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Change the settings on your relatives TV/cable we must do what we can to cut them off from GB News/Newsmax/FOX news etc. Do it now.

Lightning Count

Lightning Count

Member
Jan 27, 2019
16,080
Fuck off
I did this last week when I visited my mother's house, when I was alone for a while I edited the channel list on her freeview and deleted a bunch of channels that send out harmful racebaiting messages.

I did consider removing the BBC channels but I left them intact.

Also go further change the parental control PIN so they can't reinstate those channels, most TV manufacturers by default set it to 0000 or something similar.
 
Navidson REC

Navidson REC

Member
Oct 31, 2017
3,428
That's a neat idea. Luckily my parents and relatives are level-headed, but I'd do this in a heartbeat.
 
thecouncil

thecouncil

Member
Oct 29, 2017
12,342
You don't think they'll figure it out? Or at least ask questions about where the channels went?
 
jwk94

jwk94

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,429
This seems pointless? They'll just ask you or their cable provider to get the channels back.
 

bradley

Member
Feb 15, 2019
110
I guess this might be better than doing nothing, but I don't think blocking the channels is going to stop the root cause of this kind of radicalization.
 
Temascos

Temascos

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,540
bradley said:
I guess this might be better than doing nothing, but I don't think blocking the channels is going to stop the root cause of this kind of radicalization.
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Problem is for a fair few people (Not everyone obviously) who fall into this, these types of news outlets are how they are radicalised. In "The Brainwashing of my Dad" the narrator cut off her father from Fox News, etc and he gradually got deradicalised.

Obviously this won't work for more tech savvy people but for the older generation who barely know how to use a computer it's good enough. But yeah it's sad that actions like this have to be considered given the reach of these hate news.
 
OP
OP
Lightning Count

Lightning Count

Member
Jan 27, 2019
16,080
Fuck off
Temascos said:
Problem is for a fair few people (Not everyone obviously) who fall into this, these types of news outlets are how they are radicalised. In "The Brainwashing of my Dad" the narrator cut off her father from Fox News, etc and he gradually got deradicalised.

Obviously this won't work for more tech savvy people but for the older generation who barely know how to use a computer it's good enough. But yeah it's sad that actions like this have to be considered given the reach of these hate news.
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They are definitely responsible for radicalising a lot of people. Conservative radio too, but that's a trickier beast to tackle what with car radios and AM/FM radios.
 
FTF

FTF

Member
Oct 28, 2017
28,476
New York
Luckily my parents/none of my close relatives are republicans/watch Fox News or any of that bullshit, but I had a friend who years ago password locked out some channels on his parents tv lol.
 
Rhomega

Rhomega

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,650
Arizona
My parents cut the cable a few years ago. My dad gets his news from the Internet, namely Ben Shapiro. He actually stopped watching Fox News after Trump was elected, oddly enough.
 
Astro Cat

Astro Cat

Member
Mar 29, 2019
7,745
I've thought about this many times but considering I'm living at home and my dad pays for cable it's not going to happen.
 
MinusTydus

MinusTydus

The Fallen
Jul 28, 2018
8,200
Don't do this. This will only cause trouble for already overworked, underpaid cable provider employees now having to act as Geek Squad when your elderly relatives call demanding to know where Tucker Carlson went. Be an adult, sit down with your relatives and have a conversation. If it doesn't work, at least you made an attempt to get through to them.
 
JEH

JEH

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,245
They'll find a way to hear what they want if they're already that deep in
 
16bits

16bits

Member
Apr 26, 2019
2,862
This seems like a good way for them to notice you did this and then double down on it

Did you stop Facebook and Twitter for them too?
 
Jag

Jag

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,675
Lucky my former conservative dad now hates Trump and all Republicans. He doesn't like Democrats either but I can live with that.
 
Messofanego

Messofanego

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,223
UK
MinusTydus said:
Don't do this. This will only cause trouble for already overworked, underpaid cable provider employees now having to act as Geek Squad when your elderly relatives call demanding to know where Tucker Carlson went. Be an adult, sit down with your relatives and have a conversation. If it doesn't work, at least you made an attempt to get through to them.
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When you're down the alt right pipeline, having a nice and simple conversation won't be as effective as direct action. Again, watch The Brainwashing Of My Dad to see how this works.
 
WhiteRabbitEXE

WhiteRabbitEXE

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,646
Arizona
This… doesn't seem like it would at all in the vast majority of cases. Most are gonna figure out pretty easily you did it, and the rest will be rate some poor call center rep to fix their Fox.
 
MinusTydus

MinusTydus

The Fallen
Jul 28, 2018
8,200
Messofanego said:
When you're down the alt right pipeline, having a nice and simple conversation won't be as effective as direct action. Again, watch The Brainwashing Of My Dad to see how this works.
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This "direct action" will be effective for less than a few hours, plus an innocent person's day will be ruined by having to answer to an irate right-wing ditto head screaming about how the libs have "taken away" their beloved Fox News because someone thought they'd be cute and delete access to it temporarily.

All this accomplishes is to piss multiple people off.

Not one single person on Earth who loses access to Fox News for a few hours, will suddenly have a come to Jesus moment and stop attempting to view it.
 
Soap

Soap

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,219
This seems extreme. You can't censor out all sources from people. They will just go online or buy one of the numerous right wing papers. If you are that concerned then talk to them, and if they stick to their position afte making the facts clear then you are going to have some deeper issues with your parents, but at least you'll know what those issues are.
 
Messofanego

Messofanego

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,223
UK
MinusTydus said:
This "direct action" will be effective for less than a few hours, plus an innocent person's day will be ruined by having to answer to an irate right-wing ditto head screaming about how the libs have "taken away" their beloved Fox News because someone thought they'd be cute and delete access to it temporarily.

All this accomplishes is to piss multiple people off.

Not one single person on Earth who loses access to Fox News for a few hours, will suddenly have a come to Jesus moment and stop attempting to view it.
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No need to put quote marks when it is action and is disruptive. That inconvenience can be enough for people to rethink. All a conversation would do is show how they a nice tone and respect won't do much when they are not interested in reciprocating that. That only works if your relative is interested in good faith discussions. It is meant to piss people off. Convince yourself that no single person on Earth would change their ways with such actions, so that you can bat off criticisms to your approach.
 
fragamemnon

fragamemnon

Member
Nov 30, 2017
6,861
Deceiving your parents is wrong, no thanks. I get some people view the morality of an action based solely on its consequences but that's not me.
 
PancakeFlip

PancakeFlip

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,925
fragamemnon said:
Deceiving your parents is wrong, no thanks. I get some people view the morality of an action based solely on its consequences but that's not me.
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Can't say I agree with this logically, like if my parents were thieves and I set a trap for them to be caught and arrested, the former fact of them being my parents is basically irrelevant.
 
Coyote Starrk

Coyote Starrk

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
53,241
My parents don't watch the news and the rest of my family is a state away. I wouldn't do it anyway though. Would rather do something actually useful.
 
Lord Fanny

Lord Fanny

Banned
Apr 25, 2020
25,953
Lol, I tried this several years back with grandparents. They just called the cable company (which I believe was Frontier at the time) and they sent someone out and they fixed it so they could get Fox again. So it's pointless. Even if they aren't tech savvy, I promise you they know how to pick up a phone and bitch about it to their cable company
 
machtia

machtia

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,519
I feel like this would just enmesh you in their conspiracy and cause them to trust you even less.
 
Parthenios

Parthenios

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
13,616
I used to throw away or hide my parents' cigarettes when I was a child. For some reason that never had the effect I'd imagined it would.
 
fragamemnon

fragamemnon

Member
Nov 30, 2017
6,861
PancakeFlip said:
Can't say I agree with this logically, like if my parents were thieves and I set a trap for them to be caught and arrested, the former fact of them being my parents is basically irrelevant.
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that's because your "logic" is an argument to absurdity - IF your parents are thieves and IF the only recourse if somehow setting a trap for them, THEN deceit is OK. Because you fasion deceit is OK in that specifically fabricated, artificial scenario, then deceiving your parents by messing with their television and not telling them is OK and my ethics are wrong.

Like if my parents are stealing, I ask them why they are stealing, and go from there, but I don't see how I'd ever get to setting a trap for them and getting them arrested, I'd just tell them "look if you don't stop I will get the authorities involved" and if they keep it up then I do what I said I would do.

I'm totally ok with 'my ethics are different, and I disagree', not so much 'your ethics are wrong and here's why', fwiw.
 
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