WHY FOX NEWS MATTERS
My 75-year-old Mexican-American mom voted for Romney in Wyoming despite being pro gay marriage, pro women’s rights, WORKING POOR (AT 75) and an IMMIGRANT on MEDICARE. She voted Obama in 2008. The only thing she disagrees with is his stance on choice, because she is staunchly Catholic and does not believe abortion should be legal.
I asked why, without being angry because we argue about this constantly. She basically gave me a bulletpoint list of Fox News talking points: “I really like Obama, I think he’s done a lot of good. But I think we need change. Obama has involved the government in our lives too much. We don’t need big government.”
Now. My mother is not very educated, she graduated from a Catholic high school in the ’50s, which systematically discriminated against her and all Mexican students because of, you know. But she is very sharp, fundamentally smart. Most of my family, particularly outside of Wyoming, is liberal, as you would expect. So why did this happen? FOX. In Wyoming, she’s surrounded by people who watch Fox, who repeat what Fox says, and she watches it too (though switches back and forth between Fox and CNN). They repeated Romney stump speeches verbatim and it worked: at least some people, or at least my mom, voted against their own interests because of Fox misinformation.
Personally, I would have been more upset if Wyoming was a swing state, but obviously, that shit bleeds crimson. But it’s still sad, and scary, and once again emphasizes how biased and uncritical (and corporate-interest) media is detrimental to our democracy. I’m sad, man. My mom’s old, we can’t get into political yelling fights anymore, but man. I’m sad.
Praying Obama wins, and if he does, we hold him to make this a better place.
