Wisconsin pro-union protest
In many areas of the U.S., as has been reported anecdotally, stores, restaurants and other commercial establishments are airing Fox News at all times from a single TV. We’re not talking about an office building that airs multiple TV news networks from different TVs, or a sports bar that may have 50 TVs, including one tuned to Fox News. This is a conscious decision by the business owners to air only this point of view. It is thus impossible for a customer to avoid hearing and/or seeing the Fox News broadcast at these locations. What should you do when you walk into such a business and are not a fan of the divisive, false Fox propaganda channel?
There are several possible options for the non-Fox consumer in this situation:
–You could do and say nothing, and keep giving your money to the business. However, that’s a bad idea. They are literally taking (a portion of) your money and giving it to their cable or satellite TV operator, in part to pay for the delivery of Fox News.
–You could tell someone at the store that you feel uncomfortable by their airing Fox News. Without necessarily saying that Fox airs false propaganda, you can say that it’s a very divisive channel which likely alienates at least half, maybe even three quarters, of the local community of consumers. (Depending on where you live, your mileage may vary as to this figure). However, the owner who made the decision to air Fox News may not be around. Nevertheless, if a manager is there, it may be useful to tell him or her.
–You could post a review of the business on a site such as Yelp, and explain why you’re giving it a worse grade due to their airing of Fox News, which is at best a thoughtless business practice and at worst an in-your-face f.u. to many customers. Perhaps the business owners or managers will read the review (they frequently do) and change their policy.
–You can mention the issue to your local friends and loved ones, and recommend that they do not set foot into such business(es). Of course, this recommendation would only likely hold sway on your like-minded friends and family. Those who are Republicans might end up going to the business more.
–You can highlight the problem over social media, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In such cases, make sure you don’t exaggerate the facts, and make clear when your statements are opinions, to help avoid charges that you somehow defamed and caused damage to the business.
–If you do bring up the problem to the business owners or managers, or in some other forum, be ready for them or their supporters to respond by saying that it’s their “right” to air Fox News. The proper reply is that they have the right to any political opinion they want, but when they have a business open to the public and bombard every customer who walks in with Fox News, that’s not the right thing to do, and we then have the right to take our business elsewhere.
–In any case, it’s important not to spend any of your money at such business unless and until they change their policy, because nowadays, shopping is voting.
Photo by Patrick Finnegan, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/tctyzs
