General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Your Opinion, Please (H2O Man Survey #24) [View all]Laxman
(2,419 posts)are not exactly at the top of the intelligence charts. Their performances are graded on looks, their ability to read, memorize talking points and verbal delivery style. It's not their analytical abilities that are either on display or desired by their employers. What gets scary is when they start to believe they are intelligent-or worse, when their audience starts to believe it. They (both host and audience) begin to become convinced of their superiority and exceptional abilities. I mean if they're on T.V. they must be smart. These personalities become extraordinary propaganda tools because of their ability to be programmed and the audiences' predetermined bias towards believing them. Next thing you know the talking heads become convinced of their superiority and they begin to behave like real journalists-only they are just a poor imitation. So you end up with interviews that are like having your garbage man interview a neurosurgeon. (no disrespect meant to sanitation engineers!). It's part of a greater societal problem where we have abandoned critical thinking. So Fox is producing a product that suits the interests of both its audience and its owners with the on-air personality being merely the delivery mechanism. It's very disheartening how vulnerable we are to such manipulation.