2 posts tagged “fox news”

You do?  Ohmigosh!  Me, too!

Well, just in case you thought it was over, Fox News's John Gibson and his friends in government and media are, in their own screeching, whining, artificially insinuating way, now celebrating the first anniversary of the  disingenuous invention of the "War on Christmas."

I, for one, find it hilariously (or maddeningly, depending on my somewhat bipolar moods) appropriate that the very team that, in government, was so successful at fabricating a real war on fake pretenses four years ago -- is now, in the media, one-upping themselves by fabricating a fake one on fake pretenses.

Oooh, but they just love their war, don't they?

They must've already gotten bored with the last one.  Or, one might imagine, the execs at Fox News just weren't happy with the reviews it was getting.

I discovered a blog today that has a very timely rant against all the hijacking and artificial grandstanding that this once-innocent holiday is now being forced to endure.  It's at The Smirking Chimp -- feel free to go and read it there -- or just read my excerpt here, which I have added emphasis to (in my way) for your enjoyment (or mine, I lose track sometimes):

... of course they invented this so-called war.  Corporations aren't attacking Christmas when they ask employees to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."  They're just saying that all Americans, including those who don't celebrate Christmas in their beliefs, are welcome to patronize their store.  The fanatical media mavens, always looking for a new phony cause, invented the "War on Christmas."

... There's never been a war on Christmas.

Until now.

I'm declaring one.  This is the opening salvo of my official war on Christmas.  Oh, not the real Christmas, mind you. Depending on what you believe, Christmas can be either a) the time to remember when God came to Earth in human form and sacrificed himself for us, or b) a holiday that combined a number of ancient solstice festivals and resurrection stories that each reflected elemental aspects of the human spirit.

I have no problem with Christmas in either form.  Either way, it's a beautiful synthesis of what it means to be alive, of the way that human beings can learn to love both the creation and the Creator.  ... Christmas was designed to remind us of the One who refused to hate minorities, the One who found a lesson in the behavior of the Samaritan ( [who was] from a despised sect of outsiders), who saved the prostitute's life, who said that the country's religious leaders didn't have a monopoly on the truth.

His Christmas, that Christmas, is a time to love those who are different, to accept them and learn from them - not a time to fan the flames of hatred to increase ratings or get more support for the Republican agenda.  In the real spirit of Christmas, atheists and Muslims would be as welcome at the table - and on television - as the most devout Christian. That was His example.

... I'm also declaring war against the corporate-sponsored Christmas, the Credit Card Christmas, the debt-amplifying and soul-killing Christmas.  It's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven, we are told.  So why are we being lectured on Christmas by rich men?  And why are Christians still following wealthy and politically-connected preachers, two thousand years after Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the temple?

Apparently, Fox News is coming out with their own ripoff of The Daily Show!

The excellent blog "Sadly, No!" has a link to the story, as well as some links to several republican comedians -- for a little taste of things to come.

So ... how do we sum this one up and still preserve all the glorious irony ...  How about:

DISINGENUOUSLY FAKE NEWS CHANNEL GLOMS ON TO SUCCESS OF ADMITTEDLY FAKE NEWS SHOW BY PRODUCING ITS OWN FAKE COMEDY SHOW!

Yes, we really should underscore that this new show, in addition to being another ham-fistedly partisan loudspeaker for the current White House, will also not be actually funny.  At least not on purpose...

Which, in the big picture, is fine.  Really.  Let Faux News drag themselves further down the crack-alley of history by adding corporate-funded propagandist comedy to their list of transgressions against the Great American Way.  It's a very, very long list, but this is a free country, after all, and their days -- we have to hope -- are numbered.

That being said, though, it's time to vent:  (deep breath...)

The dishonest thing about the whole idea is that Fox is once again spinning their new show as a way of offering a "balanced" viewpoint by supplying an alternative to T.D.S.  But whereas Fox is conceiving their show from the ground-up as a partisan propaganda device (they have explicitly called it "The Daily Show for conservatives", after all), The Daily Show, as any honest person who watches it will tell you, is first and foremost a comedy show, i.e. a show that makes fun of the absurdity of the system -- as opposed to, for example, preaching political talking points disguised as innocent, good-natured "yuks".

Yes, it's true that T.D.S. has spent most of its time making fun of the current administration -- but any observant person who's --once again-- honest with themselves will agree that that's because a) until recently, anyway, the Bush republicans have been in control of every branch of government, and b) there's enough absurdity in their administration for at least five full-time networks.  So -- in my not-so-humble opinion -- the Daily Show has actually done a bang-up job of managing to cover the Bushies while still squeezing in as many jabs at Democrats and left-wing zealots as they have in their little 11pm-to-midnight time-slice.  And if you're still not convinced, just keep an eye on the show as the Democrats start to make their first moves in January -- T.D.S. will find absurdity there, too.  I assure you.

But my point is, here's what's probably going to happen: The Daily Show is going to continue to dutifully make fun of both sides, to each its fair share (as it should) ... but Fox, once again, under the oh-so-dishonest banner of "Fair and Balanced", is going to pour its patented contempt for all things non-Republican into its little evil-twin propaganda show and disguise it all as good fun in the name of comedy.

Sucks playing for the good guys when the other team has more money and fewer scruples, huh?  Sigh...  Just another day in the life, I suppose.

Moving on...