox News. I come right out and tell them that I will not discuss politics with them because they watch Fox News and they are not informed.

I can discuss politics with repubs who do not watch Fox News, but those who do, always get angry, yell, and act like out of control children.

[glitch]

26. I think it's worse than them simply not being informed -- they are brainwashed. Propagandized.

They exhibit some signs of being in a cult.

[Pacifist Patriot]

28. +1

[pgodbold]

14. I had an uncle just like him. Left his money to the NRA as well as

requested that donations to the NRA be made instead of flowers for his funeral. He was a walking FOX talk box. Awful.

[Ramulux]

15. and no one in the media cares

How many stories do I have to hear about people basically losing their shit after watching too much Fox news before someone in the media actually acknowledges it?

I have heard it from a bunch of different people, neighbors, friends or family members who normally didn't talk about politics start talking crazy, hateful shit and alienate those around them. Its real and it fucking sucks.

[lunatica]

17. Unfortunately anger is addictive

It's like any other addiction. It takes over just like meth and it creates a wretch in the place of a human being. Your sister is dealing with an anger addict.

[Johonny]

22. I agree

Fox gives him easy enemies and easy tangible targets for his anger.

[madmom]

18. My mother in law did basically the same thing to me. After her husband died, she came

to our house at least once a week for meals. I took her shopping, bought her things, took her out just to get away. She always called us when she needed anything, even though her other five children and their spouses lived closer. One day she went off on me IN MY HOUSE at the dinner table, not because of politics and fox but because of religion. Her son (my husband) and I are non believers and she blames me, says he was not THAT way before he married me (lie) and because of us she HAS to give more of her money (social security) to her church to make up for us. She called me every name in the book, good christian that she is. Told hubby she is not welcome in my house when I am home until she apologizes. If he wants her around, let me know and I will leave, so far she's not done it or came around. It's been over 2 years now.She is in her 80's but I feel the same way, she still needs to show respect.

[caty]

19. Your home is supposed to be

the safest and most peaceful place for you to be. If someone that you welcome into your home upsets that safety and peacefulness, you have a moral obligation to yourself and your family not to welcome that person into your home again. It's your haven.

[felix_numinous]

23. Fox and hate media is a poison

that is dividing communities and families. Friends who used to talk to each other now cannot--how truly evil is that??

[fascisthunter]

24. Fox News=Modern Day Geobells

[Juche]

25. The cognitive dissonance among conservatives is astounding to me

I have an aunt who is disabled and lives on social security. But she loves listening to Michael Savage, Ingraham, fox, etc.

I tried explaining to my mom that if those people had their way, my aunt (her sister's) SS would be cancelled, she would be kicked out on the street and the money would be used to fund tax cuts for rich people instead of helping her buy groceries. My mom says 'no, when people like Savage condemn welfare they only mean for people who can work but don't want to'. The right wing media has convinced tons of people that there is a hierarchy and only those below them (non-whites and lazy people, generally in their view) will be punished but them (whites, people with a halfway decent work ethic) will be spared the axe. They cannot figure out that they will be thrown to the wolves too. I never got that.

When the right runs against entitlements, they aren't talking about only cancelling them for blacks and latinos. They are going to cancel them for the 98% white fox news audience too. But they never figure that out. They think only other people will be thrown under the bus.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

29. Crap. I hit Unrec mistakenly.

The propaganda is insidious.

K and :blush:

[Morning Dew]

30. Perhaps Louis could have Greta Van Susteren bring him his meals

from now on.

[JVS]

31. Tell Louis to go fuck himself.

[Vinnie From Indy]

33. It will not change until liberals and progressives fight back

The time is now for Dems to formulate a plan to counter FIXED News and Rush Limbaugh etc. There is absolutely no reason to continue to take this shit without a fight.

[Mimosa]

34. We are fighting back

But we don't own the broadcasting airwaves or publishing. The media is paid for by advertising. The media will not go against BP, pharmaceuticals or any interests which keep them in business.

I think we can see this in-action with the BP story. For all practical purposes it's over. No continuing reporting about the environmental or economic damages along the Gulf, is there?

[jillan]

35. I have a family member that is a republican also - and SCREAMS, and tries to belittle me for my

socialist, liberal views.

What the hell are they telling people over there?