Iraq War Veteran exposes blatant FOX, Rush Limbaugh & RW brainwashing in the military

[babylonsister]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/7/20/1542947/-Exclusive-Interview-Veteran-exposes-blatant-FOX-right-wing-brainwashing-in-the-U-S-military

EXCLUSIVE: Iraq War Veteran exposes blatant FOX, Rush Limbaugh & RW brainwashing in the military
By Leslie Salzillo
Wednesday Jul 20, 2016 · 9:03 AM EST


It’s not unusual these days to walk into a bar, restaurant, or public office and see FOX “News” playing on a TV. Participating companies and organizations facilitate an endless stream of conservative, often extreme right-wing perspectives. The Right wants as much of the general public exposed to their “fair and (keep it on this channel) balanced” political commentary as possible. They figure the more they can convince people that President Obama is a “thug” and Hillary Clinton is a “shill” and Democrats are all “filthy stinking liberals,” the better chances Republicans have of brainwashing, winning elections, and thus creating laws that benefit the rich and control the poor. But it’s not only the general public that the right-wing media is infiltrating. The U.S. military is also a target and they are drenched.

Filmmaker, director, and documentarian Jen Senko has been exploring the intentional use of right-wing propaganda for years. In her latest film, The Brainwashing of My Dad, narrated with actor/activist Matthew Modine, Senko writes about her father, who was drastically transformed from a kind, happy-go-lucky Democrat — to an angry, racist, misogynistic Republican. The conversion gradually took place after the family moved, and her dad took a job that required a long solo commute to work. One of the few things available to break up the monotony along the stretch of highway was AM Talk Radio. He began listing to Bob Grant and eventually graduated to Rush Limbaugh and his ilk, now endearingly known as The Hate Parade.

snip//

Many who saw the film had very strong reactions. Aaron was one of those people. A United States Airfare veteran, he served from 2002 until 2006 doing two tours in Iraq. Jen Senko interviewed Aaron on Skype. Below is the transcript of the interview followed by the video.

Senko: When you were there, tell me about one of your experiences. When did you first notice that FOX News was playing on the bases?

Aaron: Well, I, I noticed , you know, after I got out of basic training and went into tech training and stuff and then got to my first duty base which was Dallas Air Force base in Texas. I noticed there that in every place that there was a TV that was displayed in public was on FOX news. So it was--that was pretty much the channel it had to be on. Everyone kind of knew that.

When I moved, my wife at the time had decided that we didn’t want to live on base, we wanted to live off base. And so in the military when you are going to move off base, you have to get what is called BAH which stands for Basic Allowance for Housing. And basically the military will pay for you know, your housing needs and stuff like that. So, I had to go to the accounting office to get all that stuff set up. And I was sitting in the waiting room in the accounting office there, and they were playing FOX news in one of the TVs in the waiting room. And I got up and went over to change it to something else. And the lady, she was probably a senior airman she wasn’t an officer she was an NCO and she had stopped me and told me you can’t change the channel because I’ll get in trouble.

And that was about the extent. When I started kind of wondering, “Why is this? Why is every TV on news?” I guess, they call it news. But it was FOX News. But to them it’s just news. So any kind of duty base I’ve been to or any other kind of military base I’ve been to, is the same. They were all on FOX news. And um, I saw The Brainwashing of My Dad and it’s strange because I started to wonder if they are going to touch on this, the FOX News being played in the military thing, and of course, I reached out. And much to my surprise it was something that they didn’t know. They were shocked to find out that all these military TVs were on FOX news.

Just to check myself to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind or anything, I called a buddy of mine who is still in the military and currently serving in Florida, and asked him about it, you know. And he confirmed that even now, still, ‘course I was out in 2006, 9 years later he confirmed that um, the TVs are still on FOX News. He said, you know when I asked him, he thought it was a silly question because “you know what channel it’s on, it’s FOX News”

snip//

Senko: Yeah, it’s called groupthink.

Aaron: Yeah, but to me is it a coincidence that FOX News is played on every television in every military base that I’ve ever been to in the states? Is it a coincidence that FOX News is being played and the voting record of military personnel? Is that a coincidence? And I don’t think it is.

more...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/7/20/1542947/-Exclusive-Interview-Veteran-exposes-blatant-FOX-right-wing-brainwashing-in-the-U-S-military

[Protalker]

1. Hardwired

I had a friend who is a nice man. He's gay and had a long time lover who was black for 12 years before they broke up. I asked him if he was for Hillary? Out of the blue this rant from the right comes out. Dumbfounded I asked why would you say this from people who hate you and your life? He said I drive truck and listen to talk radio. It was frightening.

[7962]

5. I hope i can give you a little laugh:

You wrote "...had a long time lover who was black for 12 yrs before they broke up" So the guy is no longer black?
Its just the way you structured the sentence made it funny to me.
Not trying to take away from your point, just got a little chuckle out of it, thats all. Hopefully you dont think I'm making light of your point.

[Protalker]

7. I loved it. Thanks!

[Dustlawyer]

2. Roger Ailes and guys like Frank Luntz program the content to instill anger, fear, and hate.

It is by design. They found that Democrats and Progressive may go to MSNBC or another channel and watch for a while but when the shows start discussing the same things they switch to something other than news. For Republicans, they will watch hour after hour after hour with the anger, fear, and hate making them glued to the channel.

We have been brainwashed, some more than others,mouth all channels use some sort of this. There are stories they won't touch much on like Climate Change, our corrupt political system. They don't talk much about Wall Street scandals or the MIC either.

Then you get to RW radio where things really get crazy. Our fellow citizens are getting steeped in this crap. That is one big factor in Trump's popularity.

We need to bust up big media into much smaller pieces to get some diversity in our media content and put an end to the organized propaganda we have been subjected to!

[bulloney]

10. ..instill anger, fear, and hate. And the RNC was all of that on steroids for 4 intense days!

It's amazing and scary how people can be brainwashed without realizing it. People who I knew years ago, who were rational and sensible back then, have been hooked into this RW hate/fear-mongering machine for the last 20 years or so. I don't even recognize them now. They live in this world where everything is right/wrong, black/white, my way or the highway. You can't engage in any sensible discussion with them on politics or current events. Everything is Obama's fault even though the data and the experience clearly indicates that Obama inherited a major mess from Bush. Bill Clinton is a philanderer, but they rabidly support Trump. They see that they've been losing ground financially in the last 20 or 30 years, but it's all Obama's fault and they're supporting a trust fund billionaire whose life is a polar opposite of the populism they claim Trump stands for.

WTF has happened to this country?

[PachobelsCannon]

13. Thats how brainwashing works and the PTB know it full well.

Roger Ailes honed his chops reading up on Edward Bernays who Joseph Goebbels also cited as a primary influence. More Americans neess to read up on how Bernays was the first to implement programming of minds through television.

[kacekwl]

3. Fox has seriously damaged this country,

the world actually.

[workinclasszero]

8. Yes it has, terribly

Along with Rayguns, the two worst things that ever happened to this country in my lifetime.

Joseph Goebbels would be proud of fox "news" undoubtedly.

[The Wielding Truth]

11. Ding.Ding. Ding. Exactly. There is the truth, then there is FOX NEWS.

Wonder if Tokyo Rose could have resisted The Roger Ailes employment test?

[uhnope]

4. very disturbing but revelatory n/t

[bigbrother05]

6. Also on AFN (Armed Forces Network) radio overseas.

Lots of Rush, 2-3 hours a day. Never heard anything from the left or center, even during Air America's heyday. Their claim is that they want to mimic what's available/popular stateside.

eta: In the food court near my office, they have 1 on Fox, but 2 on sports (ESPN, etc.). Where there is only one TV, Fox is the default in "public" spaces on the bases I've visited/worked on.

[tikka]

9. never-ending cycle

Hard right christian superiors control the the media whether it's Armed Forces Radio or what's on the television. It ends up indoctrinating people. I remember that a couple of years ago there was a petition to get Rush Limbaugh taken of Armed Forces Radio. It ended up like Aaron in his attempt to change the channel.

[kairos12]

12. I am an Army Veteran Airborne Ranger.

I am now retired. I make it part of my retirement plan to try and change their channel or asked it be changed in any public venue that I am in so as not to be subjected to Faux New's vomitus.

[RoccoR5955]

14. The daily hate

they are taking 1984 as an instruction manual.
And the CONvention this week was Hate Week.
It has Orwell written all over it.

[Puppyjive]

15. This has hurt our military

Back in the day, we watched CNN. It seemed that most of had respect for the chain of command. Now, it was the rank and file are so one sided. I just cringe when I see the horrid things that active and retired military say about our President. You can't be loyal to your country when you disrespect your Commander and Chief. I use to watch FOX News, but soon realized that they were not fair and balanced at all. It is mostly propaganda coming out of FOX News, but unfortunately, many in the military are not educated enough to recognize it.

[mountain grammy]

16. Daily propaganda from pretty women with tiny skirts..

influencing our troops? who knew? Roger Ailes is a pig, but he's not stupid.

Had to edit to apologize to pigs everywhere. Sorry, you are better than Roger.

[40RatRod]

17. As a retired USAF member...

...I frequently shop at the nearby military installation. Every display TV is always on FOX. If you change one, within a few minutes someone puts it back on FOX.

[Historic NY]

18. It like giving ants sugar..........

I find people in our local firehouse glued to the TV when FOX is on. I discovered how they plant stories long ago after Murdoch took over the NY Post. I used to follow the paper, then I discovered how they work in tandem. You'd read a story and go "that's not right" with different details and obvious falsehoods, several days later the blondes on FOX would be talking about it. They use that "isn't it true", method to plant the story fabricated or distorted on the airwaves. In the same case the internet social media has made people dumber too....they have become so gullible. I've always been when of those GTFOOH, get the fuck out of here guys, who most of the time can see or read bullshit.

[heaven05]

19. now I can understand why

these vets who become police officers are so willing to shoot unarmed people, AA mainly, and get away scott free to do it again or end up with a gofundme account that has a few hundred thousand dollars in it contributed by members of the New Nazi Party of America. Then they retire to a beach in Costa Rica becoming a racist 'expat' damning n******, liberals and just about anything with brown american skin.

With the election of Barack Obama I had hope that brown people had a chance to shake off history's shackles of hate based on race and finally be accepted as a full 100% american citizen with all rights to LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I know this is a pipe dream after the last just say two years of extra judicial executions by shooting and hanging of unarmed men, women and CHILDREN that has culminated, for me, last evening with the hate speech of the new RW Fuhrer who promisied only one thing, to make america a white paradise once again. I know if this nazi is elected the rights for minorities will be totally abrogated because the new RW Fuhrer wants all others to live in fearful subservience to the whims of ALL white people IF they don't have a skill like Dr. Carsons. Then they will be allowed to happily steppin fetchit.

America, I WILL NOT EVER LIVE IN FEAR OF white people. You tried once to solve this american race/class problem with a Civil War, in which a horrenddous amount of killing, and that has never ended, was a temporary solution. Civil and Voting Rights legislation were other temporary solutuions. Now I will wait and see what our nominee HRC has to offer to try to heal the ills of the social structure or whether she will even address what is going on in this country with the slow takeover of the New Nazi Party of America.

One more Convention, then the die will be cast, America will either turn to the decent people among us who will vote the NNPA back under their rock or reap what racial hate has sown for generations..........

[AwakeAtLast]

20. This is purely anecdotal

When I first started accompanying my husband to any place in the VA network (2006), Fox News was on. In the past few years or so I have noticed a lot more CNN.