If Big Media repeats certain mantras over and over and over, then, according to Big Media, it must be true. Reality is what Big Media says it is, regardless of whether that perception actually equals reality. There are more examples of this pseudo-insightfulness than one could ever mention in a single column, but here are several:
1. Bush is stupid.
2. Republicans are bad.
3. "Southern" means dumb.
4. "Southern white" means bigot.
5. "Southern black" implies "victim" or disadvantaged, who needs the help of (white) liberals.
6. "Evangelical" means extremist and intolerant.
7. "Deeply religious" implies a lack of intelligence.
8. "Conservative" means uncaring, out-of-touch, and stupid.
9. "Capitalism" is an ugly word that means favoring the rich at the expense of the poor.
10. "Christian" is a negative term, especially if joined together with "evangelical" and/or "conservative."
11. "Global warming" is real, and is caused by us.
12. Liberals "really care" about people, while conservatives do not.
13. "It’s all Bush’s fault"; and/or: "[fill in the blank] is Bush’s fault."
These prejudicial perceptions of Big Media were amply illustrated during the just-concluded election season. In addition to those above, there were other "perceptions" that Big Media implied or "pronounced" to be reality, again, too many to mention here, but here are some of those:
1. John McCain is out of touch, and "too old."
2. Barack Obama represents "change," though there’s really no need to define that or be specific about it.
3. Barack Obama wants lower taxes for the middle class (when, in fact, he opposed keeping the Bush tax cuts, which would mean anyone who pays taxes will pay higher taxes in 2009, if that campaign point is followed).
4. Barack Obama has "new" ideas (when, in fact, what he’s proposed is basically the "same old, same old" liberal platform, in a nice, new package).
5. If you didn’t vote for Obama, you are a racist.
6. Sarah Palin is stupid [see, Bush, above; and, in the 1980s, the words "Ronald Reagan" would have been substituted for the words "Sarah Palin"].
7. Republicans are to blame for all the present economic ills (conveniently leaving out the horrendous legacy thrust upon the financial markets by Democrats overloading Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with bad financial decisions, and though some of the executives of those publicly-created entities made millions and millions).
8. Democrats tried to do something to stave-off this financial crisis, but Republicans opposed them [when, in fact, Democrats killed earlier attempts by the Bush administration and John McCain to reform Freddie and Fannie, and declared there was no problem with either entity].
We are left with the result that "reality" is what the Left says it is. That is particularly true since the Left controls most of the media, and too many of us robotically sit in front of TVs or read newspapers while tacitly accepting what we are fed–rather than thinking critically for ourselves. Real issues, such as ACORN, fraudulent voter registration, voter fraud, the mysterious phenomenon of Al Franken picking up vote after vote in the Minnesota senatorial election, while votes are taken away from Norm Coleman, just to name a few–those issues are ignored or discounted.
The actual reality is that the liberal leftists are the intolerant ones – not those "evil" evangelicals they call intolerant. If you do not accept their way, then look out. You will be attacked and/or ridiculed on any number of levels, and will be dragged through the mud if at all possible, with the truth of the matter being irrelevant. That’s because "the truth" is what Big Media and the Left say it is.
"We said it, therefore, it is as we said."
Disagree with that at your own peril. Ask Joe the Plumber about that one.
"I’m telling you, the sky is falling, the sky is falling...it is falling, because I say it is..."
If the Left says the sky is falling, then it must be, right*?
*That re-definition of reality is brought to you by the same folks who brought you:
(1) how the world was created, which according to them couldn’t possibly have been by the design of an Intelligent Creator (we encourage you to rent and view Ben Stein’s outstanding movie on that topic, Expelled – Intelligence Not Allowed), and
(2) the never-ending alarm of global warming, which you must accept as true and not question, and change your lifestyle as a result, while several of the Left’s global warming "heroes" ride around in limos, fly around in private jets, and live in palatial estates that use more energy than your houses, our houses, and several more combined.
On December 8, media giant Tribune Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and other entities, filed for bankruptcy protection. Apparently, Tribune Co.’s advertising revenue sharply declined in 2008. Would that be due to "the recession," or could it be declining readership/viewership of the media outlets owned by that company, which means less ad revenue?
We are not rooting for companies to go out of business or for anyone to lose their job. However, if left-leaning media conglomerates insist on furthering a liberal agenda, then they really don’t have an intrinsic right to wash our mouths out with their soap, so to speak. The free market should "control" what happens to companies that insist on following that road. Of course, that doesn’t mean they won’t be the next in line for a government bail-out, which we referenced in our last column, "Liberals Killed the Radio Star..."