The Fox News message of resentment, displacement, and humiliation has radicalized many older conservatives. They hold all other news sources as fake, have embraced conspiracy theories and showed up armed at protests and even in a courthouse. The Fox multimillionaire talk show hosts can only tell their viewers what their viewers want to hear or risk losing their cash cow. The truth is sacrificed and journalistic standards are non-existent. A dangerous feedback loop is running un-reined. The victim is our democracy!
Republican conservatives no longer believe that democracy works for them because the majority of Americans are Democrats making it very difficult for them to win fair elections. As a result, they’ve been engaging in voter suppression activities that often make it difficult for mostly Democratic minorities and lower income citizens to vote.
Conservatives can no longer maintain the way they think American life should be whether working, middle or upper class, non college or college educated. They want to maintain a white, Christian, male dominated order to American society. Since our multicultural, democratic process cannot support their vision of what they think America “should” be, they are willing to tear down American institutions and throw away democratic ideals to the point of supporting an incompetent, corrupt autocrat!
Many wrap themselves in American flags believing they are unfailing American patriots as they embrace the lies that are destroying America from within. They are engaging in anti-American sedition!
We need to accept our diversity as it is, work together and engage in productive discussion and compromise. We are the greatest country in the world because of our diversity and of our (I hope not past) insistence on human rights in the world. But, a third of our population is living in an alternative reality that is becoming more radicalized as evidenced by the conspiracy theory internet platform, QAnon, showing up in mainstream media. All we can do is vote, to vote for truth!
reilly m gray 