Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Fox News: Casey Verdict Makes Sense

For those of you who know me on the site, I do a series called "my stupid state" chronicling the sheer madness that lives here. We have a lot of trouble with voting, we like to elect criminals, and after today, we can add "let child killers go free" to the list.

There were piles of evidence that she was involved in the death... the search engine, the duct tape, the laundry bag, the other items from her house found at the scene. Her ridiculous excuse that she drowned... (Why the hell would you duct tape her mouth!?!?) Her nonstop lying to the police. The contempt she showed her daughter before her disappearance and the sickening celebratory behavior after Caylee was killed.

No other "news" organization is justifying or condemning the verdict... but reporting the facts. But Fox decided to put this on the FRONT PAGE of their website:

Why Casey Anthony's Verdict Makes Sense by Dr. Keith Ablow


"Dr. Keith Ablow" focused entirely on her behavior after the killing. He said it "makes good sense" because certain people party after a trauma... especially someone like Casey who was "raped as a child" (although he admits this is something Casey just accused her father of). He tries to explain behavior in this ridiculous article that he admits may never have happened. It truly is indicative of a Fox News Story.

I was furious, but then I remembered that name. Where have I heard Dr. Keith Ablow before?

OH YEAH, this guy! Glenn Beck's minion:


Fox News Contributor Dr. Keith Ablow Attacks Barack & Michelle Obama’s Patriotism


October 2010

Fox News favorite psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Ablow, who is a Republican and who was last seen on Fox’s Megyn Kelly show where he deplored the creeping nanny state that monitors the body mass of American school children. He also provides validation for Glenn Beck as shown by his response to Beck’s contention that Obama has a problem with race. Ablow, being his objective medical self, said that “The president needs to look at himself and say, ‘Do I have prejudice that I wasn’t even aware of, perhaps, towards white people?” So surprise, surprise, this morning we have a Fox News “opinion” column which says that America is “in denial” about Obama because they just can’t deal with Obama’s questionable loyalty to America. Ablow burnishes his “creds” by invoking his experience as a doctor in order to do a “virtual” psychological evaluation on the feelings of Americans towards their president. How’s that for some nice, slick agitprop?


This there was this. Jon Stewart had fun with this one:

Fox News Pundit Responds To J. Crew Pink Nail Polish Controversy By Ignoring Facts, Spewing Misinformation


April 2011

The most offensive opinion piece published on a nationally recognized journalism outlet appeared on Fox News' website.

Dr. Keith Ablow, a television psychiatrist and Glenn Beck associate, penned the story. (He also recently co-authored a book called The 7, a combination of Beck memoir and Ablow's self-help techniques.)

...

He then sinks into a deep non sequitur:

"And while that may seem like no big deal, it will be a very big deal if it turns out that neither gender is very comfortable anymore nurturing children above all else..."

Dr. Ablow, what does raising children have to do with wearing nail polish? The logical fallacy of grouping these things together allows you to ignore the real issue, and instead highlight the conservative 's political call to "save the American family," whatever that means. It's like the Westboro Baptist Church rhetoric, just without the offensive words.

"...and neither gender is motivated to rank creating a family above having great sex forever..."

Again, what does pink nail polish have to do with having great sex all the time? As if you can't have both?

The close association on Dr. Ablow's part between gender identity and sexual activity is completely uninformed. For an average heterosexual American, unfamiliar with the plethora of alternatives in society, this error is a understandable. But Dr. Ablow is a psychiatrist. He is using this factual error to spread misinformation and, yes, hate.


It's nice to see Glenn Beck's people will continue to infect Fox News long after he has left.

1 comment :

  1. I followed you, because I agreed with most of your posts... this one, however, is an exception. :/

    ReplyDelete