Fox News Propaganda and the correlation with Zombie Movies

What's the difference between people who watch Fox News and Zombies . . . I'm waiting...

I often feel like I've lost my Dad to the Fox News propaganda machine. It has become apparent that I may be losing another family member as time goes on.

While talking with people who are still somewhat sane and logical when it comes to politics, I found myself blurting out, "People like us should be heard." It sounds wonderful on the surface, but when I think hard on the matter, I want to say that a Fox News viewer is much like a Zombie. You can't logically explain a god damn thing to them.

My wife is a fanatic about horror movies, especially zombie flicks, so I've inadvertently watched several films. I must say I find them amusing, but I'm probably not a hard core fan. There is an interesting factor though. The genre always has a set of zombie rules that must be followed. Do yourself a quick search on Google for "Zombie Movie Rules" and you'll get a great list like this one. I have to laugh to myself when I correlate Fox News and Zombies.

The first rule:

"Zombies usually show a drawn pallor with varying degrees of decomposition".

This is how I see the viewer of Fox News. They are decomposing. The sad thing is knowing they were once somewhat smart and articulate. I've heard over and over how people describe a close friend or family member like, "She used to be very bright and meaningful until she began listening to Fox News." The constant barrage of senseless gibberish they repeat from Glen Beck is an indication they've been infected.

The second rule:

"The dead will feed on the living. Once the body has grown cold, they will stop feeding on it."

Like any successful propaganda campaign, Fox News is extremely talented at getting it's viewers to "spread the word" and stop viewing other news sources. You'll often see Tea Party signs that suggest that Fox News is the only network left telling the truth. So like a zombie, a Fox viewer will try to poison those around them. My Dad often tries to poison me with Fox News Lies. Once he realizes I still have a functioning brain he will move on to easier prey. I think Fox Zombies have to feed more and more to support the lie they live each day. To admit any truth would devastate them, so infecting others is a way of bolstering their belief.

The third rule:

"Since the zombies have to relearn how to move, their movements are usually very jerky.

For the most part, their movements are slow, and they can be easily outrun.". Any person with half an ounce of reason left in their brain can see the jerky, slow and unnatural movement and speech of the Fox infected. They tend to shout things like "Hitler", "Marxism", "Socialism" at you but without any true correlation to the point they are trying to prove. Trying to have a thoughtful conversation is a lost cause because they cannot hear you anymore. It takes most of their effort just to walk and hold a sign. I'm all for seeing a meaningful and respectful debate about conservative politics. This country was build on debate. But I wont stand for a Zombie shouting nonsense whenever a reasonable person tries to speak.

The forth rule:

"how to destroy a zombie"

You have to shoot it in the head, burn it or destroy the body. This is where the correlation becomes thin. In civilized society, we can't go on a killing spree. However, we can make sane voices be heard. Call Fox News out on every lie they spew out. Sure, you'll probably be preaching to the choir since zombies wont listen to you. But you can still bolster the moderate voices out there.

The fifth rule:

"Zombies are not racist"

Zombies know no racism, but I want to say Fox News viewers are old, shiny white and as racist, ignorant and hateful as they come. Please, somebody prove me wrong.

The final rule:

 "help does not come until the end".

I often wonder if the Fox News Propaganda machine wont finally implode as its base fades out. The base is definitely an older crowd, perhaps 45 and up that were brought up to believe that if you say, "Fair and Balanced" then you must be telling the truth. People my age and younger were brought up in a world where everybody is always lying to you, so you develop an analytical mind that looks at information from several sources. Then after careful, rational thought, you form your own decision.

My Dad's generation is often called ignorant, but when they were our age, truth and integrity where still common traits. Fox capitalizes on their base instinct to "trust thy neighbor". Rupert Murdoch, the Fox News Mastermind, like his viewers is increasingly becoming lost in his own machine. This is evident with his efforts to control Google News. He's like, "Oh my god, you mean we can't control the message on the internet?" I honestly don't think Fox can transition to the internet. Their whole machine relies on people turning on the TV and just sitting there. Fox may be the number one TV news network, but that's doesn't mean crap to me. Rational people have learned to use the internet to find a variety of news sources, so when you add that up, the Fox News Machine is NOT the number one, most trusted source of "news" out there.