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MrScorpio

(73,631 posts) Mon Nov 16, 2015, 01:23 PM Nov 2015

After Paris, right-wing media launches new war on reason, reality

When I dared ask conservatives to tone down violent rhetoric after Paris, they responded with death threats
Chauncey DeVega

Last Friday, I wrote this Salon essay about the barbaric terrorist attacks on Paris, France. I made a very basic and clear argument: Terrorism is a form of political violence that kills and injures people. For decades, America’s right-wing media and other opinion leaders have routinely used violent language—including the word “terrorist”—to describe liberals, Democrats, progressives and others with whom they disagree.

In recent weeks and months, Fox News, as well as Republican candidates such as Ben Carson and Chris Christie, have used violent and eliminationist language to talk about Black Lives Matter and the student activists at Yale and Missouri. Both groups are working to create a more just and fair United States that treats people of color with dignity, and respects their full and equal human rights. Neither Black Lives Matter nor the student activists at Yale and Missouri are “terrorists.” They are not killing people. They have not strapped explosives to their bodies. They have not used assault rifles to shoot people.

I concluded with the following basic suggestion. In the face of real terrorism in the streets of Paris and elsewhere, with broken and bloodied bodies, families in mourning, and a country in a state of emotional and psychic shock, perhaps America’s right-wing media, and conservatives en masse, should seriously reconsider their casual use of violent rhetoric.

The right-wing media and its supplicants responded with apoplectic rage.

http://www.salon.com/2015/11/16/after_paris_right_wing_media_launches_new_war_on_reason_reality/?source=newsletter

10 replies

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After Paris, right-wing media launches new war on reason, reality (Original Post) MrScorpio Nov 2015 OP

Nope, sorry leftynyc Nov 2015 #1

So authors and bloggers were only allowed to write about the Paris attacks on Friday? The sinkingfeeling Nov 2015 #7

You're allowed to do anything you please leftynyc Nov 2015 #10

There is no "righteous" anger like rw anger! ananda Nov 2015 #2

It's an election year and war sells among the right-wing voters. Baitball Blogger Nov 2015 #3

I know hate speech is protected as free speech in America, but why is everyone not pointing it out? Fred Sanders Nov 2015 #4

They WANT an escalation, annabanana Nov 2015 #5

Yeah, it's the Burn The Earth wing of the Pave The Earth party. nt Bernardo de La Paz Nov 2015 #8

Some Christians want to kill or forcibly convert atheists. Manifestor_of_Light Nov 2015 #6

the attacks in Paris are being leveraged politically by American neoncons GreatGazoo Nov 2015 #9

leftynyc

(26,060 posts)

1. Nope, sorry

Reply to MrScorpio (Original post)

Mon Nov 16, 2015, 01:26 PM

Nov 2015

You wrote the piece on Friday, the same day as the attack and are surprised that you got crap for going after right wing Americans rather than those who perpetrated the attack? At the very least, your timing sucked.

sinkingfeeling

(51,473 posts)

7. So authors and bloggers were only allowed to write about the Paris attacks on Friday? The

Reply to leftynyc (Reply #1)

Wed Nov 18, 2015, 10:06 AM

Nov 2015

piece was very on target:
"Real terrorists have killed people in the streets of Paris. The right-wing media needs to take note of that fact and moderate their rhetoric and abusive language accordingly.

Given the American right-wing’s casual habit of using violent language to describe their foes, and to gin up fear and anxiety among the movement conservative base, the Fox News’ right-wing echo chamber and its elites should be ashamed given the death and destruction that terrorism actually reaps in practice."

leftynyc

(26,060 posts)

10. You're allowed to do anything you please

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Reply #7)

Wed Nov 18, 2015, 11:24 AM

Nov 2015

and others are able to give their opinions that it was in poor taste. In my opinion, yours was in poor taste. See how that works?

ananda

(28,876 posts)

2. There is no "righteous" anger like rw anger!

Reply to MrScorpio (Original post)

Mon Nov 16, 2015, 01:29 PM

Nov 2015

It's as though it's always bottled up and ready to explode...
especially at the moment when what we need the most
is for cooler, thoughtful voices to be heard.

Baitball Blogger

(46,757 posts)

3. It's an election year and war sells among the right-wing voters.

Reply to MrScorpio (Original post)

Mon Nov 16, 2015, 01:30 PM

Nov 2015

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)

4. I know hate speech is protected as free speech in America, but why is everyone not pointing it out?

Reply to MrScorpio (Original post)

Mon Nov 16, 2015, 01:38 PM

Nov 2015

And mocking the hatred with great derision and shaming and disqualification from political office?

Will the corporate mass media get away with Lies About Syria, their new sequel to Lies About Iraq?

annabanana

(52,791 posts)

5. They WANT an escalation,

Reply to MrScorpio (Original post)

Mon Nov 16, 2015, 03:48 PM

Nov 2015

"My God is Stronger than YOUR God".. They will not stop until the world is cinder and ash.

Bernardo de La Paz

(49,036 posts)

8. Yeah, it's the Burn The Earth wing of the Pave The Earth party. nt

Reply to annabanana (Reply #5)

Wed Nov 18, 2015, 10:28 AM

Nov 2015

Manifestor_of_Light

(21,046 posts)

6. Some Christians want to kill or forcibly convert atheists.

Reply to MrScorpio (Original post)

Mon Nov 16, 2015, 05:09 PM

Nov 2015

George H.W. Bush said once that he didn't think atheists were citizens.

Then there was the religious convention that 3 Presidential candidates went to (Huckabee, Jindal, Cruz) where the main speaker, Kevin Swanson, said that young men were going out with other young men just to make their parents mad, and his solution for the abomination of homosexuality was to kill the gay people.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017307286

I believe there was a guy named Adolf who was Chancellor of Germany a long time ago who implemented that solution.

GreatGazoo

(3,937 posts)

9. the attacks in Paris are being leveraged politically by American neoncons

Reply to MrScorpio (Original post)

Wed Nov 18, 2015, 10:50 AM

Nov 2015

They have a new war to sell us and an election coming up...

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