The Right Wing Echo Chamber

I have been a member of this site for a couple years now and I have been one of the people knee-deep in the fight to combat propaganda and lies within our threads and our overall mindset. Being a Republican myself, I find that I have been most critical of my own party members and the party itself in how it uses propaganda, lies and refusal to accept truth as the tactics used to generate support and acquiescence.

For some time I have struggled to find a way to describe this mentality and what it does to our political process, which is dependent upon the morality of truth and our willingness to accept fact.

Last night I found this video on youtube. Yes, I knows its a YT video and even worse....it's Rachel Maddow!

I do not always agree with her but I think she hits the nail on the head and intelligently describes what I have been trying to get people to realize for some time.

She explains how the rhetoric, propaganda and lies separate people from the truth and corrals thought into a very specific range in which it can be controlled and harnessed for the benefit of the hardcore Right-Wing agenda. She also show how the Right-Wing machine relies on the power of the rumor mill and how fact can be lost in transmission.

More importantly, she describes how it is impossible to get hardcore Right-Wing supporters to accept truth, even when it is staring them in the face.

I implore you to take the time to watch the video and comment as you see fit. Please do not dismiss the video simply because it's Rachel Maddow. Listen to what is being said...that's all I ask.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


The only problem is its not just the Right, but the Left as well.

Both pander to the extremes of their own party, its divisive rhetoric all around.

Its all BS, gaming the system to prolong the problems for the sake of winning an election, it needs to stop.

reply to post by benrl


I can agree to a certain extent and I'm sure that I will get flamed for this, but with all my dealings on this forum and in real life conversations, Democrats are much more receptive to opposing opinions and are more willing to change their opinion in the face of clear-cut evidence.

As this video attempts to point out, the hard-Right tends to be an "island" in which it is cut-off from the outside world and anything other than accepted dogma and rhetoric is not allowed to penetrate their inner sanctum.

So while I can agree somewhat, the Republicans are on a completely different level than the Democrats.

Both pander to the extremes of their own party

Actually, the Democrats pander to the Right. They have tossed their ideology to the side to appease people on the right.

Throw in the monumental lies of Super Pac silliness, which is NOT endorsed by either party, and you have an even more hopelessly divided, uneducated and confused electorate. The less facts are known, the better, right? Now, go decide who is going to lead your country for the next four years.

It's not about all the mudslinging, that's the way US elections go, it's only about the bits that seem to stick. More mud, more of a chance it might.

BTW... I think I remember reading on ATS that Obama is actually an abnormally tall Reptillian bent on weakening the ability of humankind to resist the coming invasion. I'd find that factoid for you, but I need to bake a cake right now.

reply to post by sheepslayer247

I think that may be an example of the information Bias at play.

It gets kind of annoying when you see in the media and on here this thought that the Left has the monopoly on intelligence and free thinking open mindedness.

If it wasn't a violation of TOS, I could list all the members I have seen being just as stubborn as the right. Watch an Episode of Bill Maher if you want to see the same kind of rhetoric being spouted by the left.

Its not till you step back from both parties, and see it as the game it is (For christ sake theres team mascot's .) that you understand its all manipulation to keep the masses at bay.

If we all stopped drinking the MSM koolaid we would be marching on Washington DC with pitch forks and torches.

People need to stop banging the "my teams better" drum, there are no teams, its just Americans being abused by those in power.

reply to post by benrl

I understand your frustration and agree. All to often we take what is fed to us as fact and are too lazy to do the leg work required to find the facts.

And by no means am I trying to uphold the virtues of the left. As I said, I am a Republican and I fight hard to fight the demons within my own realm before I try to focus on someone else's problems.

What I am trying to convey, and the point of the video, is the specific tactics and examples used to sterilize the thought process' of certain people and how it infects the political process.

Originally posted by benrl
reply to post by sheepslayer247

 

The only problem is its not just the Right, but the Left as well.

Both pander to the extremes of their own party, its divisive rhetoric all around.

Its all BS, gaming the system to prolong the problems for the sake of winning an election, it needs to stop.

There isn't an extreme LEFT in America, none to speak of...

The Right has gone so far to the Right that people who believe in Medicare are considered full
blown Communists.

So I am sorry, but the Right has carved out its own place for extremity in America.

That was a great video and did a great job of debunking some commone myths about Obama and Obamacare.

But also, as the video suggests, it doesn't matter. The lie has been accepted, it can be confirmed on "the internet" by others who believe the falsehoods, so the people who believe this information will never take a deeper look because their beliefs are backed up by Rush, Hannity, and Beck.

reply to post by campanionator


Have to agree. I used to be a republican, but once they started focusing more on winning elections and less on the actual governing part, AND pandering to the extremely extreme christianists, they lost my vote. Right now, IMHO, the democrats just offer more common sense, and as the OP said, they are willing to examine the facts and adjust their positions accordingly. As opposed to republicans, who will still tell you the earth is barely 7,000 years old, global warming is a hoax, and that invisible men really do live in the sky. I mean, how can you take a person seriously that believes that an omnipotent yet absent, loving father yet wrathful slayer, that no one can see or hear and is ready to judge you for the pettiest of offenses? I mean, I have been laughed at in places in the central and western US for saying that dinosaur bones are just that dinosaurs, and not some trick played by Satan. And this country wonders why we are in the dumps.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


Thanks for posting the video. She brings up something that has crossed my mind a lot since I've been browsing the pages of ATS.

People always ask on threads for a "reliable media source." I love what she brings up about the idea that there aren't very many who debunk the "official" sources from within like Fox, ABC, NBC, CNN, etc. if it doesn't match up with their agenda.

I would have to say that citizen journalism is more important at this time than in any time in the past.

What if someone out there with the resources were to make a news station that got ALL the perspectives on any given issue, and left it to the viewer to decide what the truth was? There should be a revolution in the media before there will ever be a revolution for the people.

Originally posted by DarkKnight76
reply to post by campanionator

 

Have to agree. I used to be a republican, but once they started focusing more on winning elections and less on the actual governing part, AND pandering to the extremely extreme christianists, they lost my vote. Right now, IMHO, the democrats just offer more common sense, and as the OP said, they are willing to examine the facts and adjust their positions accordingly. As opposed to republicans, who will still tell you the earth is barely 7,000 years old, global warming is a hoax, and that invisible men really do live in the sky. I mean, how can you take a person seriously that believes that an omnipotent yet absent, loving father yet wrathful slayer, that no one can see or hear and is ready to judge you for the pettiest of offenses? I mean, I have been laughed at in places in the central and western US for saying that dinosaur bones are just that dinosaurs, and not some trick played by Satan. And this country wonders why we are in the dumps.

I hear you.

I think that is the real problem, rejecting thought and purposefully using fear as a substitute
for thought is not a good institution to be leading America.

Originally posted by sheepslayer247
she describes how it is impossible to get hardcore Right-Wing supporters to accept truth, even when it is staring them in the face.

sounds just like hard core Left-Wing supporters.

Originally posted by sheepslayer247
Democrats are much more receptive to opposing opinions and are more willing to change their opinion in the face of clear-cut evidence.

Tell that to MSNBC

Originally posted by campanionator
There isn't an extreme LEFT in America, none to speak of...

Bill Maher who hates and hates. Ellen Barkin who wants everyone at the RNC to die. Air Head Mika Brzezinski. Al Gore and his 'carbon credit' scam. Bill Ayers who refuses to say he was wrong to plan on blowing up the pentagon. Race baiter Al Sharpton. Code Pink Whackadooos. George Soros buying elections. The Occupy Wall Street leadership. Environmental terrorists who throw blood on people wearing furs and blow up car dealerships. Hell .. ALL of MSNBC. All of 'em at The Democratic Underground website. etc etc etc. The list for the far left is just as long as the list for the far right.

Sorry, but it looks like this is just a partisan hack job. If she had said that both the right and the left have supporters that fail to accept truth and refuse to be receptive to opposing opinions then her statement would have merit. As it is, it's just her being typical far left (like she usually is).

Reminds me of the Koch brothers "Think Tanks", where they get politicians and the MSM to just repeat nonsense over and over so that people will believe it.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


I dont watch anything that dude has to say.... I guess your point is proven then :-p no but seriously, I really can't listen to any Main Stream Media anymore...

reply to post by FlyersFan

sounds just like hard core Left-Wing supporters.

Care to comment on the topic and refute the premise? It's easy to say "they did it too" like a child on an elementary school playground, but can you deny what was said?

And can you really compare the Right-Wing machine to the pussyfoot Left that cannot even agree with each other? There is a huge difference and I hope you are able to tell the difference.

Tell that to MSNBC

Don't have to. MSNBC, even though they are openly progressive, are much more open to opposing opinions than FoxNews or any NeoCon talking head.

MSNBC is the convenient scapegoat for a group of extremists on the Right that are trying to sterilize information and make it easier to swallow for their ignorant masses.

Bill Maher who hates and hates

You do know that Maher is a libertarian right?

Sorry, but it looks like this is just a partisan hack job. If she had said that both the right and the left have supporters that fail to accept truth and refuse to be receptive to opposing opinions then her statement would have merit. As it is, it's just her being typical far left (like she usually is).

If you fail to see the difference in tactics then I suppose it is a lost cause in trying to explain it to you. There is a big difference. The pinko-whachadoos are jealous of the ability of the extreme right to suppress thought and inject propaganda.

I hope you can objectively look at this and see what is going on. If you can't....

reply to post by DrNotforhire


It's a woman, and this is a very informative video. It would be worth your time to watch.

There is truth in what she says, regardless of how one may feel about MSNBC or Maddow herself.

I'm a moderate. I've voted for both Republicans and Democrats. My family is largely Republican, my friends are largely Democrat.

I get the most outrageous, hateful, bile and venom-filled email forwards about Obama and/or the Democrats from my Republican family members. It's astounding, really, and it would be funny if it weren't such a pathetic insight into the fear-filled and paranoid hearts and minds of Republicans, many Boomers and many Southerners in general.

The funny thing is, the worst I get from my Democrat friends is the occasional silly meme image about what a goof ball Romney is or the greediness of the 1%. Never outright lies and propaganda.

I do think Obama is going to win and I shudder to think of the absurd, hysterical, obstructionist over-reaction that will set fire across this nation.

The right and the left wing do have their purposes in a democratic society. It shows a diversity of views, and in the end, only the most rational or the compromised but agreed upon by all laws are legislated. Left and right should be both respected.

It had been said that when the nation is bullied, vote republican. They have the elan and guts to 'just do it'. But if it is the economy to be succesful, vote Democrat - miserly skinflints and accountants all. ( A joke - no offense intended for any party)

But today and for the past 4 years, we had seen gridlock in Congress and little is done as votes are taken along party lines, even if means the masses suffer. Seems party is more important that the People.

It takes a courageous President of the People to break the deadlock with Executive Orders, but only lightly done so far for the past 4 years.

Who has that kind of courage to take that responsiblity? If the Orders which seemed wrong right now and dictatorial, even when a deadlock occurs, but when proven right later, the President would be praised. But if the result was wrong, his name would be dragged in mud. Who will accept that job and dares take up that responsibitie, accountable to 300 million citizens alone?

reply to post by FlyersFan


I disagree that there is equal amounts of lies and falsehoods on the left and the right. The right seem to have lies as a central part of their arguments. Radio hosts, tv hosts, and even the politicians themselves put out outrageous lies with no facts backing them up, and when they are proven wrong they never go back and correct themselves.

Off the top of my head, here are some huge Right Wing lies.

Obama is a Muslim
Obama wasn't born in Hawaii
Obamacare has "death panels"
Obama's trip to India cost 200 million a day
Obama raised your taxes
Obama is a socialist
Obama hates America

I could go on, but those are some of the most outrageous lies that I can think of that either have been completely debunked or have zero evidence to back them. And yet we here these repeated almost daily in the Right Wing world.

So, do you have an equally outrageous offending list of Left Wing lies?

Originally posted by sheepslayer247
Care to comment on the topic and refute the premise?

I did comment on the topic. And I commented on YOUR comments.

like a child on an elementary school playground,

Got your feelings hurt because I spoke the truth? Looks like it.

And can you really compare the Right-Wing machine to the pussyfoot Left that cannot even agree with each other?

If you don't think that there is a strong right wing machine AND a strong left wing machine then you are a perfect example of what I was talking about. To use your words ... it's staring you right in the face and you refuse to see. The Soros machine. The Union machine. The ACORN machine. The Hollywood machine. The enviro-nuts blowing up car dealerships. The code pink whackos. The race baithers. MSNBC. CBS. etc etc. It's all there.

MSNBC, even though they are openly progressive, are much more open to opposing opinions than FoxNews or any NeoCon talking head.

You actually buy that??

You do know that Maher is a libertarian right?

Only on paper.

I hope you can objectively look at this and see what is going on. If you can't....

Obviously you can't. You are to the left EXACTLY what you complained about for the right.
Thanks for proving my point so well.