Free Thought No Longer Exists With Mainstream and Social Media

Between a complicit and failed mainstream Media and the embarrassing stupidity of social media, free thought no longer exists.

Anyone can say anything on social media. Truth and facts are of no importance. Although our government continues to hide the truth about our 2016 election, there is no doubt that Russian agents used social media to win the Electoral College. There are no coincidences. The voter turnout in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin were lower than expected. A total of fewer than 80,000 votes in the same three states resulted in a Trump victory. He never was our legitimate president. Vladimir Putin, in what can only be called a declaration of war, rigged our election in favor of his protégé, Donald John Trump.

Way back in the early 1960s, when I was in high school, I was fortunate to have two teachers who, in addition to teaching the subject matter contained in books, they focused on free and independent thought. It was because of them that I refused to follow “trends,” and declined an invitation to join a club comparable to a college fraternity. I raised my children in a similar fashion.

I am a proud, lifelong Independent voter who has no use for political parties. It is an irrefutable fact that most American voters choose their candidates from what they see on the aptly nicknamed “boob tube.” Sadly, our once trustworthy “fourth estate” has become a purveyor of half-truths and misleading facial expressions. Now add what I believe is the greatest travesty in the last 20 years, the existence of social media, and few Americans have the ability to think independently and clearly in the 21st century.

I am not forgetting the internet. The “information highway” often veers off too far to the right, and sometimes the left. That’s why much of my time writing articles is spent on research. I could not claim that “the truth lives here” if I failed to fact-check the information I discover.

I found the 2016 campaign season a huge disappointment. Back then I still watched television news in the morning. Two things bothered me then and became the reason why I have not watched television “news” since November 9, 2016.

ABC, NBC, and CBS supported Republicans and Trump by constantly talking about Hillary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server, and when FBI Director James Comey announced a new investigation just 11 days before the election, this undoubtedly contributed to Trump’s win.

When members of Trump’s campaign appeared on television, they refused to answer any questions about the issues. They were allowed to redirect the subject into baseless attacks on Hillary Clinton. Not once were they challenged by their interviewers. In addition, the entire mainstream media gave Trump five times more coverage than all other candidates combined.

Each of these factors contributes to the lack of free thought. At any hour of the day, in any place you might go, you will see Americans staring at their phones. Most of these same people will refuse to look at the people asking for their votes and determine if they share the same values. This only takes a few minutes, but listening to television ads, which are 99 percent lies, is easier. This is why we had Trump for four years, and continue to have the worst of the worst like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Ron Johnson. Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert, and others have proven to be totally unfit to serve in Washington or at any other level of government.

Intelligent voters, mostly Independents, make good choices. Uninformed voters are why we have the most corrupt and dysfunctional government in the world. Do yourself a favor and turn off Fox, Newsmax, and refuse to watch the evening news on ABC, NBC, and CBS.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

Humanitarian Changemakers: Failing Fourth Estate: how limiting press freedom threatens democracy

GQ: The Evil Way that Social Media Messes with Your Mental Health, by BENJY HANSEN-BUNDY

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