qec Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/oreilly-debates-atheist-r_n_316178.html Richard Dawkins responds by telling O'Reilly to stop shouting at him. O'Reilly claims science has never advanced the human condition. It's all just a show, bloodsport for the religious masses. O-Really doesn't mean a Goddamned word of it and will make a killing off of it as usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qec Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I think the real proof that FOX is mostly after the ratings, rather than really interested in the loony fundamentalist fringe, is the fact that they also have programs like The Simpsons. Though such programs are wildly popular, they are hardly promoters of religion or so-called "family values." All of the newsmedia that Murdoch controls is intended to promote right wing economic policies. Such as the Sun in the UK. (Is it the Sun?) Ratings/sales are #1, but a close #2 is pro-business, pro-capitalism, anti-welfare state. Murdoch is very shrewd like that. But I doubt he gives a fuck about Christians or about social conservatism, that's just window dressing. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if his house parties feature 55 year old executives snorting coke off the tits of hired escorts. Remember that Murdoch is Australian, and they're as godless as anyone in northwestern Europe is. As far as entertainment went, Fox gave us Married With Children and the Simpsons. The Simpsons can get away with poking fun at Murdoch and his ilk because the Simpsons are the goose that laid the golden egg. And again, Murdoch doesn't give two shits about what James Dobson thinks. The only thing they have in common is that they support right wing economic policies. Thanks for being a realist and pointing this stuff out. It's so true that Rupert Murdoch is a Capitalist through and through; he could give a fuck less on one level what the content is as long as it's making him money. Someone could write a book against him, and for all we know he would have someone in the Fox News Network talking about the merits and demerits of the book. The idea being that if this generates ratings and sales it makes im more money. That's all Fox is really; just a money maker. I highly doubt most anyone on Fox other than O-Really actually believes anything they spout; they are just in it for the money too. As far as O-Really, I get the impression he doesn't believe most of what he spouts either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yaoi Huntress Earth Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 And the fact that these people rely so much on hatrid and shock that they have to keep going an maintain that image or lose their fanbase. Eventually people get sick of shock jocks that many of them have get more outrageous to maintain that attention. O'Riley had to go as far as demonizing Tiller until someone was goaded into his murder and if he spoke-up against his fellow pundits laughing about it, a number of his fans and some of the pundits would turn against him. It's just one day it might just go too far and that's what I fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qec Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 And the fact that these people rely so much on hatrid and shock that they have to keep going an maintain that image or lose their fanbase. Eventually people get sick of shock jocks that many of them have get more outrageous to maintain that attention. O'Riley had to go as far as demonizing Tiller until someone was goaded into his murder and if he spoke-up against his fellow pundits laughing about it, a number of his fans and some of the pundits would turn against him. It's just one day it might just go too far and that's what I fear. Those guys are all hardened cynical capitalists pretty much; they just feed off of other peoples' stupidity. Should they be shutdown? Hell no, let 'em keep blathering their bullshit and making their money. If you shut people like that down then you turn into the very same thing they are always railing against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yaoi Huntress Earth Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Those guys are all hardened cynical capitalists pretty much; they just feed off of other peoples' stupidity. Should they be shutdown? Hell no, let 'em keep blathering their bullshit and making their money. If you shut people like that down then you turn into the very same thing they are always railing against. That's the problem with free speech it applies to idiots and those who'd manipulate others. But I'd still defend it none of the less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qec Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Those guys are all hardened cynical capitalists pretty much; they just feed off of other peoples' stupidity. Should they be shutdown? Hell no, let 'em keep blathering their bullshit and making their money. If you shut people like that down then you turn into the very same thing they are always railing against. That's the problem with free speech it applies to idiots and those who'd manipulate others. But I'd still defend it none of the less. Likewise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight-mindwanderings Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 My dad is a major MAJOR right wing conservative, well the term nut job applies here. He actually LOVES Rush and Coulter and Limbaugh and Laura whatshername and O'Reilly. I spent my early preteen years listening to them and even then I disliked the hate, anger and divisiveness of it. They talk about how evil so and so is or how wrong liberals are and all I thought was, 'but they are people too'! And i was sure the other side had as much reasoning behind their beliefs as the side I heard. I am sort of torn on most issues because I can see both sides (mostly economic issues). Its true for a lot of people though, the deep political issues are much more complicated than any tv station will take the time to fully represent so they just piggy back on the easy issues - social issues. Who understands things like the healthcare bill/ system enough to really know how they feel about it? But connect it to a social issue and people will be swayed. From a social standpoint, I am all for it; economically I have no idea. Foreign policies are similarly dumbed down because common people don't give a shit or are too dumb to understand. Also Fox is a huge corporation that includes Fox News but that is a separate organism from the networks that run shows like Simpsons. I think the News network has their own control as far as content goes and are just produced by the same company. And of course a company is going to only care about profits. Which they have been very successful at. Between their news station, the Simpsons, Family Guy and American Idol I am somewhat fearful over the amount of mental control they have over the country purely from entertainment. Its more powerful than it first appears. As they say in Gladiators, "He who controls the mob controls the country." America is complacent because America is far too entertained to really care - unless its about balloon boy or Jon and Kate. I am glad I don't have TV anymore... I thought Dawkins kicked ass in the interview though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vomit Comet Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 The free market ideology is being deliberately promoted via Fox News. That's what Murdoch does intend to convey, and he does the same thing with his properties in the UK and Australia that we Yanks don't know about. The social conservatism is tacked on so that Jesus freaks and other cranks will swallow the pill and like it. It's his own personal ideology. Of course, the promotion of it also serves to fatten his bottom line. That's what he's all about in the end. However, it is an ideology, don't get that wrong. I imagine at some point, however far back, he was running a fair risk of alienating people with his trying to inject it into print and TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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