In between tossing and turning, staring at the ceiling, and swearing about not being able to fall asleep, I heard a teaser/promo (I am not sure what they are called in television) for Fox News regarding immigration/border security that ended with something like this:
“Illegal immigrants- violent, carrying disease, and with possible ties to terrorism?”
It was done with the normal booming sensationalist voice, and I have to state- I AM PARAPHRASING this because I was groggy from trying to sleep, and had turned the tv on to waste time. But I know the “violent, carrying disease, and with possible ties to terrorism?” part is mostly accurate.
Am I the only one who supports border security but finds this sort of approach a little troubling?
capelza
No, you are not alone. Had to stop watching Fox at all because I had to overcome the urge to throw my coffee at the screen too often. Not just them, but they are the most “yellow journalism” of the lot.
BinkyBoy
I think instead of falling asleep, you’ve woken up.
Dave Neiwart has described this very thing over the past year or so. I think he’s got a fairly decent grasp of the situation with the border and its “defenders”:
http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/
Cyrus
I hope you aren’t. There seems to be little evidence of it, though. Most of the people who find that sort of thing really troubling, seem to be a lot more worried about seaports and airports than borders. And as far as I can tell most of the people who really speak up a lot about border security, yes, seem to sympathize with that attitude.
Mike S
John. Have you tried using Tylenol PM’s or anything like that. I used to have terrible bouts of insomnia and those helped when I did.
KC
No, not at all, John. I worked for a school district in Santa Barbara for a little while and it opened my eyes a about illegal immigrants. Quite honestly, they seem like some of the hardest working people around, willing to work some the most shittiest jobs out there for long hours in terrible conditions. I have to admit, I’d never want to do the work some of them did. What’s more, nearly all of them were doing it because they were trying to put food on the table, and many were in strong traditionalist Catholic families, at least as far as I saw. They hardly seemed interested in importing terrorism.
Bottome line: I think FOX is overblowing this one. There are a lot of bads to illegal immigration, it’s obviously against the law, but turning illegal immigrants into the demons is out of line. Moreover, if we really want to curb it, we could do what one California lawmaker did, sponsor bills in our state legislatures to force agribusiness to subsidize all healthcare and living costs of illegal immigrants. After all, if they go on welfare, need emergency services, or their children do, why should those most interested in importing them get a subsidy from the taxpayer?
Pb
Tune in next week, when it will be:
Liberals- violent, carrying disease, and with possible ties to terrorism?
Boronx
It’s seems to me that one counter-intuitive way to improve border security is to legalize all immigration. That way you’d have a more accurate picture of who’s in the country since you’d get to ID them, and you’d know that anyone sneaking across the border has something more in mind that finding a crappy job to support their family.
linda
try watching lou dobbs some night — he’s been doing that kind of broadcast for the past several months. the escalation and carelessness of the rhetoric by the cable newscasts is a very dangerous development feeding into the anxiety and fear of the public.
chris hedges’ book, ‘war is a force that gives us meaning’ is a worthy read that discusses how the media was complicit in the murderous events that overtook serbia and rwanda.
Brian
I’ve noticed Fox hyping this a lot. I figure Fox is the channel for the republican base and the base does not like immigration at all. The republican elite (like Bush) love it – cheap labor. If the democratic party wasn’t asleep at wheel again this is another wedge issue they could make hay out of.
Start a front group called “Americans for Border Control” or something . . . buy a bunch of ads touting Bush’s “reckless coddling of illegal immigrants”.
I really ought to charge the democratic party for this stuff.
neil
Illegal Immigrants: violent, carrying disease, and keeping the price of lettuce below 7 bucks a head?
About a week after 9/11 I found myself wondering how long it would be before the definition of ‘terrorism’ had so many riders attached that the term would itself become meaningless. That time has just about come.
Brad R.
John- I’m kinda worried about this insomnia thing. If some guy named Tyler Durden approaches you, flee.
jg
Scaring people into getting behind an issue? FOX did this? I’m shocked.
Vlad
“Start a front group called “Americans for Border Control” or something . . . buy a bunch of ads touting Bush’s “reckless coddling of illegal immigrants”.”
This is quite possibly the worst idea I’ve heard all year. Why would the Dems make a concerted to push the Hispanic vote into the GOP camp? The sorts of people who’d like that line aren’t going to vote blue anyway…
If you really want to wedge the issue, do it with immigrant-friendly measures (like Driver’s License registration and such), with the aim of provoking a response from the GOP’s xenophobes that its corporate intrests will have to tamp down to avoid screwing up their labor supply.
Vladi G
Or we could just use the regular old intuitive method and fine the ever-living crap out of people who employ illegal immigrants. But that, of course, might cut into campaign contributions, so it’s probably just better to demonize the people who come here and want to work.
Honestly, until some of the “build a fence” nuts start talking about proposals that actually have a chance of working, it’s no use even engaging them in debate, to the extent that’s even possible.
Vladi G
Vlad, we really shouldn’t post back to back like that. It could get confusing.
Brian
No, see, the democrats don’t do the ads, a wholly independent rogue organization called “Americans for Border Control” does the ads. Where it gets its funding is a little mysterious but anyway, you know, like the Swift Boats?
Sticks an ugly wedge right in the middle of the republican party.
TallDave
I think the answer depends on whether they are, in fact, violent, carrying disease, and with possible ties to terrorism.
I don’t think we know for sure what the exact numbers are, but certainly in some cases it must be true. While the vast majority of them are just average people trying to eke out a living somewhere other than the mismanaged economic hell that is Mexico, some number of them seem to be dangerous and should legtimately be kept out of this country.
I think there are some moral as well as economic problems with telling millions of Mexicans who already work here “Sorry, you’re confined to your gulag of 10-cent-an-hour jobs. Better luck next life.” We should bow to reality and implement a guest worker program, minimum wages for guest workers, and tighter border security.
Jim Caputo
Am I the only one who supports border security but finds this sort of approach a little troubling?
A little troubling? I find it a lot troubling. No doubt our borders need securing, but this kind of rhetoric promotes the kind of hostile paranoia towards immigrants that makes people take their eye off the real problem and focus their anger on people that don’t actually pose a threat. The illegal immigrant from El Salvador waiting on a corner wiling to break his ass for 100 bucks a day is not a physical threat to me. But Fox News and their ilk would have us believe otherwise.
docG
TallDave – good solution, but won’t appeal to the far right or the far left. Time for the ignored middle to assert some common sense solutions. Make sure you vote in primary elections for moderates or the nonsense of the Democrat and Republican “bases” will continue.
Don Surber
When they start acting all 19th century, turn the damned thing over to Cartoon Network because there is no news in the world.
aaron
dude….smoke some herb….it always helps me…I fall asleep at my compu….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Don
Is there any news/dialog that isn’t like this anymore? “Our side” is perfect and always right, “their side” is stupid at best, more likely evil. Fox in particular has no use for dichotomy or – dare I say it – balance. You won’t ever hear them advertise a story with “Illegal immigrants – you don’t like them but you sure love that $10 law mowing fee, cheaper child care and low prices in restaurants!”
Phillip J. Birmingham
You can count on the most lurid news teasers in February, May, August, and November. It is, after all, sweeps month.
DougJ
Ever seen Lou Dobbs on CNN? He makes whoever you’re talking about look like Cesar Chavez.
Vlad
“TallDave – good solution, but won’t appeal to the far right or the far left.”
I dunno, I’m pretty far left and I could sign off on that without too much trouble.
Mason
John,
I think I’ve seen the show the promo was hyping; if it is the one I’m thinking about, the promo is accurate as to the focus and contents of the show.
Appropriateness of the promo and show are left as an exercise to the viewer.
JWeidner
I understand what you’re saying, but (rhetorically speaking, here) do you paint all illegal immigrants with the same tar, a la FOX just because there are a few who most definitely ARE dangerous? That’s the problem I have with the promo as reported by John. Granted, I don’t know what the actual news report stated, but FOX isn’t promoting this story using any sort of “fair” or “balanced” viewpoint. They’re essentially running a promo that paints all illegal immigrants as being violent, disease ridden, and with links to terrorists and making no distinction for the far larger majority who are hard-working and just trying to build a better life for themselves and their families.
It’s just as bad as a news promo saying, “Americans: murdering, adultering, pornography lovers?”, just because there is a certain percentage of Americans who fit that description.
I gotta say, that’s smarter than anything you’d hear coming from some other corners of the country…it would be worth researching and putting forth as a legitimate plan.
Jimmy Jazz
That wacky Howard Dean said that the Republicans would switch from bashing gays to bashing immigrants next year. Looks like that wacky Howard Dean was right on the money. I expect a “Tancredo ’08” movement to launch shortly.
Kimmitt
With all due respect, how is this different from Fox News’s usual approach?
Defense Guy
I didn’t see the promo, so can’t really comment on it. I wonder what you all think about gov Richardson declaring a state of emergency in NM over the issue of illegal immigration? A case of nothing to see here?
Davebo
Forget Faux News.
Remember, it was your own government that funded TV spots explaining that anyone who buys an ounce of marijuanna was really supporting terrorism.
AlanDownunder
John,
You let Fox News seep into your unconscious as you go to sleep? Guard your sanity. Turn it off.
Mason
I just heard the promo.. your paraphrase was damn close to a quote and the promo was for Hannity and Colmes, not something I’d seen before.
Mark-NC
Yes, I support getting control of our borders.
Yes, I’m troubled by Fox propaganda. Can’t watch it!
patd95
Propaganda…P-LEASE. One little station in a sea of liberal over-information – Clinton News 1/2, MSNBC, the Big 3, your tax dollars that support National Pinko Radio and the Politburo Broadcasting Service. Give me a flipping break. When nearly 80% of reporters call themselves liberal and vote Democrat? You might not watch it, but nearly everyone else in the US is…look at the ratings. That many Americans can’t be wrong!
carpeicthus
I think we’ve diagnosed the insomnia thing. TURN OFF FOX NEWS WHEN YOU GO TO BED. It’s hard to sleep when your brain is being torn apart.
Deoxy
I find such methods troubling… but all the other methods seem to have failed, so I’m just not sure what to do.