The reason Fox News blows away the other news networks is because it is more in-tune with the American population than it's competitors. I'm always in favor of free market competition, and I'm glad we're a center-right country, but I really wish more people would watch MSNBC, and better yet, Al Jazeera.
I've been watching Al Jazeera English for a little over a week now (ever since #Jan25), and yes, their journalists and interviewees range from disliking America to outright hating us. Kind of like MSNBC is with Republicans, and Fox News is with Democrats.
Herein lies the only caveat of being a free society. We're free to watch what we please, and free to not watch what we don't want to see.
If you only watch Fox News, you'll have a much different view of America than if you only watch MSNBC. If you only watch Al Jazeera, you'll have a much different view of America than if you only watch American stations.
I'm convinced every Libertarian goes through a moment of Enlightenment. Something happens to us where suddenly our eyes open to an entire world outside of the box we have been living within our entire lives.
Wisdom is a powerful weapon. To the politicians, we are all "Useful idiots". Politicians create chaos to keep us occupied, so we don't go digging around for information they don't want us to know. Fortunately, the Democrats and Republicans each have their idea of what you should and shouldn't know, and they are almost always inversed. That's why I enjoy the New York Times and Fox News, because it's usually hard to believe the story they are reporting is actually the same story.
The situation in Egypt is much different on Al Jazeera than it is on Fox News or MSNBC. Which one is telling the truth? None of them. They're all spinning the events to their target audience. Fortunately, by watching all three, we can use our own judgement to infer the real story, a talent sadly lost on most people.
We know most people are Libertarians who simply haven't realized that fact yet. So how do we convince them? Well, I don't think we can. It's a lot like hypnosis, it only works if the subject wants it to work. Until they have been Enlightened, they will have no desire to leave the comfort of their box.
If you know of someone who is passively-active in politics, ask them to do you a favor. Say you're doing a research project, and ask them to watch two nights each of Bill O'Reilly and Chris Mathews. On the first night, have them write down only positive things about the show. What they liked, what they agreed on, and so on. Then on the second night, write down only negative things about the show.
For a select few, this one simple task will be enough to lead them down the path of Enlightenment towards Libertarianism. For the rest, their results will be extremely revealing, and you will be able to use their answers to try and help them along the journey of Enlightenment.
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