Role of Media in American Society
The introduction of twenty-four hour news into American society began in 1980 with the launch of Cable News Network, or CNN. Ever since, the media has become a force to reckon with and a hub of economic success. The industry is highly competitive. However, when all the same news is being covered, it is hard for one network to distinguish itself from another. So, stories are sensationalized. Some are manufactured to appeal to a certain demographic and sometimes events are simply made out to be bigger than they actually are. In this way, a network is able to gain popularity, and eventually establish loyal viewers. The struggles of a network to dominate in extreme competition became more complex when the Internet was introduced. Social media was soon to follow. The birth of social media allowed people who had never been able to express their opinions publicly to do just that. The problem was not the idea that everyone could now share their opinion. It was the fact that the playing field was unfair. Unfortunately, it was the conservatives who would be silenced.
Leaning Left or Right
Do not take it from me that the media swings left. A 2014 study conducted by the American Journalist found that twenty-eight percent of journalists leaned liberal while only seven percent leaned conservative, the rest identified as moderate. In 2016, Gallup News conducted national surveys and found that a mere fourteen percent of Republicans trusted the mainstream media while fifty-one percent of Democrats held faith. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was recently quoted as saying that conservative employees at the business, “don’t feel safe to express their opinions within the company”. Commenting on Facebook and a change in one of its algorithms, the Western Journal reported that, “This algorithm change, intentional or not, has in effect censored conservative viewpoints on the largest social media platform in the world. This change has ramifications that, in the short-term, are causing conservative publishers to downsize or fold up completely, and in the long-term could swing elections in the United States and around the world toward liberal politicians and policies”. The idea that the media leans to the left is by no means a figment of the imagination.
Current Social Environment
The social environment that the liberal media has created is toxic. Current college students and young adults are the primary group that has promoted this politically correct climate. This only makes sense as they were the first generation to experience a liberal brainwash by use of the media. Following the election of Donald Trump, universities around the country provided opportunities for students offended by the results to be comforted. In one instance, the University of Pennsylvania brought in puppies and kittens to allow triggered students the opportunity to enjoy therapeutic cuddling. In another case, the University of Michigan Law students scheduled an event called “Post-Election Self-Care With Food and Play” with “stress-busting self-care activities” including coloring, blowing bubbles, sculpting with Play-Doh and “positive card making”.
This is not normal behavior, yet, because of the liberal agenda the media pushes, we are made accustomed to it. The ability to lose and lose with humility is very valuable as it is virtually unavoidable in life. Being shielded from it, especially as young adults, will only lead to a generational deficiency involving the inability to lose, or fail. Considering that success is often attributed to a series of many failures, a generation that does not fail will not succeed. We have to stop the domino before it falls. Go against the grain and do not turn a blind eye to those kids who lost a soccer game, yet received a participation trophy. We must be rational in an irrational society. If not, the series of events to follow will be one never before seen by mankind. Always keep in mind, regardless of which way you lean, the bird needs it’s left and it’s right wing in order to fly.
