The Media Will Brainwash You Before You Realize What’s Happening
Life Inside an Echo Chamber
Once upon a time, I was brainwashed.
Yep, me, typical, middle-aged, wife, and mother.
My daily schedule revolved around a 3-hour radio show.
I couldn’t miss this show because the very fabric of our society was in danger of being torn to shreds! Everything patriotic and good hinged on the information I obtained from the show’s host each day.
He would tell me not to worry yet. There was hope we could save this great country. The host assured me when it was time to worry; he‘d let me know.
Despite the trust I placed in the show’s host, I was beginning to be a nervous wreck. I worried about what was going to become of us all. Enemies were everywhere!
Sometimes Our Children See What We Can’t See
My son was in college at that time and living at home.
Time and again, he told me the media pundits and my beloved radio show host were lying to me, but I didn’t believe him.
For goodness sake, I told him, these people were patriots. They wouldn’t lie to me. They were members of my political party. I trusted them. After all, they stood for everything democratic and virtuous!
At 8:00 each night, I began watching the “news” shows on my preferred network. The information was necessary for me to know because everything was at stake!
My anxiety level heightened after a while. Those nervous knots in my stomach were getting bad!
My son kept telling me these people were lying to me.
He didn’t understand how important this information was. So young and naive was this young man!
Fear Mongering vs. Reality
What did I see around me he asked? What was the reality here in my house, on my street, in my town? Were the church doors barred? Were my rights violated by the Saul Alinsky loving crowd who didn’t vote like me?
Well…? Could my son be right?
I took a hard look at my home, my street, and my town.
My reality here in my hometown was not the reality I heard about on the radio and television.
Sure, I wasn’t pleased with everything that was going on. My chosen political party wasn’t in control. I had objections to many of the policies that were in place but, no, things weren’t that bad.
I could worship as I wished, and my rights were intact. We had avoided a deeper recession or possible depression. The economy had indeed recovered.
Well, my persistent, young son, you made your point.
Hard As It Is, Let It Go
I turned it all off. Rush Limbaugh and Fox News Channel were no longer welcome in my house. I banned television news and political radio of any sort.
Now my radio emitted only music.
I began to read more. Fiction, history, and civics filled my brain.
My head began to clear, and I regained my reason. My anxiety and those nervous knots in my stomach lessened. There was a new sense of calm.
I began to think that things weren’t so bad.
Politically Homeless
For my entire adult life, I voted Republican. I’m a fiscal conservative and an old-school compassionate conservative.
Self-serving, ratings seeking, unethical talking heads on radio, and television corrupted my party. Public office seekers with an (R) behind their name didn’t speak the same language as conservatives I knew and respected.
After Deprogramming, the Anger Led Me Too Far Left
My reason returned, and I realized things weren’t so bleak. Enemies were not around every corner.
Democrats had homes and families, too, so why would they want to tear down the very fabric of this land? I disagreed with their policies. But disagreement didn’t make them my enemy. Wow, I had been brainwashed, and sadly I’m not the only one.
I must admit that after my “deprogramming,” I was angry at having been misled. My disappointment and ire led me to check out what the left-wing media had to say. I began watching Morning Joe and peeking at left-wing publications.
After a time, I realized I was becoming a brainwashed by the left. I had to pull myself back from the extreme brink again. I turned it off and retreated to books and music once again.
Settled Securely in the Middle
My political reading is now only long-form journalism from moderate, centrist sources.
Fact-checking is essential these days.
No extremes on the right or the left for me. There are more like me out there, but we don’t get the attention that the extreme folks get.
Now I remember who I am here in normal, average USA. My reality is what I see and hear for real on my street and in my town.
No one is going to lead me around by the nose and tell me what my truth is again. I’m not going to be used by the media.
The far-right and the far-left are two sides of the same wrong-headed coin. Their policies won’t help us grow and prosper in this 21st century. Extremism only separates us.
Join Me and Let’s Heal this Nation!
So, if you see a bit of yourself in this article, I encourage you to turn it all off. It’s tough, but it’s so worth it!
I’m part of “The Exhausted Majority.” We’ve ditched the politics of hate. Now we stand in the middle. We’re desperate for policies that work for all Americans. It’s time we got back to being neighbors and fellow citizens.
Retrieve your brain from the echo chamber. Clear out those lies and conspiracy theories.
From here on out, keep your brain in YOUR possession. Fill it with facts and truth.
Come on, people, let’s get to work and unite this beautiful country of ours. We can do this!
