How Right Wing Politicians and Fox News Created the “Dumbing Down of America”

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart
 

White supremacy, pervasive racism, white privilege, and bigotry in far too many other situations are real, and undeniable. Let me tell you a personal story about a young, white man who had personal experience with these issues. A man who was not raised in the deep South or another red state, and learned that extreme racism is a reality in all 50 states to some degree.

I was born in Lewiston, Idaho in July of 1946. Before my sixth birthday my family moved to Los Angeles, California. This great city, composed of diverse people and people who encourage free thought and the exchange of ideas, remains my favorite place to live if I could afford it today.

Let me inform you that I trust no one in power in the 21st century. Every one of these groups has proven that they are not worthy of my acceptance because their lies are unending. I especially detest the worst of the worst, professional politicians. I know that political parties are destructive to any nation’s future and a blight on democracy. They are primarily responsible for the ignorance of the electorate.

One of our two major parties continues to reveal itself as a danger to the ideals of our Founding Fathers, supporting the end of freedom and the establishment of fascism. 

First, let’s go back 42 years and the beginning of the end of the “Party of Lincoln.”

Ronald Reagan was inaugurated on January 20, 1981. Within his first few months it became obvious that he made fools of millions of Americans, including this writer. He was not a leader who would represent all Americans. Sadly, he declared war on the working class, minorities, and women. He also demanded that there be no dissent or free thought within the Republican Party. He also violated the Constitution’s First Amendment openly declaring his biased and illegal support for the Christian Religion.

Over the next 15 years these wars escalated. Support for special interests became the only issue of importance for the now “Republican Party in name only.”

So in 1996, billionaire Rupert Murdoch created Fox News with the aid of Republican strategist, Roger Ailes. It was immediately clear that this was not a news network, it was a right wing propaganda machine, spreading lies and conspiracy theories with the intent of winning elections for right wing politicians. 

The effect of a collusion between fake Republicans and Fox News is the “dumbing down of America.” Most Americans believe what they see on television or read on the internet without due diligence about the validity and reliability of their sources. 

My wife and I have a friend who is basically an intelligent man who has been brainwashed. He ignores realities including white privilege, pervasive racism, and the growth of racism over the last 40+ years. 

However, here is a little irrefutable reality. 

In 1989 a Republican dominated congress allowed some of our nation’s most profitable corporations to outsource their businesses to foreign nations. With their factories went thousands of good paying jobs, never to return. Unemployment skyrocketed. Many of those who found themselves unemployed were Black men and women.

One fact, denied by “Republicans,” is that poverty increases crime. As the unemployment rate grew, non-violent crimes grew exponentially.

Back to my story. 

I was a junior in high school before I learned about white privilege and the “two Americas.” This happened as I left a Catholic high school and attended Venice High School. Venice was very diverse, and for the first time in my life I attended classes with young black men and women as well as Hispanic and Asian Americans. I most definitely realized that I was born into ‘white privilege.’ My Black friends had a much different education as they grew up in a very different experience from my own. 

Over the next six decades I learned even more from my experience in the USAF, places of employment, attitudes of those who called themselves “good Christians,” and I have been enlightened with every day of my life. 

In the 21st century, it is clear that the right wing is racist and bigoted. The proof came between 2017 and 2021 when white supremacists were gifted with a leader living in the White House. Hate crimes had increased by more than 800 percent, and the intentional division between our nation’s people was complete and irreversible. 

Red states are focused on the suppression of minority voters, intentionally removing women’s rights, and the destruction of equal rights for the LGBTQ community. Fake Christians began to vilify members of other religions and those like myself who reject all organized religion. 

All forms of prejudice are founded in ignorance, and the United States has become the most ignorant nation in the world. You can change that: become informed and save your country.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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