Breaking free from Media Gaslighting: Why Independent News Sources Matter Now More Than Ever
by Annette Dion
I have written before about the agreement I have made with myself to avoid mainstream news media. Aside from a few “check ins,” out of my own curiosity, I have stuck to my agreement.
The effects of this have been positive. I am less exasperated. My intelligence feels less like it is being insulted on a continual basis. I have felt less annoyed. I have especially very much enjoyed NOT having to sit through exceedingly long and way-too-frequent commercial breaks, particularly the highly deceptive ones pushing pills from the greedy and obscenely wealthy pharmaceutical companies.
My alternative ways of tracking the daily breaking news have been working just fine. In fact things have felt much, much better. YouTube and podcasts have been effective at keeping me informed. Thank goodness for the people who have decided to create pro-democracy channels where I get to hear up-to-the-minute news and great reporting, enabling me to stay more informed and less frustrated. Thanks, Meidas Touch , Brian Tyler Cohen and all the others.
So, last night I did a little “check-in” on MSNBC; the only mainstream outlet I will watch, as I cannot bear the excessive lies and slants on CNN, and FOX is only propaganda and nothing else. I wanted to see what and who might be on my favorite anchor Lawrence O’Donnell’s show.
What I observed is that the MSNBC vibe had not changed. Nothing has improved.
I didn’t actually pay close attention to who exactly Lawrence was speaking with. I was driving while listening. But the topic of conversation was the upcoming, (if it happens), debate between Harris and Trump on September 10th.
Here is what I heard. And here also is what I know the actual truth is. I heard the guest talking about the debate, as if what was being discussed as happening here in America was “normal”.
Absolutely zero doubt about it, those who get their daily news from corporate-owned mainstream media are being fed, whether they buy it or not, the impression that Trump is just a normal guy. They are treating this whole election cycle as though this is just your run-of-the-mill normal presidential election year and normal debate between candidates.
It only took a total of 10-seconds before instant frustration and aggravation set in. Hello? The fact of the matter is that Trump incited a violent riot on our Capitol. People died. He turned entirely against the country he swore an oath to defend and protect, and attempted to destroy our government through a coup and install himself as a dictator.
Why are we not hashing through that?
Facts matter. We need to be talking about facts. He is a 34 times convicted felon. Let’s talk about it. Right now he is 100% undeniably showing signs of serious mental decline, failing cognitively. Fact. Trump appears to be entirely disheveled, especially lately, and appears to be severely mentally ill. THAT is not a mystery. That is factual.
Those of us who are paying attention have heard from countless leading psychiatric experts giving us countless point-by-point analyses, diagnosing his condition via the signs he exhibits, as they share their multiple years of expertise with us. We can see it and hear it ourselves, but we even have the facts and evidence from them. It is 300% clear that Trump is not even fit to have a mindless job, let alone be running the most powerful nation in the world. They could be discussing this, but they are not.
The man is highly dangerous to our entire world. He has proven time and time again to be totally reckless and said repeatedly that he is planning revenge and retribution on our beloved country.
He has planned, in lockstep with the creators of Project 2025, to remove all of America’s success and progress and push us backwards, taking us from a progressive and leading nation of the entire world and turning it into the opposite. He is promising a reign of suffering.
He has said to us that he doesn’t need anyone’s vote, begging the question that mainstream media should delve into, of how he plans to win without votes. Yes, this is serious.
He has urged his followers to vote “just this one last time” and then they would never need to vote again. He has stolen and likely sold our highest intelligence national security secrets.
Hello? Is there anybody out there? CNN? MSNBC? What up, bros?
The guest on Lawrence O’Donnell is saying something like this. “On that debate night, both candidates will lay out their plans for the economy ….” and so on and so forth. And then, once again I let a couple of cuss words fly. I feel like screaming. “Turn it off, Annette,” my higher wisdom says, “it’s not worth the aggravation.” So I do.
We are so done with this. Those of us who have kept our collective fingers on the pulse of what is going on are finished with the “gaslighting trauma”. It has been like that feeling if you’re watching a horror flick and the monster is approaching someone from behind. The person bearing witness, the one who can see the monster is attempting to get their attention to let them know the monster is creeping up on them and is going to eat them. LOOK OUT!!!!!!
No, this is not a normal election. Stop treating it like it is. Trump is a breathtakingly obvious incompetent, dangerous and violent man. Furthermore, he is not planning to help one single person to have a better life situation.
Oh, but wait. There are exceptions. Their names are Kim Jung Un, President Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. He loves them. He tells us all the time.
This is not a discussion between just two neighbors down the street who are planning to engage in an onstage debate, perhaps in a local school committee or mayoral race in a small town. No big deal.
THIS is NOT THAT.
This election is up to us. It is on we-the-people to save us. We cannot rely on mainstream media.
Let’s all stop watching mainstream media. And, while we are at it write and tell them why we all have abandoned ship. They have proven to us that we cannot rely on them for actual real and truthful news. We can’t let it go on.
We must do something.
What are YOU doing? Have you quit mainstream media too? Please leave a comment to let us know.
I look forward to seeing you tonight at our weekly Tuesday “20-on-Tuesdays” guided meditation for a healed America. While you are here, why not forward this invite to a friend?
Each Tuesday at 7p ET, our group meets online for a 20-minute guided meditation for a healed America. I invite you to join us. Email grassrootsofdemocracy@gmail.com to express your interest and to receive the Zoom information.
keep singing. 40 days in Florida for people to check their voter registration. October 7th is the last day in Florida. some states you can register at the polls on voting day.