Fox: An Alternate Reality
24 hours on the other side
By: Romy Arsenault
September 30th, 2020
September 29th — Pre-Debate
As the first presidential elections were approaching, I nervously switched my news media app from CNN to Fox. I chose this media outlet because as a liberal, and a religious CNN viewer, I have been “conditioned” to hate Fox; however, I wanted to make this decision for myself. Should I really hate Fox? Or am I letting the left alternative to Fox polarize my views? As I switched to Fox, I felt as though I was betraying my own personal beliefs and core values. A few minutes later, my lock screen already had Fox stamped all over it.
6:00 pm: Expect Biden to twist truth about Trump and healthcare
6:17 pm: Gutfeld on Trump’s third Nobel nomination
6:20 pm: Gerard Baker: Presidential debate and Biden — Does former VP really want the job?
6:35 pm: First presidential debate ‘is about how Joe Biden shows up’ and performs, Bret Baier says
6:43 pm: Jill Biden shuts down question about husband’s gaffes: ‘You can’t even go there’
My new reality for the next 24 hours…
My phone was blowing up.
… And so was my brain.
Immediately after receiving my first Fox notification, my heart beat increased. How did one media outlet have the power to give me so much anxiety?
As America was approaching the Biden x Trump presidential debate, it was evident that Fox’s tactic was to ridicule Biden in order to portray Trump as the better candidate. Instead of focusing on the views of both candidates, Fox journalists fired at Biden’s mental fitness. In an interview, journalist Williams said Biden commits many gaffs because he is mentally disabled. In another interview conducted by Laura Ingraham, journalist Raaymond Arroyo said, “Gaffs are the minimum of Biden’s problems. You see evidence of a mental decline”. He even went so far as to say, “I’m happy to see that Visible Angels is expanding their services,” so that Biden could be placed.
Nice one — very respectful to the disabled community. To say I was in disbelief is an understatement. Curiously enough, the video was deleted by Fox. Maybe there are actually some level-headed people on Fox who recognized how unethical this was. It was retrieved on MSN:
As though this wasn’t already crossing the line, Ingraham and Arroyo both ridiculed Biden by showing a compilation of Biden’s gaffs and as well as mimicking him with a “Biden Puppet”.
Throughout the night, Fox continued to paint Biden as physically and mentally crippled.
While President Trump is out front on a daily basis boldly leading our country as the tip of the American spear, Biden has been self-bunkering in his Delaware basement for much of the time.
On the other hand, Biden is walking, not running for president — and slowly at that (Fox).
This brought me right back to recess in middle school; I felt as though I was watching my friend being bullied next to the swings. It was disheartening to listen to these comments.
This form of bullying and ridicule are rhetorical tactics Fox often uses to entertain their viewers as it permeates more easily than political messages with a serious tone (Boaz). By repeatedly showing videos of Biden struggling to speak in former conferences, Fox has created an echo-chamber where viewers are influenced to believe that Biden does not have the mental capacity to be president. It was evident that the focus on Biden’s mental incompetency was a strategic distraction to the faults of Trump.
As the mental stability of Biden was a major topic of discussion, I was anxiously awaiting a brave journalist to question the mental stability and moral compass of Trump. Clinicians and researchers continue to questions his mental state as they have identified sociopathic and narcissistic tendencies (Clayton et al., 712). It was very uneasy to see that Fox wants its viewers to believe that Biden is less mentally stable than Trump.
Further, it was unsettling how lightly some of the Fox commentators were taking the debate. Many expressed their excitement to see Trump beat Biden. Journalist Aristimumo said “I got the popcorn ready and the beer ready”, comparing this event to an entertaining sports night.
It was as though the last four years of Trump’s negative pathology, racial dehumanization, and polarization were non-existent. Over the last four years, The Trump Administration and the federal bureaucracy have quietly relaxed “the enforcement of civil rights laws, criminal justice protections, and environmental regulations”, thus making it easier to discriminate against the most marginalized and vulnerable groups of America (Clayton et al., 720). As well, Trump administration has been attacking the “disparate impact regulations, which has formerly been used as a tool by federal agencies to tackle systemic racism and discrimination (Clayton et al., 720). Evidently, Fox news being 77% white (POS), failed to discuss more important issues than Biden’s mental state: the issue of racism in America under Trump.
While some journalists were busy mocking Biden’s old age, others were glorifying Trump:
It is funny. Trump has been nominated 3 times, not for making liberals feel good, but for real stuff: Middle East peace, reducing our military footprint while expanding our capabilities, beating ISIS all while confusing pacifists and generals.
It’s worth asking the candidates tonight: What’s a bigger worry? Mean tweets or a wasteful, never-ending war?
Trump produced the tweets. Biden supported the war. (Fox)
Wrong. Trump did not simply produce Tweets… he produced a more marginalized America. Articles like this showcase Fox’s mischievous use of rhetoric. By comparing Biden’s “war” to Trumps tweets, how could one vote for Biden? I was shocked by Fox’s ability to distort reality like this.
September 30th — Post-Debate
September 30th, the after-math of the debate, was overwhelming. As though watching the debate wasn’t frustrating enough, watching Fox’s commentary unfold was even more disappointing. Trump’s refusal to answer whether he condemns White Supremacy was the last straw. Trump also pretty much endorsed Proud Boys when saying “Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by”. His answer replayed in my head over and over again, but it was nowhere to be found on Fox news. Their silence was haunting. Instead, it was filled with headlines that praised Trump:
David Bossie: Trump clearly defeats Biden in first presidential debate
RNC Chairwoman McDaniel: At debate Trump proves he’ll keep fighting for us, Biden revealed as empty vessel
This experience showed me how emotionally attached I am to my views. I realized that it is crucial that I continue to step away from familiar news channels in order for me to evaluate my biases, gain insight on conversations occurring outside of my bubble, and the weight certain news channels have on the views of others. After watching many videos that celebrated Trump’s debate, I felt discouraged and increasingly anxious for the elections. 24 hours had passed and I found myself quite mentally drained. The experience reminded me that although everyone around me believes being anti-trump is simply common sense, these are the views within my bubble. The alternate reality Fox paints is the reality many people across America stand-by and believe. It reminded me that in an increasingly polarized digital news era, it is vital that we evaluate the massaged messages, persuasive rhetoric, and biased news that we are exposed to.
Goodbye, Fox.
