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Just for perspective, I've been alive since the last few months of President Carter (which I obviously don't remember well). In that time frame, I've seen music and sports and other entertainment occasionally take a moment to make a political statement about starving children, conservation, wars and etc. If you wanted to dive deep into politics, you turned to the news channel or AM radio.
The turning point from my observation was Fox News programming in the 2000s, which seemed to ratchet up firey, emotional, passive-aggressive political discussion. But it was still confined to cable news or political programming. Other cable news began to follow Fox's lead.
Around 2012, I noticed that the boundaries in entertainment for every political issue dissolved. You're encouraged to be mad as heck about them, instead of discussing sensitive matters rationally. I don't think that's healthy for American society.
Are TV shows/music/websites/live events in your country similar to the state the US is in now, where an impassioned soapbox could take place at any time without warning?
Just for perspective, I've been alive since the last few months of President Carter (which I obviously don't remember well). In that time frame, I've seen music and sports and other entertainment occasionally take a moment to make a political statement about starving children, conservation, wars and etc. If you wanted to dive deep into politics, you turned to the news channel or AM radio.
The turning point from my observation was Fox News programming in the 2000s, which seemed to ratchet up firey, emotional, passive-aggressive political discussion. But it was still confined to cable news or political programming. Other cable news began to follow Fox's lead.
Around 2012, I noticed that the boundaries in entertainment for every political issue dissolved. You're encouraged to be mad as heck about them, instead of discussing sensitive matters rationally. I don't think that's healthy for American society.
Are TV shows/music/websites/live events in your country similar to the state the US is in now, where an impassioned soapbox could take place at any time without warning?
I was in US before the Iraq war. The media, public, almost everyone in US were convinced Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. I saw how that was utterly ridiculous but the media in US played an important role in convincing Americans that war was necessary. I remember one day watching tv before the war and CNN announced Wolf Blitzer would have a discussion about the possibility of war. So I thought to myself Ok now at least may be one of the people he has invited may point out how ridiculous this war idea is. Guess what? He had invited like 3 generals who were talking about the best way to invade Iraq. So I don't think things were being discussed very rationally in US media even before 2012.
I was in US before the Iraq war. The media, public, almost everyone in US were convinced Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. I saw how that was utterly ridiculous but the media in US played an important role in convincing Americans that war was necessary. I remember one day watching tv before the war and CNN announced Wolf Blitzer would have a discussion about the possibility of war. So I thought to myself Ok now at least may be one of the people he has invited may point out how ridiculous this war idea is. Guess what? He had invited like 3 generals who were talking about ways of invading Iraq. So I don't think things were being discussed very rationally in US media even before 2012.
As I said, even during the Iraq war there was a place for that sort of discussion, like cable news and AM radio. It didn't really spread to general entertainment with a few exceptions.
I watch some non-US programming. They have news stations for headlines and discussion of local and international events (like the Las Vegas tragedy). The other programming is frivolous reality TV, pop music, fashion, food and sports.
Priorities in other countries are of course different, but in my very limited observation, I don't see the evidence of politics dominating general entertainment. It very comforting to watch, honestly.
The Media, and Entertainment Media has politicized EVERYTHING now. The only way to get away from it is to turn it off, which I have largely done. I don't want, nor need a lecture every time I turn on the TV.
Here in Brazil it is getting harder to find a TV show that doesn't mention anything about politics, there is always some controversy.
I just want to relax and clear my mind sometimes!
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