Saturday, February 25, 2012

Biased Media

A lot of people say the media is Liberal and biased.

Others say only some stations and channels are biased and it's towards Conservatives.

I say they both wrong, because they're both right.

From a Conservative point of view the media, in general, is Liberal or "pushing a Liberal agenda".
For instance:

The Academy Awards ad the Oscars -which award actors and film writers/directors of the highest quality- purposely have people like Jon Stewart and Ricky Gervais host knowing they are comedians who tend to be Liberal and avoid playing it safe.

Glee and other popular shows like Simpsons, Once Upon a Time, The Office, House... involve gays, teens having premarital relations, and other "controversial" topics.

Even the News is considered bias by Conservatives, who seem to prefer Fox "fair and balanced" view.

So really everything we hear in the media -be it TV, movie, news, magazines, or music- is Liberal. Only a few channels are considered to be Conservative: Bill O'Reilly, Fox News, CNN.

So which is better?

Well Conservative TV for the most part is boring because it's basically just the News. If Conservatives tried to make a TV show that upheld all of their virtues and principles it wouldn't reflect all of life and therefore it would be harder for many many people to relate to. It would be pure idealism and little-to-no reality. Because life is not Conservative. People are gay and teens do sleep around and people do drugs and affairs do happen. Life is messy and complicated and if you try to ignore those things and keep them out of your programming people will think you are trying to sugar-coat and gloss-over life. And even trying to make a show that portrays these things in a negative light would alienate people ho would feel judgement was being passed over society. People love to judge and give opinions, but no one likes to be judged or have opinions made against them. A show like that would never succeed.

Ultimately Conservative mindset is harder for a wider range of people to relate to because it is more restricted. Liberalism on the other hand can include many different cultures, perspectives, activities, beliefs, and situations. And when it comes to success in the media those who are Inclusive always do far better than those who are Exclusive.

Then of course their politics.
When it comes to matters of finance and business -I tend to side with Conservatives/ Republicans. My dad and step-mom are wealthier and are far more in tuned with economics than many middle-income families I know. It seems like people who make less money are always griping at the government for being biased towards the wealthy and corporations. But my dad's side of the family is more mentally-focused on the subject and react less with emotion and more with reasoning. They say that if corporations and businesses are supported and given more financial support then they can hire more people, invest in more things, and the economy will grow -including mom and pop shops. They say that if they lowered taxes on stocks for instance, more people regardless of their income would buy stocks and invest in companies and industries would then be better off. So when it comes to finances I trust conservatives because those I've met who know how economics works tend to support Republicans' ideas for finances.

But when it comes to social and environmental issues, I tend to side more with Liberals/Democrats. Liberal mindset is what has freed us from old "traditions" and ways of thinking. It wasn't exactly the Republicans who wanted to end slavery or grant women the right to vote... Society is constantly evolving and progressing. A lot of that is do to advances made in science, human understanding, education, and medicine. We can't ignore new revelations and truths when they come to us. We shouldn't ignore or erase values -that's not what progress is about -but we also shouldn't prevent ourselves from achieving new virtues in society that others hold us back from because they ignorantly call them vice.

Conservatives and Republicans often do bring some good perspectives on various social issues. They are the balance that prevents us from losing site of what others would say doesn't matter. Liberals act more on spirituality and compassion -and these things are needed, but we also need to be tempered by doctrine and duty.

Religion in politics is tricky. There's a reason Church and State are separate. But it does get hard to remove religion completely because what is politics? Politics is a word that regards the government and those serving in it. It's people. And often people cannot remove themselves from their religion. They can downplay their beliefs maybe, but at some point a line will be drawn in the sand denoting how far a man can go before he has to stand up for his beliefs -especially with regard to God. If a politician, or any man in any job for that matter, feels like his core religious values and beliefs are being compromised he is compelled say something.

Then problems arise because it's multiple religions being defended while also trying to respect the religious views of others and remain objective in establishing laws and governing people. And people who aren't religious will always fear those in politics and government who are because they are constantly reminded the abuses our nation and others have done unto their people when the government used religion as an excuse to justify wrongful acts.

This is wher Liberals/Democrats come in. When religion is used as an excuse to do evil and Duty is turned into sin, only compassion and empathy can guide people back to what is truly right. If the government compromises its integrity, people's internal instincts towards doing good will set them back on track.

Liberals want rights to be granted equally to all people.

Conservatives don't want rights to be granted to those that do not uphold the ideals humans have a divine duty to follow.

Both are needed.

2 comments:

  1. WELL...media is most definitely liberal. We're living in a liberal time and media will reflect that. FoxNews is the only counter-voice, but they overdue it in their (successful) attempt to get all conservatives to watch them.

    It's all a show, Jess. FoxNews is put out by the same people who make Glee, American Idol, and other shows that are liberal darlings. All they want to do is make money so they are taking that stance.

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  2. I concur. I think Channels only care about what sells, regardless of what station it is they'll put whatever show on that they think people will watch.

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