The Brainwashing of My Dad
As Jen Senko tries to understand the transformation of her father from a nonpolitical Democrat to an angry Republican fanatic, she uncovers the forces behind the media that changed him completely: a plan by Roger Ailes under President Richard Nixon for a media takeover by the Republicans, the 1971 Powell Memo urging business leaders to influence institutions of public opinion (especially the media, universities, and courts), the 1987 dismantling of the Fairness Doctrine under President Ronald Reagan, and the signing of the 1996 Telecommunications Act under President Bill Clinton. The documentary aims to show how the media and the nation changed, which leads to questions about who owns the airwaves, what rights listeners and watchers have, and what responsibility the government has to keep the airwaves fair, accurate, and accountable.
The propaganda brainwashing is reversible, to a degree, but it requires removing the influence that caused the transformation. Fox News isn't going anywhere for now, and Zuckerberg likes Facebook the way it is.
There's at least one member of my family who has undergone this type of character and personality change (mostly thanks to Bill O.) and at this point it looks like it's probably going to be permanent. It's sad and frustrating to see a good person turn into somebody you don't even recognize any more. Our family cannot touch political discussions. It just rips us all to shreds if we don't ignore the stinky elephant in the room, and I put up with it because the children (now grown) are wonderful, having children of their own, and I love them and don't want to miss seeing them. It just makes me feel like something has been stolen from all of us. It's awful.