The Problem of Journalists, and a Lack of Logic...
- By stevevw
- Christian Philosophy & Ethics
- 1 Replies
Both sides do it and whats interesting is that the media in general are not just reporting anymore but reporting according to an ideological reason. How belief has more or less crept into the dissemination of information.
Tulsi Gabbard says Dick Cheney has made it easier: 'A vote for Kamala Harris is...' - Times of India
US News: Tulsi Gabbard who joined Team Trump ahead of the election said she served in the Middle East and she believes that Bush's VP Dick Cheney is responsibltimesofindia.indiatimes.com
I include this article, to prompt Christians to think carefully about
the arguments that journalists are making. This argument is from the
Times of India. Half of India's citizens are illiterate, so they are ripe for
manipulation by those who can read and write....
Note that the journalist associated Dick Chaney with the reason that
America got involved in all the wars it did, in the Middle East. This is
hardly an objective assertion.
But, regarding voting for a president, the journalist claims that "a vote
for Kamala Harris is a vote for Dick Cheney", Tulsi Gabbard asserts.
Note that this is dysfunctional logic. Dick Cheney is not running for any
office. A vote for Kamala, is specifically, a vote for Kamala. Why voters
may vote for Kamala and Tim Walz -- well, there may be dozens of reasons.
But the journalist from the times of India, does not mention this truth. The assertion
uses both a literal meaning of "vote", and a metaphorical meaning of "vote".
It would be the same argument, that RFK Junior supports Trump, so a vote for Trump
is a vote for someone who left a dead bear cub in Central Park, and who thinks
that he has a dead worm in his brain. And who believes ridiculous conspiracy
theories.
THAT doesn't make any sense.
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Christians should be much more critical, when reading articles that suppose
that they know the INTENTIONS of people, when they engage in some action.
Once a journalist IMPUTES some intention to someone in an article, they
rarely go back and correct that imputation, if they find out that they are
wrong. The journalist should have gathered the statements from Liz Cheney
and Dick Cheney, regarding WHY they were advising that people vote for
Kamala Harris, along with the statement by Tulsi Gabbard, about why she
thinks that the Cheneys are supporting Kamala Harris, over against Trump.
I think this is endemic of how identity politics has spread into all facets of life and this is indemic of the political becoming the personal, a rally cry of the Feminist and Queer movements of the 70's and 80's.
I think its also that mainstream society, the public square in rejecting the traditional belief in God has lost its moral compass and become relativistic. So substitute beliefs and morals fill the void. The current Woke is one example of this permeation. As a response both sides become more extreme and intensify their ideological positions.
But I also think more generally this is the result of living in a Postmodernist era. Postmodernism is basically about language, narratives and words ccreating the reality we live in rather than objective reality. Its basically social constructionism the belief that reality is a social contruction.
So the media becomes the vichicle in which new realities are created. Say it enough and it becomes real. Undermine truth with personal narratives appealing to a nobel cause but hiding an ideological agenda. Though many who are fooled by this new reality really believe what they do. That is until you proble a bit and out comes the unreality.
But its hard to combat because when you have all these alternative narratives and claims and counter claims of fake news with emotional blackmail appealing to nobel reasons people find it hard to destinguish on the surface and most people are good hearted people who fall for such stuff.
Thats why its so important to stop, do some investigation and look at the facts. This includes the lived reality. That is the persons actions as opposed to their words. Or that the persons own words or the information put out by the media is contradicted by the same media and what is actually happening on the ground.
We will always find a disconnect and conflict when people misrepresent the truth and reality. They have a way of coming back to bite us on the backside.
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