Posted Jun 14, 2017 by Michael L. Brown

Was the shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise, along with four others, provoked by irresponsible reporting? Did the leftwing media so inflame its followers that a staunch, Republican-bashing, Trump-hating gunman decided it was time to act?

According to InfoWars, the answer is absolutely yes: “We have been warning for months that the mainstream media’s hysterical anti-Trump narrative and the left’s insistence that Trump is illegitimate will radicalize demented social justice warriors and prompt them to lash out with violence.

“It looks like that’s exactly what happened today. The blood is on their hands.”

But isn’t this like the pot calling the kettle black? Has InfoWars, which represents an extreme-right position, been any less inflammatory in its reporting?

I agree that the mainstream media’s attacks on Trump have often been irresponsible to the point of being hysterical, as if Trump’s presidency is a real and present threat to our survival, as if any day now, he will draw us into a deadly nuclear war or make a decision that will destroy the world. Hollywood celebrities have been just as irresponsible, as I pointed out in the aftermath of Kathy Griffin’s infamous beheading photo.

Just look at the response to Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Accords. Writing for The Federalist, Bre Payton listed 15 Over-The-Top Reactions To Trump’s Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal, including: calling it “A Traitorous Act of War”; declaring that “The World Will End”; and stating that, “Trump just declared war on the very idea of life on earth.” The headline on the Huffington Post simply blared “Trump to Planet: Drop Dead.” And all this for simply dropping out of the very flawed Paris Accords.

Consider also the mixed reaction to the “Shakespeare in the Park” production of Julius Caesar, which includes the mock assassination of the president. While some media leaders condemned the play and some businesses withdrew their support, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria tweeted, “If you're in NYC, go see Julius Caesar, free in Central Park, brilliantly interpreted for Trump era. A masterpiece.” And as of this writing, Time Warner, CNN’s parent company, had not pulled its financial support of the play. Can you imagine what the reaction would have been to a play that depicted the assassination of President Obama?

Without a doubt, the mainstream media, in harmony with other voices on the left, has helped to create an environment of extreme-Trump hatred. And while it’s true that, at times, the President has been his own worst enemy, does anyone really think that anti-Trump sentiments would be as intense as they are without the constant provocation of the leftwing media?

The left already has blood on its hands, specifically the blood of a guard at the FRC’s Washington, DC headquarters. He was wounded by a gay gunman who planned to slaughter as many FRC employees as possible, finding their office location with the help of the SPLC’s hate group map, which helped him target his anger. Yet the SPLC continues to irresponsibly label fine Christian organizations hate groups, most recently the extremely important advocacy group The ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom). Groups and individuals who confront radical Islam also find their way onto the SPLC’s lists, which only provokes further hatred and, possibly, violence.

But it is not just the left that is guilty. Reporting on the right has often been irresponsible and inflammatory, to the point that I’m surprised we haven’t seen more violent acts from those on the extreme right.

Consider what Alex Jones, founder of InfoWars, had to say about Hillary Clinton during the last presidential campaign: “She is an abject, psychopathic, demon from Hell that as soon as she gets into power is going to try to destroy the planet. I’m sure of that, and people around her say she’s so dark now, and so evil, and so possessed that they are having nightmares, they’re freaking out.”

And, adding in the former president, “Imagine how bad she smells, man? I’m told her and Obama, just stink, stink, stink, stink. You can’t wash that evil off, man. Told there’s a rotten smell around Hillary. I’m not kidding, people say, they say — folks, I’ve been told this by high up folks. They say listen, Obama and Hillary both smell like sulfur.”

I’m aware that Jones is far to the right of the mainstream conservative media, but he is followed by millions, and his voice is just one of many on the right. And if InfoWars can blame the leftwing media for the wounding of Rep. Scalise, he and others on the right need to ask themselves what they are provoking with their rhetoric. Is it producing responsible disagreement or irresponsible action? More broadly, if someone who is already upset with the current ruling party watches CNN or Fox News, or reads blogs from the extreme left or right, will the rhetoric push them over the edge?

And it’s not just the professional media that need to ask this question. On the day of the shooting I tweeted, “Today's shooting is a strong reminder that we in the media need to be responsible with our rhetoric lest we further provoke the unstable.” In response, one man added, “‘The Media’ is now all of us. Don't underestimate your influence. Use your voice responsibly.”

That’s a word of warning to all of us. We need to think through the implications of what we post or tweet or record.

Every day on the radio I’m introduced as “your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution,” and over and over again, I explain just what we mean by “revolution.” Not a revolution of violence or anger or hatred or intimidation, but a Jesus revolution. A revolution where we overcome hatred with love, evil with good, and lies with truth. And I repeat this over and over because I know how easy it is to provoke people in the flesh, adding bad fuel to a wild fire. Can we not provoke people to life-giving action and to good deeds rather than to murderous hatred?

It’s time we speak with greater responsibility, measuring our words carefully, considering the implications of our accusations, and pushing people to constructive, rather than destructive action. The shooting of Rep. Scalise and his colleagues is a warning to us all.

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Comments

truthforce posted a comment · Jun 15, 2017
Dr Brown, I am just out of prison as a political prisoner (they gave another excuse, but took advantage and did a full investigation on how popular I was, my internet usage, my history, my friends, my book sales, my political affiliations, and my character. Took more than 8 months. I have courage to take on the powers, having experienced prison, 20 assaults, false charges, chemical means of control, and rape. I survived, and have a cause important enough to stand bolder. I applaud your direction towards addressing matters of more variety and importance than constant focus on homosexuality and israel. My word on the media is that, like Frank Zappa said "politics is the entertainment division of government. Media, controlled by bankers, is useless and diversionary and subversionary drivel. Yes, Jones is less conventional. HE is a hypocrite. He declares clearly that the politicians are puppets correctly, and that they just do as told to by the wealthy elite, lining their pockets as they destroy our planet for them. They are all the most wicked criminals, and at the risk of malignment, I state that I would not be a bit sorry if they all croaked. Bush was instrumental in 9-11 demolition job which enabled the war on Iraq, where they knew there were no weapons of mass destruction. Oil interests. Obama, who facilitated MOnsanto to destroy the worlds produce, he removed legislation restricting their practice of monopolizing world farms, and implimenting gmos devoid of any nutrients. Now, over 85% of the worlds fruits and vegetables are gmo, no nutrition in them. All the politicians are on the take of the oil companies, so they all deny global warming which has destroyed our planet, the ocean has risen an inch already from the ice caps melting, and you notice how warm it is year long here, no seasons as there had been for eons. THe politicians have killed us and the planet. THey deserve the deepest pit of hell, with the fire raised to max. ANd about responding in love=I am in the process of finishing a book I will call THE UNTOLD NATURE OF THE FAITHS. When he read it, my friend Albert also told me that if I published this book, angry people would gather around me. I thought about that a while, and decided that he was right. It was highly encouraging. As somebody who was a devout Christian, and who taught bible classes for eight years, I was furious when I perceived the true nature of the beast, and you will be also. We are taught, especially in the Christian faith, to not express anger, as it defies the ‘fruits of the spirit.” Supposedly, a true Christian is never angry. God forbid he should feel some righteous indignation over deception, and take action on that anger and initiate change in the right direction. But no, a proper Christian is calm, complacent, and apathetic when faced with even the most outrageous evils. Albert’s words were highly encouraging. Now, doctor Brown, let me say something that will not be popular on your website, please, in the name of freedom of speech, and giving people a different perspective so that they can be exposed to all viewpoints and have an opportunity to be exposed to free thinkers and to experience viewpoints that they otherwise would not hear, do not remove this. It may benefit some, even if only sharpening iron by exercising their minds to attempt to oppose the words intelligently.-I ask that you consider that a little anger is a good thing, it can be an impetus for change, and I advocate positive change. Apathy and complacency change nothing, and allow evil and wrongdoing to flourish. I am aware that it is a taboo in today’s culture to express, or even to feel anger. Could that not be a symptom of a faulty mindset, that we are supposed to accept anything, even evil, with complacency? It is remarkable that the promotion of “tolerance” has been entertained and accepted by so many people. When hate, lies, and war and the evil ways are allowed to prosper, and we do not accept anyone who reacts with a note of anything but gentle apathy to any sort of evil, that is a “conditioning,” and an avenue to allow the worst evils to thrive. The possibility that I can make a difference in the way the world systems function, in the removal of deception and control over people, and promote an orderly and harmonious code of ethics and new modes of living life on the planet, free of any gods and/or other reasons to promote a self-interest lifestyle over another, ridding us of hate, evil, deception, oppression, manipulation, and exploitation. The proper motivation of a visionary is not to give people a story that they are clamoring to read. The ideal purpose is to tell them the truths that need to be illuminated.