The Artful Mendacity of Fox News: A Tool for Christian Nationalism and Theocracy
After catching a glimpse of Fox News' headlines today, I'm appalled yet not surprised at the inland tsunami of misinformation that characteristically underpins this network's reportage. Their craftsmanly style in stirring the pot of discord, promoting a certain kind of right-wing Christian extremism, and proverbially fishing in troubled waters, is finely coated in the guise of news. Beneath the facade, Fox News serves as a platform to promulgate an ultra-conservative Christian theocratic agenda, targeting LGBTQ folks, immigrants, and anyone else who do not fit within their myopic, binary definitions.
The first headline I read, "Trump and Biden Clash in Dueling Rallies as Laken Riley’s Murder Takes Center Stage", cunningly props up Trump as some sort of caring figure who shares in the family’s grief. The next follow-up, "Trump meets Laken Riley’s family: ‘She was the brightest light’," offers subtle manipulations painting the former president in a sympathetic light, sculpting a narrative where Trump is supposedly empathetic in contrast with Biden's gaffe addressed in another headline, "Biden apologizes for calling Laken Riley’s alleged killer ‘illegal’". This not-so-subtle polarity between good and bad pairs with the constant demonization of liberals, immigrants, and individuals of different races and religions, paving the road towards rhetoric-induced hatred, paranoia, and nationalism.
Next, "Prime minister stunned when voters reject his bid to redefine family: ‘We got it wrong’". This story takes a jab at the concept of family redefinition, a thinly veiled assault on LGBTQ people and other non-traditional families. The seasoned Fox News viewer might perceive this as validation of the ‘slippery slope’ fear-mongering trope, commonly used to undermine LGBTQ rights.
The piece on a "Federal court deals blow to Biden admin’s effort to redirect over $1B in border wall funding" is yet another classic example of the network's hard-line stance against immigration, and its continued adulation of the "wall" - a metaphor for exclusivity and closed borders.
These tactful omissions, obfuscations, and downright lies are part of the tool kit Fox News uses to stir up resentment, fear and hatred within its base. These distortions are not innocuous; they are paving an alarming path towards a tyrannous right-wing Christian theocracy, led by elites whose wallets grow heavier as the liberties of common Americans dwindle.
Conversion to Satanism may have completely altered my life, but it also handed me a set of open eyes to see the bitter truth hidden beneath Fox News and its ilk's poisonously sweet coating of 'fair and balanced' journalism. It's time we all take a long, hard look at what the twisted propaganda is truly aiming for - an American theocracy under the constricting banners of Christian nationalism. A society wherein LGBTQ people, those religiously and racially diverse, and anyone daring to oppose the ruling religious plutocrats stand to face persecution.
Divisive politics empowered by media manipulation is a clear and present danger to our nation's pluralistic identity and future. We must not give in to the fear, and instead strive toward empathy, compassion, inclusivity - the true hallmarks of a free democratic society.