Most members who frequent the forum on a regular basis know that beginning two or three years ago, I began asking for us to refrain from posting about such incidents in their immediate aftermath. It seems that it's time for me to reiterate this and I want to expand on it a bit.

I want you guys to take a look at something. I want to give you some perspective about how news is being provided to the American public. In 1983, 90% of the media was owned by 50 companies. Today, 90% of the media is owned by 6 companies.

Take a look at this chart from fortune.com, posted one year ago : Media Conglomerates

With each passing year, 'choice' becomes more illusory. Take a look at the names of these conglomerates. These obscenely large corporations are not proponents of the Constitution of the United States, except to cherry pick the portions of it which can aid in advancing their globalist agenda or increase their profits.

For many years I was like most of you. When there was a mass shooting, I tuned into FoxNews or some other corporate media giant or visited their various websites in order to obtain details of these events. Among the specifics I sought out were the name of the shooter, his political affiliation and any public statements he may have made beforehand. The problem is that these shootings turn into gleeful feeding frenzies by the corporate media: non-stop coverage for days which, in effect, makes these psychopathic murderers famous. This type of thing serves to encourage anyone considering such insane acts. In addition to the wild-eyed joy we see from the news media in the aftermath of these events, we get to hear their well known views that guns- not our soul-sick society and not the individuals pulling the trigger- are the source of these sad events.

And now, like most of you, I have had it. A problem cannot be solved if you cannot or will not identify the root cause. If you proceed from a false premise, not only will you not have any chance of solving the problem at hand, you will reject the arguments of those who have correctly identified the issue. The corporate media wants to make these shooting about guns and about conservative American gun owners. They knowingly skew the facts, ignore widely available statistics about mass shootings and the types of weapons employed, and how mass shootings compare to other manner of homicide in this nation. In many instances, they simply lie through their teeth, knowing that few Americans will do their own research on what these paid-off corporate shills claim.

Additionally, it is heart-breaking to see some of my fellow gun owners go into what is now an automatic and immediate panic about gun control in the wake of these shootings. You can talk about that stuff all you like, but we're not doing it here any longer.

When first I asked members to refrain from posting about these events so as to avoid feeding the sensationalist nature of the reportage, I would on my own seek out details in an effort to identify the most likely motivations of the shooter. Well, that now is a thing of the past. Not only do I not want to see news of such events posted in this forum, I don't want to know about them at all and I make a conscious effort to avoid all information of these shootings and the shooter. I urge you to do the same. Turn it off. Turn all of it off. Don't seek out any details about the events or those involved. Turn away from it and actively seek to avoid receiving any information at all. Make an effort to not know the names of these psychopaths, or even recognize their photograph.

I love my country. With all my heart, I love my country and I am so very proud to be an American. My desire to avoid the hyper-spun "news" of these tragic events does not arise from callousness, although some will see it as such, no doubt. It comes down to my utter disgust with being played with like a toy by the unethical shills of gigantic media conglomerates.

If you have any questions or comments, this thread is the place for them, because outside of this thread, we are no longer going to feed this monster. I do ask, though, that we avoid discussing specifics of any of these shooting, the most recent included. To be clear, discussion of pending or existing gun control legislation has been and shall continue to be allowed in the Gun Control Discussion section of this forum.

There's more that I could say about all of this- about the corporate media and about our knee-jerk reactions to their poison, but my remarks should suffice to make my points.

quote:

I love my country. With all my heart, I love my country and I am so very proud to be an American. My desire to avoid the hyper-spun "news" of these tragic events does not arise from callousness, although some will see it as such, no doubt. It comes down to my utter disgust with being played with like a toy by the unethical shills of gigantic media conglomerates

Thank you. Although I'm a naturalized US citizen, I, too, love this country dearly and am so proud to be American. My parents started me out on the right path, but I owed everything else to this great country. And, I am also totally disgusted with the corrupt media, and all the giant businesses.

A disgusting example of twist, spin, and agenda driving I just saw this morning, Texas loosens firearm laws hours after the state's latest mass shooting left five dead.

I concur.

And thank you for being "Keeper of the House".

Perfectly stated Para.

Many of us believe SF to be the best place on the internet and your active, thoughtful and patriotic management philosophy makes it so.

Spot on, Para. Couldn't agree with you more.

Thank you.

Well-stated, Para.

I, too, have gotten to the point where I don't even want to hear about it any more. As with you: Not out of callousness--much less a desire to be uninformed or to avoid news I find uncomfortable or discouraging, but because I, too, have come to the conclusion somebody's trying to play me, and I won't have it.

My feelings are the same. I haven’t watched the news or listened to the radio since obama got re-elected, because it’s entirely bullshit. I’ve tried to explain my motivation to the old goats at breakfast, but not as eloquently as Para has done so. They still open their skulls and let the bullshit be poured in.

This is exactly where I found myself about a year ago in regards to these incidents. I would completely disengage from the news, particularly TV news. Since I don't watch the other channels, I can only say that Fox News is simply horrible when these things happen. Despicably horrible. In fact, it may be why I barely have Fox on at all any more, save for Tucker every now and then and Greg Gutfeld on Saturday.

I will say though that OANN actually isn't bad. They cover the incident of course but then once all the facts that they know are out they move onto other news.

It just seems so obvious why these things occur over and over again, and I believe the media know this. But they simply can't help themselves.

I agree 100% Para. I refuse to give any airtime or money to the TV news stations or their advertisers.

Very well stated.

I would add one other perspective: with the advent of television in the 1950s, news increasingly became entertainment. Newsreaders became celebrities, called "anchors." All news stories were milked for their entertainment value, and news outlets quickly realised that mass shootings, specifically, were "great television," with dramatic, compelling visuals: survivors clutching one another, sobbing and gasping. Lots of flashing lights and sirens from rescue and police vehicles. Heavily armed SWAT teams moving into position.

And there were clear cut good guys versus bad guys-- the victims, their relatives, police on one side as good guys. The shooter, guns, and the NRA on the other side as villains. "Good guys versus bad guys" is the most basic narrative plot line throughout world literature, and mass shootings satisfied that simplistic formula in spades.

(I won't digress here into how perfectly the cloddish Wayne La Pierre plays the role of scowling, snarling bad guy for the news organisations.)

Everything about the news in general, and mass shootings specifically, plays to the financial interests of, as Para points out, the small handful of news conglomerates. "Scores of people shot, many killed"-- in Chicago, that is called "Saturday." But it is not nearly so entertaining (bear in mind I'm not defining "entertaining" as "good") a story as a mass shooting, so it is relatively ignored.

I watch the news from time to time-- Tucker once or twice a week-- but always with an awareness of the larger context of the industry's exploitation.

"Twenty five shot, seven killed, in first half of Labor Day Weekend in Chicago"

https://www.breitbart.com/poli...day-weekend-chicago/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: justjoe,

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
I will say though that OANN actually isn't bad. They cover the incident of course but then once all the facts that they know are out they move onto other news.

Indeed. Saw coverage of the most recent tragedy on OAN and though "Oh no, not them, too " Watched. They covered the facts that were known and moved on.

quote:

Originally posted by justjoe:
Very well stated.

I would add one other perspective: with the advent of television in the 1950s, news increasingly became entertainment. Newsreaders became celebrities, called "anchors." All news stories were milked for their entertainment value...

That's why I often refer to it as "Entertainment Billed As ``News``". That's what it is.

Or "Dominant Entertainment Media Billed As ``News``."

very astute insight

couldn't agree more

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The never ending coverage of those who do these insane and depraved acts only serves to encourage other sick minded losers to seek out the attention they otherwise would not get.
The medias long standing policy of "if it bleeds, it leads" makes them complicit in these acts.
My hometown of Dayton recently experienced a horrific shooting. Days later, the media coverage goes on.
Enough is enough.

And my perception of ANY media, televised or otherwise, has gone from "entertainment" to straight-up 24/7 "OP ED". I got sick of it over 10 years ago when it was as plain as the dago nose on my face that CNN, ABC, et.al., were going to do nothing more than fellate Barry Hussein until it was an orgy-fest; even stopped watching Fox News.

I too have no desire to know the name or almost any other fact about the psychopaths committing mass murders.

The thing I want to know is how the legislatures of the federal government and Commonwealth, aided or not by the Executive and Judicial branches, intend to further infringe on the right to keep and bear arms, punishment meted out to the 99,999,999 firearms enthusiasts who did nothing wrong. I want to know this so I can oppose it with my hands, purse, and voice.

I note also this statement from Parabellum:

quote:

... aid in advancing their globalist agenda or increase their profits.

I think it should read:

quote:

... aid in advancing their globalist agenda AND or increase their profits.

Lastly, how can we get Parabellum's post before the President? The fed.gov, and the nation as a whole, would be well served by the ideas therein.

amen.

Very well stated.

I’ve had zero interest in watching 2 seconds of coverage of whatever happened yesterday or whenever it was. I figure I’ll hear something close to the truth in a few weeks or months but I won’t seek it out.

Fox is done with for the most part. It’s only a matter of time before it’s complete.

OANN is where I’ll tune in if I care to see what’s going on but there are enough alt media sources to filter thru the bullshit.

Agreed. Those 6 media companies are a huge part of the problems we face. Fair and balanced isn’t happening much at all anymore. Makes me sick.