I'm sitting in a bar/restaurant called Jax in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. They have free wireless internet here and I'm playing poker and checking email, kos, etc.
Well they have about 7 televisions all running Fox News! I politely asked the staff if they could switch to CNN but they said that was not possible. I've largely been ignoring the tv until suddenly breaking news of a bus flipping over covered all the screens at once.
I instinctively turned to the screen and noticed all the American/Canadian customers (because only they come to Jax its an Americana place) staring at the screen. Two vehicles were on fire and smoking.
Suddenly I became struck by this 6 year old boy to my right. He's an adorable kid with big green eyes and he was staring at the carnage on the tv screen. It made me disgusted. This kids going to be raised watching our television, learning our myths and customs, and becoming how we are now--filled with propaganda and crap.
It made me think of lyrics to a song by Tool.
Eye on the TV
Cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavor
It happens to be
Like:
"Killed by the husband"
"Drowned by the ocean"
"Shot by his own son"
"She used a poison in his tea
And kissed him goodbye"
That's my kind of story.
It's no fun 'til someone dies
Don't look at me like
I am a monster
Frown out your one face
But with the other
Stare like a junkie
Into the TV
Stare like a zombie
While the mother holds up her child,
Watches him die
Hands to the sky crying,
"Why, oh why?!"
Its easy to pick on Fox because they are so transparent but all the news outlets are the same. MSNBC, CNN...I wonder why its necessary to show people death on television so often. Watch one hour of Fox News and see how many fires, crashes, murders, etc. are reported. Count the number of times they use the word "terror" or "terrorism". Read the banners they display, the rhetorical questions that are really statements.
This bar is a Southern owned bar run by a guy from Texas. No doubt Fox News is a legitimate news resource to him. I asked to have the news switched to CNN like that is better. I haven't had to watch cable news for the last few weeks as i've been on vacation and I think that I will refrain altogether from now on. It's all lies anyway.