I made a off-hand comment on a message board, that I thought Cable TV hastened the Fall of the American Empire; That before it took over, The Majority of Americans were forced to view programming that they did not already agree with.
To which someone replied "Imagine if the only news was CNN, because that was what it was like."
That's the thing, it wasn't one message. Cable viewers did not exceed broadcast viewers until 1989. Broadcast networks tried to have something for all their potential viewers, though each had their "niche". a Example: "Threes Company" it was designed to appeal to young, hip viewers, but nearly everyone, from nearly all mindsets, watched it. It probably did more to remove the stigma from homosexuality (even though it was more of a running joke in the program thamn anything else) than any other...ANYTHING.
Racists were exposed to programming where non-whites were treated and acted like normal human beings. pre-internet, serious journalists mainly went to print media, but in the pre-1989 era, you had 3.5 networks actually competing for viewers, the "equal time" laws for politics was actually a thing, and mega-corporations didn't outright control them; actual NEWS and differing opinions were even encouraged, at times.
post 1989, if you didn't want to watch a show that featured a Race you hated, you did not have to, because choices that catered to your racism were beginning to exist. a religious conservative in the bible belt who wanted entertainment, didn't have to be exposed to new or different mindviews to be entertained. I was born in the early 60's, I saw this happening.
My first time in college? outside of institutionally hard core schools (Yale, BYU,etc) professors stuck to mainstream views, with subtle shading from their bias; my last time, around 2010, Professors stuck to their Bias, with subtle shading towards mainstream views.
If your entertainment, your News, all your primary available Media is designed to watchable by Centrists without offending the views of anyone but possibly Extremists, it reinforces the Centrist Mindset, "This is how normal people think and talk". If your College Professor taught a politicized message, unless you were already heavily leaning towards the same bias, it was...wrong. It encouraged them to actually teach the subject at hand, instead of their bias.
<sigh> but, it was unavoidable. We can only go forward, we can't go backwards. What we could do, however, is bring back the "equal time" system; if you give politician A 5 minutes to say what they want, you HAVE TO give politician B, C, D, etc 5 minutes.
Political Debates should NEVER be controlled by one bias, EVER.
It is too late for us, but future generations, if you still have electricity and can see this? don't let corporations contribute to politicians, because thats called "buying". If your "Main Stream Media" becomes dominated by a single political bias...don't let it. do whatever you have to do to prevent it. You'll have already found out what was behind the "disarming of US Citizens" by now. Sorry. I should have fought harder, everyone should have.
Good Luck, Grandkids. You are going to need it.
P.S. about that boating accident....
