Like so many Americans, I am still trying to absorb and process what happened at the Capitol. But there is one thing that was automatically and glaringly obvious about what happened.

The media are gigantic, roaring, lying hypocrites.

Yes, I am sure everyone is stunned by that. However, it is rare that we get such amazing and crystal-clear examples of such roaring hypocrisy.

Example A: German Lopez of Vox. Riots were good when they furthered a political agenda that he agreed with. Now, riots are bad.
https://twitter.com/michaelmalice/status/1346963939318497283
Example B: Sally Kohn. She “understood” violent protests back in May. Now, not so much.
https://twitter.com/cvaldary/status/1346919101139210242
Example C: Chris Hayes. This is every single Republican’s fault who has ever worked in party politics – you know, the way the Congressional baseball shooter was every single Democrat’s fault. No?

If that's the case, then every Democrat is to blame for every city burned to the ground by BLM rioters this summer.

You're playing a dangerous game. https://t.co/3VNpIUlNQk

— Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) January 6, 2021

I believe this is Chris Hayes trying to break down the numbers on the protests this summer, declaring that 93% of them were “peaceful.”

But according Hayes’s impeccable logic, EVERYONE who has been involved in the GOP for the last four years is responsible for not just today’s riots, but also the COVID death count, tax cuts, and a “6-3” SCOTUS (depending on the mood of the Chief Justice on any given day). Call me crazy, but I’m seeing a non sequitur or two here. But why be honest on Twitter when you can virtue signal for the likes and ignore everything that you’ve ever said in the past in order to justify the narrative of the moment? Also, he’s now “appalled” about how Congress was just able to go back to work, but no one ever called Hayes the brightest crayon in the box.

And don’t even get me started on Hollywood, considering how they tried to convince electors to vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and paid bail for rioters this summer.

How about this: riots are bad. Period. The rioting that led to this storming of the Capitol was bad. The reflexive riots of BLM this last summer that destroyed lives and businesses were also bad. The weeks and weeks of rioting in Portland trying to burn down a federal building were also bad. The rioting and occupation of a police precinct in Seattle was also bad. Because what is the point of a riot? Destruction. Pain. Suffering. Riots do not convince anyone to join your cause, and they often make people back away from supporting your causes. If your cause asks for violence that isn’t in self-defense, forget it.

The media finally got what they wanted and have been asking for since 2016 – a “right-wing” riot by Trump supporters – they will breathlessly report each detail as eagerly as they ignored or glossed over details when BLM rioters lit fires, smashed windows, and people were injured or killed. And now that they finally have their long-awaited shiny toy, they are going to smack every single person who doesn’t agree with them across the face with it.

Is that fair? Nope. Will they do it anyway, because the mainstream media is not interested in truth, only what they want to be the truth? Yup. So, how do we combat the media and their continual distortion in favor of their lovingly-crafted narrative?

First of all, don’t hand them the ammunition. You know they want it. Don’t play into their hands.

Second, turn them off. Unplug the cable box. Ignore them as utterly and completely as possible. Trust me when I say that having a journalism degree does not confer upon one any degree of enlightenment that allows for high moral judgment upon their fellow man. The opinions of a talking head on TV is just as equal as your next-door neighbor’s – and hopefully, your neighbor knows you and doesn’t treat you with disdain for simply not being their personal nodding bobblehead.

Third, find new sources of news and information and support them. I have said this before, and I will say it again. Defunding the media should be our top priority right now, and supporting those independent outlets in the wake of what is surely to come from media and government has never been more important.

What just happened in the Capitol Building was nothing like we have ever seen in modern America. And even as the media decries it, they are loving the reinforcement of their narrative and getting caught in their own hypocritical trap. Show them the receipts and don’t let them get away with it.

Featured image via BruceEmmerling on Pixabay, cropped, Pixabay license