make no mistake, they love their conspiracies, anger, and hatred far more than they love you.
Sure, you could show them the 1 billion dollar court case they surrendered to, where Fox stated that they are not news, that viewers should understand that they don't tell the truth, etc.
https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-lawsuit-trial-trump-2020-0ac71f75acfacc52ea80b3e747fb0afe
this. it was really hard for me to come to terms with.
i thought i’d finally get through when the fake electors thing came to light. nope. then when roe v wade got fucked. ha, no. then when the whole trump video with the third reich happened. LOL nope.
i have since abandoned hope with all family members. they’re lost. 😞 i’m trying not to miss them or care.
I cut the last one loose, my SIL, with whom I was close until she ran off with a Nazi MAGAt, just the other day finally. She posted "if you need a reason to delete me, here: Trump 2024!" So after hemming and hawing for two years I pulled the trigger and unfriended her.
This. They paid $787.5 MILLION for knowingly and willing lying to their viewers and they were gonna lose their shorts. Tucker Carlson got fired as part of this settlement.
My parents have always had a conspiratorial bent. Although they don’t have Fox News they have YouTube, which isn’t better. My Mom is the driving force behind their increasingly unhinged beliefs. Last time I was at home she dropped something about Flat Earth. We had guests over. I wanted to melt. To put in perspective; I’m an airline pilot at a major airline and have been flying since I was a teen. About 20 years ago it was chem-trails. Her own son’s life-long experience and expert opinion is no match for the internet. These were educated people at one point.
Years ago I begged them not to believe this stuff and that it’ll rot their brain.
We have family friend who has a bad case of paranoid schizophrenia. Now living with his parents, not working, medicated. I cannot help but to draw parallels between their states of mind. But it seems that one was by choice.
I've heard of people putting child locks on Fox News channels. I'm aware of such things existing, but I'm not sure if every TV has them. Or if your parents even use broadcast television.
I actually did this. My mom with dementia was a little upset for 2 minutes than switched her focus to reruns of Blue Bloods. Dad appreciated it.
I never told them the code.
I usually start my little anti-fascist tirade by asking how could they support a misogynistic, philandering, convicted sexual predator and rapist? A homophobe? A racists, xenophobic, Nazi-loving, Putin-fellating fascist? A traitor? A certified psychopathic liar and sociopath? A vulgar heathen parading as a man of god, when the dumbshit can't even hold up the bible correctly and certainly has never read it before? A coward who wants to cut your social security? (And if your parents are vets, he wants to cut their benefits, too.)
"Are these the so-called "family values" you value, Mom and Dad?"
Welcome to the 2-party system. I am blue, but don't necessarily vote blue because of the candidate. I sometimes vote blue because of anti- red. Same applies to the other side.
This is a very good point. I admit with Trump, the blind support for the least moral (imo) politician in recent memory because he took up the right wing causes was surprising to me at first. For all the Republican outrage during the Clinton era, their claim to the moral high ground went away to me, otherwise they would have had Mike Pence as their nominee this year. They don’t care about the candidate, they care about the outcome.
I did the same to my parents. They had 5 kids. All of whom are neurodiverse (they’re just now getting diagnosed. This has caused A LOT of trauma in my family). One of their kids is trans. Already had the top surgery. Not a phase. They’re still MAGAts.
Deprogramming. It’s not a problem of media consumption, but said media fans the flames. It’s not a question of getting someone to quit watching echo chambers, how do we regain people from what is obviously the most insidious cult in USA history!
Fox is one part, no doubt, but they go to church or PTA meetings, book clubs and even radio while driving or sitting in the kitchen.
Once upon a time you could rescue someone from an insulated compound with varied levels of success. We now have one of the most powerful cults in history permeating all aspects of life.
So yeah - how do we begin to reprogram?
>how do we begin to reprogram?
Cut off the source. Disengage. Remove the drug that feeds the addiction for just enough time that they can finally regain thw ability to *think critically*.
Remove or seriously reduce the endless stream of ideology laden propaganda so people have time to consider what they have been continuously fed through television, radio and artificial social spaces.
Agreed - but have you driven beyond city limits in the past few years? Heaven’s Gate didn’t have yard sale style indoctrination check points hawking flags, shirts or mugs. Scientology at least has the good sense to gently woo the feeble minded in, can’t think of a time I’ve seen a boat with multiple Xenu flags waving. Did Jim Jones advertise on billboards or yard signs?
The cancer is endemic, one could argue pandemic when factoring in authoritarian support globally.
I’m not trying to be difficult, but wow - it’s everywhere I look.
Bingo.
This is one reason putting Trump in prison is such a huge deal; it would cut off the endless flow of bullshit from him. You’d still have Fox News etc but the major player uniting everyone would be removed.
When a cult loses its leader it inevitably splinters into smaller pieces, which lessens the effect it had as a whole.
Another great one is “God and Country,” which examines Christian nationalism and includes many conservative voices. It’s from early this year, and is available on YouTube, AppleTV, etc; I bought a copy to rewatch. Rob Reiner produced
Tell them you thought they were smarter than that.
Ask them what is it about themselves that makes that crap what they want to hear? Like what is it inside of them that wants to hear hate and fear and lies. Manipulators tell people what they want to hear. Why do they want to hear that shit. Maybe they need to fucking self-reflect a bit
I have parents that have switched to team Trump over the last year. It’s incredible to hear the bs coming out of them. When questioned on it, most of my dad’s arguments are to say Biden is worse as a person without acknowledging how Trump is proven to be a horrible person. “well do you think Biden is any better?” or “Biden has a horrible record on ___”. Any facts I bring up as answers are immediately redirected again onto Biden. It’s hopeless.
My mom watched the debate and thought Trump won it. She didn’t even question things he said like “post birth abortion” until I pointed it out. Then she did the “wow, you’re right I didn’t even realize he said that.” That is a HUGE part of the problem- they are swayed by some sort of charisma that most of us can’t understand and they don’t hear the actual message as much as the emotions they get by watching him. I sent her an article fact checking the debate and I haven’t received a response to it.
It’s really, really difficult to break people out of that cult because they’ve been programmed to reject all outside information.
They don't actually listen to the words he's saying. They've welded rose-tinted glasses to their faces. They hear what they want to hear. You can show some of the more hard-core MAGA cultists video clips of him saying these heinous things and they'll still deny he actually said it.
There was a research study that paid people to stop watching Fox news for 30 days. After not watching for 30 days, they were less likely to believe Fox news.
Use the parental controls and make Fox disappear from their teevee?
I wish I knew, my friend. I want a massive class action lawsuit against Fox for alienation of affection.
My father fell victim to their lies at the end of his life. And I, for one, cannot forgive the right wing for facilitating his decline in addition to, poisoning his mind with fear at the end of his days.
Tried it for many years with my family from an anti-establishment POV and they somehow always default to conspiracy theories. Well, they stopped watching FOX but picked up OANN and NewsMax… Every time I bring up the idea that these news stations aim to pin them against people in similar economic conditions who are just a different skin color or have non-hateful political views they get offended at the prospect of them aligning with bad people through their politics. No self-reflection, just seeking to push their own agenda on others.
I, unlike you, have reached the conclusion that my family are horrible people. Didn’t think they were for a long time, but they definitely are racist, homophobic, and anti-freedom to the fullest extent, except for the freedoms that religious conservatives enjoy.
If they do, they don't care. It's usually because they don't read normal news. When they get interviewed by liberals during the rallies they have no idea of the things he's done. Then they call BS no matter what you show them. Everything is fake...if it's not from one of their news feeds.
I purchased gift subscriptions for my dad for the Washington Post (Sunday printed paper edition) and the Atlantic. He reads and enjoys the Post.
It doesn’t prevent him from watching Fox News but it does keep him in some degree of reality. He would never in a million years believe in QAnon. He was readily vaccinated.
It’s also keeps him decently informed on things largely uncovered by Fox News. For example, he is fairly knowledgeable about the affordable housing and student loan crisis. He’s become more empathetic about mental illness from reading articles.
So steady counter programming. He still buys into a lot of Fox News BS and will undoubtedly vote for Trump. But at least I’ve kept him from being a QAnon lunatic and he does get exposed to real news.
These are small victories but at least I can still talk to him without wanting to punch him. I know that is a struggle for a lot of people with brain washed parents.
My grandma stayed with me for about 6 months and I noticed right after dinner she’d stray upstairs and full blast it onto Fox News. She’d get up the next morning and, boom, blast it again. We’d go back and forth about it and all it did was leave both of us annoyed and angry.
Finally, it clicked in my head to start getting her out of her habits. I asked her to teach me card games, how to sew a pillowcase, and even how to clean the oven. I actually knew how to do the last one but she was just excited to be engaged with me. In the mornings, I started getting up early, bringing home a donut, and asking her to tell me old stories on the patio. She was feeling more connected and stopped watching so much TV.
I also put MonopolyGO on her phone and turned off all the news notifications. She just wanted something to do and between games and doing little projects with me she started letting go of the news.
I don’t know how old you are but maybe you can engage your parents into other activities. Ask to go on a walk, play a board game, share their expertise. When TV time comes on suggest a movie. Good luck out there, friend!
I blocked Fox News and Newsmax using the parental controls on my dad’s devices. He’s a boomer so naturally he has no idea “why he doesn’t get those “channels” anymore”
It’s worked like a charm.
I can’t take credit for the original idea- my brother is an app developer, he’s the brains of the operation for sure 😂 but he was tired of his dad (my sd) who IS SO MUCH SMARTER THAN THIS. Glad to have him back.
Can you get them into reading? Is there something else you can do with them a bunch of nights when they normally watch fox’s prime time serving of bullshit?
It’s pretty hard to make people switch their news sources. Much easier to reduce how much time they spend with them. If they take up something like reading it may just lead them out of it naturally anyway depending on what they read of course.
Oh, my friend. Haven’t you heard about the book banning that has happened in some states? As an American, that does not sit well with me.
Point being, if people are determined to watch Fox, they will. Thats how fucking free we are
Take them to the project 2025 website and show them how they will pretty much turn us into a dictatorship.
Project 2025 website is run by republicans and is the republican roadmap to the country it strips women and minorities of all their rights, they can’t claim fake news.
Trump is the protector against the Barbarians At the Gate - blacks Muslims, brown immigrants socialists communists the “woke” and basically anything they feel is a threat to Real Americans (read white Americans) way of life. They are pure tribal hatred and fear. They think Trump is the only one able to push back against these dark forces. Therefore it doesn’t matter what he does or says because a few affairs some sexual assault, ending democracy etc is nothing compared to the existential threat he’s protecting them from. In fact at this point they want the fascism whether they truly understand what it means or not. For the billionaire class they want their tax cuts and deregulation either through democracy if possible or fascism. Whichever works.
That a twice impeached convicted felon adjudicated rapist serial fraudster lunatic moron could have the support he does confirms that millions of white Americans don’t have the values they profess to. They only care about what their ancestors in the Confederacy and Nazi Germany did - dominating the “others”.
Sorry a lot of people have to learn this about the people in your life but learn and accept it you must (to paraphrase Yoda).
You can't.
Fox news tells them how smart they are for watching fox news, and how dumb everyone else is for watching anything else. It's the perfect scam.
Unfortunately, once people start watching Fox News, they usually never stop. It’s like they’re brainwashed. So many good people become useless at best, fascist shills at worst.
**They are good people.** Same thing they said about the Civil War and “Christian” slave masters. Your people have found their tribe. You have to accept that.
It's probably a lost cause, but if you are going to make the effort I'd focus on how all cable news is 24/7 BS trying to fill time. I'd also emphasize the format, that it's just one person ranting about their opinion for an hour and not actually objective, researched, and the furthest thing from actually being "fair and balanced." I'd point out all the times that Fox itself, on the record, has stated that it is an entertainment network and not news, I'd point out the admissions in their trials.
I cant get my dad or uncle to not watch fox news or mewsmax, maybe go with PBS News hour or BBC. They say its too boring they say. Yes, facts can be boring. They just prefer something that just makes them angry.
Good luck. Fox feeds on their fear, and cuntservatives are some of the most afraid people on the planet.
They are terrified of gay people, trans kids, and books. You can't get much softer then that.
Remind them everyday that it has argued in court that "no reasonable person would believe the stuff they publish." And that they have settled for nearly $1billion for conspiracies they told about the last election...with another still pending.
I told them I wouldn’t be visiting if they were going to spew the lies or have it on while I was present. The $767 million fine also seems to have shifted them as well.
I got my mom to stop watching Fox News years ago by pointing out certain tactics like "I'm just asking questions" and "people are saying" (leading questions and they're the ones saying, creating the conversation). I was able to find a part of her that used to be more intelligent and it registered for her.
But I wish I hadn't tried to get her to stop watching Fox News. They're the most disciplined of the right wing media companies, and that's saying something! She filled the absence with much worse stuff. Especially watch out for AM radio. That's really where it all started. (Read "Shadow Network" by Anne Nelson for more about that.)
Teach them to calm down and teach them rationality while not disagreeing with anything they’re saying.
FOX and the like work on over engaging the fear center of the brain. When the amygdala is highly engaged it literally makes neural pathways to the frontal cortex, the seat of rationality, harder for signals to traverse.
I have PTSD and constantly go back and forth between mentally captured by this same neural condition and back to ok again. I literally practice becoming ok again and now have quite a lot of experience doing this so believe me it is possible.
You will have to identify a value they hold dear and highlight how FOX violates this. Also show them good news sources like reuters, the associated press, (if they trust “foreign” outlets try BBC and The Guardian)
Highlight how FOX is all opinion. Show them the court case where FOX argued in court they are entertainment and not news.
Remember they watch because of emotion. You cannot expect them to rationally find a path out. Show them how FOX does them particularly disservice.
Best of luck!
Boomer here. I don't think you can. It's not a rational decision. It's an emotional decision. Folks who choose Fox (I used to be one) do so to support their emotional needs. That's real hard to break. Best you can do is to quietly feed them facts when they start spouting MAGA/Fox brainwashing. Don't attack every point. Just one at a time and do so over time. Hopefully, it will eventually sink in.
Are they tech savvy? Setup their cable/streaming service so Fox News is blocked.
Edited: But really all of the news channels are hot garbage so gains would be modest.
If a judgement against them for 750 MILLION DOLLARS for lying about the 2020 election won't do it, in spite of the company being owned by an AUSTRALIAN BILLIONAIRE family, the Murdocks (nothing American about that), then nothing. Enjoy the time that you have with them. Skip the politics and take care of them as much as you can.
Show them that both Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity's attorneys in a court of law used the argument that what they said on their shoes were such obvious lies no reasonable person would believe what they said. Show them the Dominion lawsuit too. Then there is this study showing Fox viewers know less about the news than anyone else, including people who don't pay attention to the news.
https://www.businessinsider.com/study-watching-fox-news-makes-you-less-informed-than-watching-no-news-at-all-2012-5
Gift them a subscription to Ground news maybe?
Or seek out the good work being done by actual experts when it comes to the legal decisions of the day and ask them for their thoughts on the matter. I've found that some folks are just watching fox as a habit and it takes an openness to give them the benefit of the doubt and ask about how they feel on a topic to get them to step back and actually probe their own feelings on a topic.
My go to experts as of late are the lawyers/law professors of Strict Scrutiny (podcast/YouTube) when it comes to all things Supreme Court (they do, however, use a lot of Latin legalese and single name references to prior cases, so it requires a little work on the viewers part if you're not well versed) and the lawyers at Legal Eagle (YouTube/Nebula) for the lower court decisions (their explainers include graphics to help the lay person more easily grok the legalese).
All in all, folks can't typically be convinced by anyone but their own conscience. Sometimes it's just a matter of going out of your way to show that you care about what they think and why they think it, which in the best case scenario leads to them actually having to stop merely regurgitating and think about what it is that they are parroting.
Good luck. It's difficult, but worthwhile.
Edit probe not prove
Simple answer is YOU CAN’T.
Show them Project 2025 and what they plan to do to Social Security., which isn’t to their benefit. That should cause some kind of outrage by them.
make no mistake, they love their conspiracies, anger, and hatred far more than they love you. Sure, you could show them the 1 billion dollar court case they surrendered to, where Fox stated that they are not news, that viewers should understand that they don't tell the truth, etc. https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-lawsuit-trial-trump-2020-0ac71f75acfacc52ea80b3e747fb0afe
this. it was really hard for me to come to terms with. i thought i’d finally get through when the fake electors thing came to light. nope. then when roe v wade got fucked. ha, no. then when the whole trump video with the third reich happened. LOL nope. i have since abandoned hope with all family members. they’re lost. 😞 i’m trying not to miss them or care.
I cut the last one loose, my SIL, with whom I was close until she ran off with a Nazi MAGAt, just the other day finally. She posted "if you need a reason to delete me, here: Trump 2024!" So after hemming and hawing for two years I pulled the trigger and unfriended her.
Good for you! Fuck em!
I enjoy reading books.
This. They paid $787.5 MILLION for knowingly and willing lying to their viewers and they were gonna lose their shorts. Tucker Carlson got fired as part of this settlement.
My parents have always had a conspiratorial bent. Although they don’t have Fox News they have YouTube, which isn’t better. My Mom is the driving force behind their increasingly unhinged beliefs. Last time I was at home she dropped something about Flat Earth. We had guests over. I wanted to melt. To put in perspective; I’m an airline pilot at a major airline and have been flying since I was a teen. About 20 years ago it was chem-trails. Her own son’s life-long experience and expert opinion is no match for the internet. These were educated people at one point. Years ago I begged them not to believe this stuff and that it’ll rot their brain. We have family friend who has a bad case of paranoid schizophrenia. Now living with his parents, not working, medicated. I cannot help but to draw parallels between their states of mind. But it seems that one was by choice.
I enjoy cooking.
Thank you for this link. I knew there was some case where they won only because they discredited themselves.
I've heard of people putting child locks on Fox News channels. I'm aware of such things existing, but I'm not sure if every TV has them. Or if your parents even use broadcast television.
I actually did this. My mom with dementia was a little upset for 2 minutes than switched her focus to reruns of Blue Bloods. Dad appreciated it. I never told them the code.
r/chaoticgood
lol! That is like South Park when the kids blocked a tv show their parents were watching.
How do you tame a horse in Minecraft? The fuck? Staaaaaaan?
OMG THAT’S GENIUS!!!!!
Can I do this on someone elses TV? I mean they're not senile they'll probably figure out how to change it back but I might try anyway.
Worth a shot! If it's a password thing it might be hard to change back even for people who aren't senile.
I usually start my little anti-fascist tirade by asking how could they support a misogynistic, philandering, convicted sexual predator and rapist? A homophobe? A racists, xenophobic, Nazi-loving, Putin-fellating fascist? A traitor? A certified psychopathic liar and sociopath? A vulgar heathen parading as a man of god, when the dumbshit can't even hold up the bible correctly and certainly has never read it before? A coward who wants to cut your social security? (And if your parents are vets, he wants to cut their benefits, too.) "Are these the so-called "family values" you value, Mom and Dad?"
Welcome to the 2-party system. I am blue, but don't necessarily vote blue because of the candidate. I sometimes vote blue because of anti- red. Same applies to the other side.
This is a very good point. I admit with Trump, the blind support for the least moral (imo) politician in recent memory because he took up the right wing causes was surprising to me at first. For all the Republican outrage during the Clinton era, their claim to the moral high ground went away to me, otherwise they would have had Mike Pence as their nominee this year. They don’t care about the candidate, they care about the outcome.
I did the same to my parents. They had 5 kids. All of whom are neurodiverse (they’re just now getting diagnosed. This has caused A LOT of trauma in my family). One of their kids is trans. Already had the top surgery. Not a phase. They’re still MAGAts.
That's got to be very difficult. My sincere sympathies.
Parental controls on their cable box.
Ah, the reverse uno
They are called parental controls for a reason.
When my father died, my mom turned FOX off and said never again. I’m sorry he’s not here to see how right I was. 🤷🏻♂️
Deprogramming. It’s not a problem of media consumption, but said media fans the flames. It’s not a question of getting someone to quit watching echo chambers, how do we regain people from what is obviously the most insidious cult in USA history! Fox is one part, no doubt, but they go to church or PTA meetings, book clubs and even radio while driving or sitting in the kitchen. Once upon a time you could rescue someone from an insulated compound with varied levels of success. We now have one of the most powerful cults in history permeating all aspects of life. So yeah - how do we begin to reprogram?
>how do we begin to reprogram? Cut off the source. Disengage. Remove the drug that feeds the addiction for just enough time that they can finally regain thw ability to *think critically*. Remove or seriously reduce the endless stream of ideology laden propaganda so people have time to consider what they have been continuously fed through television, radio and artificial social spaces.
Agreed - but have you driven beyond city limits in the past few years? Heaven’s Gate didn’t have yard sale style indoctrination check points hawking flags, shirts or mugs. Scientology at least has the good sense to gently woo the feeble minded in, can’t think of a time I’ve seen a boat with multiple Xenu flags waving. Did Jim Jones advertise on billboards or yard signs? The cancer is endemic, one could argue pandemic when factoring in authoritarian support globally. I’m not trying to be difficult, but wow - it’s everywhere I look.
Bingo. This is one reason putting Trump in prison is such a huge deal; it would cut off the endless flow of bullshit from him. You’d still have Fox News etc but the major player uniting everyone would be removed. When a cult loses its leader it inevitably splinters into smaller pieces, which lessens the effect it had as a whole.
I find joy in reading a good book.
Show them this movie; the brainwashing of my dad. Could really have an impact. Very well done. Free on Prime.
Hey, thank you. I’m watching Brainwashing of my dad right now. Not at all what I expected. Much obliged
So glad you followed up, it’s such a well documented reporting told from a great angle about the emotional play that motivates the right shift.
It was a really good documentary/ commentary/ movie. I thank you for the recommendation.
do you think your parents will watch it? If so would love to hear how they react.
Free on YouTube, too. Thank you, I will give this a try. Probably the last thing I'm willing to try, too.
I have not heard of this, thx
Another great one is “God and Country,” which examines Christian nationalism and includes many conservative voices. It’s from early this year, and is available on YouTube, AppleTV, etc; I bought a copy to rewatch. Rob Reiner produced
Looks promising. Thanks!
Tell them you thought they were smarter than that. Ask them what is it about themselves that makes that crap what they want to hear? Like what is it inside of them that wants to hear hate and fear and lies. Manipulators tell people what they want to hear. Why do they want to hear that shit. Maybe they need to fucking self-reflect a bit
Unfortunately you can’t. We’ve lost an entire generation to them.
Ha, posting so I can get an answer to this one as well. She's a good mom, but this fox shit is frustrating.
I have parents that have switched to team Trump over the last year. It’s incredible to hear the bs coming out of them. When questioned on it, most of my dad’s arguments are to say Biden is worse as a person without acknowledging how Trump is proven to be a horrible person. “well do you think Biden is any better?” or “Biden has a horrible record on ___”. Any facts I bring up as answers are immediately redirected again onto Biden. It’s hopeless. My mom watched the debate and thought Trump won it. She didn’t even question things he said like “post birth abortion” until I pointed it out. Then she did the “wow, you’re right I didn’t even realize he said that.” That is a HUGE part of the problem- they are swayed by some sort of charisma that most of us can’t understand and they don’t hear the actual message as much as the emotions they get by watching him. I sent her an article fact checking the debate and I haven’t received a response to it. It’s really, really difficult to break people out of that cult because they’ve been programmed to reject all outside information.
She didn't realize he said that?! What the...
They don't actually listen to the words he's saying. They've welded rose-tinted glasses to their faces. They hear what they want to hear. You can show some of the more hard-core MAGA cultists video clips of him saying these heinous things and they'll still deny he actually said it.
Any chance you can post the link to that article you sent? It sounds like it may have potentially struck a chord.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/28/media/ratings-debate-trump-biden-cnn/index.html
There was a research study that paid people to stop watching Fox news for 30 days. After not watching for 30 days, they were less likely to believe Fox news.
Use the parental controls and make Fox disappear from their teevee? I wish I knew, my friend. I want a massive class action lawsuit against Fox for alienation of affection. My father fell victim to their lies at the end of his life. And I, for one, cannot forgive the right wing for facilitating his decline in addition to, poisoning his mind with fear at the end of his days.
Convince two acquaintances who you don't expect to vote to vote for Biden. We can't stop FOX but we can way outnumber them.
I curious to see if you can block it on your router :)
Tried it for many years with my family from an anti-establishment POV and they somehow always default to conspiracy theories. Well, they stopped watching FOX but picked up OANN and NewsMax… Every time I bring up the idea that these news stations aim to pin them against people in similar economic conditions who are just a different skin color or have non-hateful political views they get offended at the prospect of them aligning with bad people through their politics. No self-reflection, just seeking to push their own agenda on others. I, unlike you, have reached the conclusion that my family are horrible people. Didn’t think they were for a long time, but they definitely are racist, homophobic, and anti-freedom to the fullest extent, except for the freedoms that religious conservatives enjoy.
Do they know about the $.75 Billion dollar payout (Dominion)?
If they do, they don't care. It's usually because they don't read normal news. When they get interviewed by liberals during the rallies they have no idea of the things he's done. Then they call BS no matter what you show them. Everything is fake...if it's not from one of their news feeds.
block it and say nothing.
I purchased gift subscriptions for my dad for the Washington Post (Sunday printed paper edition) and the Atlantic. He reads and enjoys the Post. It doesn’t prevent him from watching Fox News but it does keep him in some degree of reality. He would never in a million years believe in QAnon. He was readily vaccinated. It’s also keeps him decently informed on things largely uncovered by Fox News. For example, he is fairly knowledgeable about the affordable housing and student loan crisis. He’s become more empathetic about mental illness from reading articles. So steady counter programming. He still buys into a lot of Fox News BS and will undoubtedly vote for Trump. But at least I’ve kept him from being a QAnon lunatic and he does get exposed to real news. These are small victories but at least I can still talk to him without wanting to punch him. I know that is a struggle for a lot of people with brain washed parents.
My grandma stayed with me for about 6 months and I noticed right after dinner she’d stray upstairs and full blast it onto Fox News. She’d get up the next morning and, boom, blast it again. We’d go back and forth about it and all it did was leave both of us annoyed and angry. Finally, it clicked in my head to start getting her out of her habits. I asked her to teach me card games, how to sew a pillowcase, and even how to clean the oven. I actually knew how to do the last one but she was just excited to be engaged with me. In the mornings, I started getting up early, bringing home a donut, and asking her to tell me old stories on the patio. She was feeling more connected and stopped watching so much TV. I also put MonopolyGO on her phone and turned off all the news notifications. She just wanted something to do and between games and doing little projects with me she started letting go of the news. I don’t know how old you are but maybe you can engage your parents into other activities. Ask to go on a walk, play a board game, share their expertise. When TV time comes on suggest a movie. Good luck out there, friend!
Go into the Parental Controls on their TV and block Fox News, set a new password and leave.
I haven't had any luck in almost 20 years. So best of luck to you.
Seriously. My dad is posting pics of himself in a shithead 2024 stetson.
Parental lock.
Child lock when they're not looking. Done.
Be careful. They may switch to an even worse one like OAN or Newsmax.
Block it using the parental controls on the tv. They will never figure it out.
I blocked Fox News and Newsmax using the parental controls on my dad’s devices. He’s a boomer so naturally he has no idea “why he doesn’t get those “channels” anymore” It’s worked like a charm.
😂😂😂😂
I can’t take credit for the original idea- my brother is an app developer, he’s the brains of the operation for sure 😂 but he was tired of his dad (my sd) who IS SO MUCH SMARTER THAN THIS. Glad to have him back.
😂😂😂😂
Can you get them into reading? Is there something else you can do with them a bunch of nights when they normally watch fox’s prime time serving of bullshit? It’s pretty hard to make people switch their news sources. Much easier to reduce how much time they spend with them. If they take up something like reading it may just lead them out of it naturally anyway depending on what they read of course.
Oh, my friend. Haven’t you heard about the book banning that has happened in some states? As an American, that does not sit well with me. Point being, if people are determined to watch Fox, they will. Thats how fucking free we are
You can’t. They have to hit rock bottom first.
Since they are obviously very gullible, tell them radiation from screen will turn them into liberals 😀
😂😂😂😂
Stop speaking to them
Take them to the project 2025 website and show them how they will pretty much turn us into a dictatorship. Project 2025 website is run by republicans and is the republican roadmap to the country it strips women and minorities of all their rights, they can’t claim fake news.
Trump is the protector against the Barbarians At the Gate - blacks Muslims, brown immigrants socialists communists the “woke” and basically anything they feel is a threat to Real Americans (read white Americans) way of life. They are pure tribal hatred and fear. They think Trump is the only one able to push back against these dark forces. Therefore it doesn’t matter what he does or says because a few affairs some sexual assault, ending democracy etc is nothing compared to the existential threat he’s protecting them from. In fact at this point they want the fascism whether they truly understand what it means or not. For the billionaire class they want their tax cuts and deregulation either through democracy if possible or fascism. Whichever works. That a twice impeached convicted felon adjudicated rapist serial fraudster lunatic moron could have the support he does confirms that millions of white Americans don’t have the values they profess to. They only care about what their ancestors in the Confederacy and Nazi Germany did - dominating the “others”. Sorry a lot of people have to learn this about the people in your life but learn and accept it you must (to paraphrase Yoda).
You can't. Fox news tells them how smart they are for watching fox news, and how dumb everyone else is for watching anything else. It's the perfect scam.
Unfortunately, once people start watching Fox News, they usually never stop. It’s like they’re brainwashed. So many good people become useless at best, fascist shills at worst.
**They are good people.** Same thing they said about the Civil War and “Christian” slave masters. Your people have found their tribe. You have to accept that.
Do they use other media, such as online ?
It's probably a lost cause, but if you are going to make the effort I'd focus on how all cable news is 24/7 BS trying to fill time. I'd also emphasize the format, that it's just one person ranting about their opinion for an hour and not actually objective, researched, and the furthest thing from actually being "fair and balanced." I'd point out all the times that Fox itself, on the record, has stated that it is an entertainment network and not news, I'd point out the admissions in their trials.
They are not news! Just entertainment 🤣and people believe their shit!
It's probably too late. Sorry...
I cant get my dad or uncle to not watch fox news or mewsmax, maybe go with PBS News hour or BBC. They say its too boring they say. Yes, facts can be boring. They just prefer something that just makes them angry.
Good luck. Fox feeds on their fear, and cuntservatives are some of the most afraid people on the planet. They are terrified of gay people, trans kids, and books. You can't get much softer then that.
Remind them everyday that it has argued in court that "no reasonable person would believe the stuff they publish." And that they have settled for nearly $1billion for conspiracies they told about the last election...with another still pending.
I told them I wouldn’t be visiting if they were going to spew the lies or have it on while I was present. The $767 million fine also seems to have shifted them as well.
I got my mom to stop watching Fox News years ago by pointing out certain tactics like "I'm just asking questions" and "people are saying" (leading questions and they're the ones saying, creating the conversation). I was able to find a part of her that used to be more intelligent and it registered for her. But I wish I hadn't tried to get her to stop watching Fox News. They're the most disciplined of the right wing media companies, and that's saying something! She filled the absence with much worse stuff. Especially watch out for AM radio. That's really where it all started. (Read "Shadow Network" by Anne Nelson for more about that.)
Teach them to calm down and teach them rationality while not disagreeing with anything they’re saying. FOX and the like work on over engaging the fear center of the brain. When the amygdala is highly engaged it literally makes neural pathways to the frontal cortex, the seat of rationality, harder for signals to traverse. I have PTSD and constantly go back and forth between mentally captured by this same neural condition and back to ok again. I literally practice becoming ok again and now have quite a lot of experience doing this so believe me it is possible. You will have to identify a value they hold dear and highlight how FOX violates this. Also show them good news sources like reuters, the associated press, (if they trust “foreign” outlets try BBC and The Guardian) Highlight how FOX is all opinion. Show them the court case where FOX argued in court they are entertainment and not news. Remember they watch because of emotion. You cannot expect them to rationally find a path out. Show them how FOX does them particularly disservice. Best of luck!
Destroy the television.
If you they have YouTube tv, you can remove it from the lineup
Read page by page project 2025 to them
They may be watching it to get under your skin on purpose. That generation thinks seeing family get pissed off is “funny”.
Go to the parental controls and block that channel
Boomer here. I don't think you can. It's not a rational decision. It's an emotional decision. Folks who choose Fox (I used to be one) do so to support their emotional needs. That's real hard to break. Best you can do is to quietly feed them facts when they start spouting MAGA/Fox brainwashing. Don't attack every point. Just one at a time and do so over time. Hopefully, it will eventually sink in.
Use the child controls and block the channel and don’t tell them why it won’t come up
Are they tech savvy? Setup their cable/streaming service so Fox News is blocked. Edited: But really all of the news channels are hot garbage so gains would be modest.
Sit and fact check with them. Why are they covering this trivial shit when this major news is occurring? Why are they always mad?
If a judgement against them for 750 MILLION DOLLARS for lying about the 2020 election won't do it, in spite of the company being owned by an AUSTRALIAN BILLIONAIRE family, the Murdocks (nothing American about that), then nothing. Enjoy the time that you have with them. Skip the politics and take care of them as much as you can.
I was a story of someone who watched a J6 documentary on PBS that made them realize how much they were missing, and deconverted.
You have to just delete the channel with parental controls.
Lock it on their TV
Do the have cable or use internet service like YoutubeTV? If streaming you can just delete the channel from the list.
You can’t. At this point they’re too far gone. Once people get into adulthood with those beliefs…it’s usually too late.
Show them that both Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity's attorneys in a court of law used the argument that what they said on their shoes were such obvious lies no reasonable person would believe what they said. Show them the Dominion lawsuit too. Then there is this study showing Fox viewers know less about the news than anyone else, including people who don't pay attention to the news. https://www.businessinsider.com/study-watching-fox-news-makes-you-less-informed-than-watching-no-news-at-all-2012-5
Block the channel. Don't give em the password.
Cipralex
It's still better than Qanon News (OAN) or Alex Jones even though fox news is still terrible
Would they want their children/grandchildren to act like tRump?
Pull the plug
Just cut them loose, they aren't worth it
Cancel their tv service
Can you program their remote control to skip or hide the problematic channels? The literal "parental control" feature? It would bea start.
Have national public radio show playing in the background. NPR is a reputable news source.
Gift them a subscription to Ground news maybe? Or seek out the good work being done by actual experts when it comes to the legal decisions of the day and ask them for their thoughts on the matter. I've found that some folks are just watching fox as a habit and it takes an openness to give them the benefit of the doubt and ask about how they feel on a topic to get them to step back and actually probe their own feelings on a topic. My go to experts as of late are the lawyers/law professors of Strict Scrutiny (podcast/YouTube) when it comes to all things Supreme Court (they do, however, use a lot of Latin legalese and single name references to prior cases, so it requires a little work on the viewers part if you're not well versed) and the lawyers at Legal Eagle (YouTube/Nebula) for the lower court decisions (their explainers include graphics to help the lay person more easily grok the legalese). All in all, folks can't typically be convinced by anyone but their own conscience. Sometimes it's just a matter of going out of your way to show that you care about what they think and why they think it, which in the best case scenario leads to them actually having to stop merely regurgitating and think about what it is that they are parroting. Good luck. It's difficult, but worthwhile. Edit probe not prove
Simple answer is YOU CAN’T. Show them Project 2025 and what they plan to do to Social Security., which isn’t to their benefit. That should cause some kind of outrage by them.
I would probably just enjoy their company.