My dad was a Teamster, drove a beer truck for 40 odd years. My mom was a stay at home mom who became a pharmacy tech. Growing up in the 80s and early 90s, I remember them being your classic swing voters. I think they voted for George Bush in 1988, and Clinton in the ‘90s. I honestly don’t remember who they voted for in 2000. All I know is that George W. Bush’s presidency had a marked effect on my parents. After few years of W, my dad started listening to NPR. He stopped shopping at Walmart. He rightfully saw through the GOP and called them liars and thieves. He’s not a bleeding heart liberal. But he tolerates zero bullshit and can see through any example of it. My mom is quiet but firm in her belief in a world that operates with the fairness, kindness and equity she raised her kids to value. Both of them have voted Democrat since at least 2004, and they have their various gripes with Democratic presidents and politicians; I do too. All of this is to say that I’m grateful every single day that my folks never got sucked into Fox News World, the way I’ve seen aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends’ parents have. Living in the Trumped-up, morally vacant world of the modern GOP is a daily travesty. But at least I can still talk to my parents about politics, and I don’t have to look at them and wonder why they were so willing to swallow propaganda.
Fox News is a cancer eating the USA alive. THERE IS NO SHARED REALITY. And this country is so screwed. People are brainwashed cult members. Otherwise Trump would not exist. All of us reality based people see he is a cruel, corrupt, criminal, insane lunatic. We are committing national suicide by Fox News….. really.
You're going stormchasing with your kid?? That's fantastic! One on one vacations with your kids can be among the most memorable as they really enjoy not sharing focus with siblings now and then. I have lots of great memories like that with each of my kids. The weather nerd in me looks forward to hearing you actually got to see some supercells or more while out there.
Gutfeld is such a smug, no talent lying piece of shit that it's hard for me to believe he ever did anything that wasn't terrible.
Occasionally the Guys Podcast will bring up one of his monologues to mock and I've never seen someone consistently bomb so hard in front of his own audience lol.
Will, in the 80s and early 90s I traveled quite a bit on business sometimes by plane, but often by car. I would listen to AM radio in those days, and Limbaugh was the only thing on other than music (.It was the days before sport talk dominated AM.) I didn't often agree with him but sometimes enjoyed his sense of humor. In those early days of his national show, he often told his audience not to take him too seriously, it was all just fun. But the Ditto heads did, and he soon figured out what they wanted to hear. His tone went from satire to stroking his listener's anger. At least there was NPR as an alternative.
A few things: your book is currently third in line on my summer reading list, behind the Shining and Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening. Good company to be in.
Second, your appearance on The Distraction podcast was really enlightening about creative process. And some serious Remembering Som Guys action.
Last: how do you look OLDER in that Fox News clip than you do now?! Sorry. I’ll see myself out.
Will, if you ever meet Big Thief and are looking for a sports ice breaker, you can tell their drummer, James, you've heard he was a big Hakeem Olajuwon fan when he was a kid. I was his camp counselor and youth sports coach for four years or so. He was an awesome kid, and an excellent capture the flag player.
I remember "Brainwashing," and how they (eventually) unwired him. (his wife programmed the remote to not go on Fox Noise) Also, "The Loudest Voice," with Russell Crowe as Roger Ailes is good as well. Marv Albert once said "we all have a public life, private life and a secret life."
And, about parents, well mine died in the 90’s before it got politically crazy. They never heard of Fox News. They were lifelong Republicans. But, that was back when a Democrat could conceivably vote for a Republican. So it was not impossible to have a civil political conversation. My Dad always wanted sons, it’s the Irish way, so he never thought to ask my political views, until the Vietnam War. He was stunned and “disgusted” that I opposed that war. For a short time, when I was attending protests and marches and listening to some really great singers at those protests, my Dad would not talk to me. Fortunately I was no longer living at home so not a big deal. We had ceasefires during holidays. I had friends who were drafted, remember the draft, plucked out of their hometowns, rush trained and dropped into jungles in Vietnam, to fight and die for a war no one could explain. The war did end, though it dogged lots of returning soldiers until the end of their lives. My Dad did come to see my perspective on it all. He always thought I was wrong not to take the side of the USA no matter what crazy thing we were doing but life moved on and we all sort of got back into our somewhat dysfunctional family dynamics. I do not think my parents would have fallen for Fox News or Donald Trump. My parents were from New York and had no use for the Trump family, especially Donald. I think they’d be as sad as I am at just how far off course we’ve wandered.
I’m reading your book and enjoying it. At 84, I’ll drop a book in a heartbeat if it doesn’t pull me in. Your writing style, your plots and characters always hold my attention until the very end. Keep writing, I’ll be looking forward to the next book.
My dad was a Teamster, drove a beer truck for 40 odd years. My mom was a stay at home mom who became a pharmacy tech. Growing up in the 80s and early 90s, I remember them being your classic swing voters. I think they voted for George Bush in 1988, and Clinton in the ‘90s. I honestly don’t remember who they voted for in 2000. All I know is that George W. Bush’s presidency had a marked effect on my parents. After few years of W, my dad started listening to NPR. He stopped shopping at Walmart. He rightfully saw through the GOP and called them liars and thieves. He’s not a bleeding heart liberal. But he tolerates zero bullshit and can see through any example of it. My mom is quiet but firm in her belief in a world that operates with the fairness, kindness and equity she raised her kids to value. Both of them have voted Democrat since at least 2004, and they have their various gripes with Democratic presidents and politicians; I do too. All of this is to say that I’m grateful every single day that my folks never got sucked into Fox News World, the way I’ve seen aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends’ parents have. Living in the Trumped-up, morally vacant world of the modern GOP is a daily travesty. But at least I can still talk to my parents about politics, and I don’t have to look at them and wonder why they were so willing to swallow propaganda.
>>>at least I can still talk to my parents about politics, and I don’t have to look at them and wonder why they were so willing to swallow propaganda.
I find myself deeply grateful for this exact thing, almost literally every day.
Fox News is a cancer eating the USA alive. THERE IS NO SHARED REALITY. And this country is so screwed. People are brainwashed cult members. Otherwise Trump would not exist. All of us reality based people see he is a cruel, corrupt, criminal, insane lunatic. We are committing national suicide by Fox News….. really.
You're going stormchasing with your kid?? That's fantastic! One on one vacations with your kids can be among the most memorable as they really enjoy not sharing focus with siblings now and then. I have lots of great memories like that with each of my kids. The weather nerd in me looks forward to hearing you actually got to see some supercells or more while out there.
I'm a weather nerd too, and am looking forward to hearing about this adventure!
Gutfeld is such a smug, no talent lying piece of shit that it's hard for me to believe he ever did anything that wasn't terrible.
Occasionally the Guys Podcast will bring up one of his monologues to mock and I've never seen someone consistently bomb so hard in front of his own audience lol.
Highly recommend Luke O’Neill’s piece on this, collecting memories from people who lost their families to Fox News brainwashing. https://open.substack.com/pub/luke/p/i-hate-what-theyve-done-to-almost-39f?r=1t642&utm_medium=ios
Also, suck it Chernow!
Oh my god I forgot to say—first time, long time!
well..... you don't NOT look like him.... Good luck w. the book.
Will, in the 80s and early 90s I traveled quite a bit on business sometimes by plane, but often by car. I would listen to AM radio in those days, and Limbaugh was the only thing on other than music (.It was the days before sport talk dominated AM.) I didn't often agree with him but sometimes enjoyed his sense of humor. In those early days of his national show, he often told his audience not to take him too seriously, it was all just fun. But the Ditto heads did, and he soon figured out what they wanted to hear. His tone went from satire to stroking his listener's anger. At least there was NPR as an alternative.
Just finished the book a couple nights ago. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next t one in two years!!
Congrats on the Amazon list!
A few things: your book is currently third in line on my summer reading list, behind the Shining and Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening. Good company to be in.
Second, your appearance on The Distraction podcast was really enlightening about creative process. And some serious Remembering Som Guys action.
Last: how do you look OLDER in that Fox News clip than you do now?! Sorry. I’ll see myself out.
Thanks for stepping up and articulating just why Fox and the (even) worse propaganda merchants are putting us in danger.
Will, if you ever meet Big Thief and are looking for a sports ice breaker, you can tell their drummer, James, you've heard he was a big Hakeem Olajuwon fan when he was a kid. I was his camp counselor and youth sports coach for four years or so. He was an awesome kid, and an excellent capture the flag player.
I remember "Brainwashing," and how they (eventually) unwired him. (his wife programmed the remote to not go on Fox Noise) Also, "The Loudest Voice," with Russell Crowe as Roger Ailes is good as well. Marv Albert once said "we all have a public life, private life and a secret life."
First, you do not look like him.
And, about parents, well mine died in the 90’s before it got politically crazy. They never heard of Fox News. They were lifelong Republicans. But, that was back when a Democrat could conceivably vote for a Republican. So it was not impossible to have a civil political conversation. My Dad always wanted sons, it’s the Irish way, so he never thought to ask my political views, until the Vietnam War. He was stunned and “disgusted” that I opposed that war. For a short time, when I was attending protests and marches and listening to some really great singers at those protests, my Dad would not talk to me. Fortunately I was no longer living at home so not a big deal. We had ceasefires during holidays. I had friends who were drafted, remember the draft, plucked out of their hometowns, rush trained and dropped into jungles in Vietnam, to fight and die for a war no one could explain. The war did end, though it dogged lots of returning soldiers until the end of their lives. My Dad did come to see my perspective on it all. He always thought I was wrong not to take the side of the USA no matter what crazy thing we were doing but life moved on and we all sort of got back into our somewhat dysfunctional family dynamics. I do not think my parents would have fallen for Fox News or Donald Trump. My parents were from New York and had no use for the Trump family, especially Donald. I think they’d be as sad as I am at just how far off course we’ve wandered.
I’m reading your book and enjoying it. At 84, I’ll drop a book in a heartbeat if it doesn’t pull me in. Your writing style, your plots and characters always hold my attention until the very end. Keep writing, I’ll be looking forward to the next book.
You may have just extended your Fox appearance drought.
👍Dave Eggers
Maggie Rogers touted Big Thief this week, as well.