To block GBNews from my parent’s TV?

[goslowly]

My parents retired 4 years ago. They’re both in their 60s, healthy, happy, comfortable financially.

Since they’ve retired they have been sucked in by every single thing they say on there. They can spend an entire day sat in front of the TV getting angrier and angrier. It’s to the point that if Starmer comes on the TV, they shout about how he should be killed.

it’s genuinely starting to concern me. You can’t have a rational conversation with them about anything. I miss my parents, how they used to be before all the conspiracy and anger took over.

I’m genuinely tempted to block it from their tv using parental controls and just pretending it’s some weird fault in their telly. They’d not be able to fix it.

The responses here are so unbelievably patronising towards older people.

You do not get to 60 and lose your marbles!
If you have different political views at 60 compare to younger people, that is acceptable. Statistics confirm people become more Conservative, politically, as they age.

Perhaps this is because they have more life experience and understanding of the world, but heaven forfend we offer respect and understanding to anyone who is "old".
They must have alzheimers. Commit them or report them to Prevent.

"The Junior Spies is an organization of children who monitor adults for disloyalty to the Party, and frequently succeed in catching them—Mrs. Parsons herself seems afraid of her zealous children. The children are very agitated because their mother won’t let them go to a public hanging of some of the Party’s political enemies in the park that evening."

I do wish people would read what’s actually posted instead of inventing things to suit their narrative (the irony!)

I am not bothered by them having opposing views to me. In fact we have, in the past, had some very good debates about things. For example, they were very pro-leave and I was very pro-remain. My mum is pro-life, I’m pro-choice.

It is only in the last few years, since they retired and started consuming this content, that it has got a lot more violent and in some cases, I would say hysterical. They can’t accept any other viewpoint to theirs. They won’t even entertain it. My dad has said, more than once, that if I was the victim of political violence he would think it’s justified. He really cannot accept anything other than his own personal opinions. With my mum, if you try and counter her opinions, even gently, she will start shouting that you’re a bigot and a fascist.

I do not want to alter their opinions to be like mine. I just wish it wasn’t so aggressive and angry all the time. And I have sat and watched some of GBNews - it is very hysterical at times and works to whip people up into a frenzy.

In your shoes I would. But maybe try to take the opportunity to get them out more in the community. Volunteer at a food bank or a Men's Shed or do something where they are out and about a bit more. 60 is not old.

Have you got any sort of project they could help you with? They don't sound old, just brainwashed. My Dad didn't go down the GB News route but watched an insane amount of news during the covid years. It got so that you couldn't have a conversation about anything without him spinning to today's death rate within seconds. The constant news cycle has made their generation horribly anxious I think. I could cope with GB News if people watched it once a day, not ideal but I certainly wouldn't wish to censor their choice of TV as much as I might wish to.

They wouldn’t dare volunteer! They look down on everyone else as scroungers

It’s not. You just don’t like that some people find views like this genuinely abhorrent and don’t want to just pit up with it.

Shark jumped.

No of course not. Most people don't think any politician or public figure should be killed for their views, it's quite clearly disgusting, so if OP's parents are expressing that I'd tell them I found it unacceptable outright.

Was that actually said on GB news, though, and if so can you link to the report?

Crikey!

Is this thread a publicity stunt by GB news to take the piss out of authoritarian "lefties"?

😂

I feel your pain, I have a GB news uncle. He can be very very hard to be around because he will just randomly start spouting shit. I don’t know how I would cope if it had been one of my parents. Luckily my dad retired and just got really really into growing tomatoes.

What?

I can give multiple stories if you like, but I think you’re just determined to ignore that some people don’t like these views

I was responding to someone who said that OP should tolerate her parents opinions, including, presumably the view that the PM should be assassinated.

I hope someone does it to you in the future

Why not sit with them, pick one or two stories on there and 'fact check' them together?

At a guess, much of what is reported there will be factual, but perhaps with an 'angle', much the same as any other news source. Exploring the different angles of a few sources together could be a good exercise.

Personally, I think the BBC is as close to being a definitive source as it can get, but even then there is occasional bias and omission. It's perfectly possible that GB news will actually be closer to the truth on occasion, but that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be consumed with caution.

Irony overload in that statement. Plonk a copy of the Guardian in their hands or better still, patronise your relatively young parents further, and show them how to access it online.

Sent to prison? Who? I am curious ;)

In that case, you need to stop seeing them.
What your father said is unforgivable.

I hope it wasn't by anyone who was hoping Trump's assassination attempts weren't failed ones.

The problem was you framed the question politically like you have an agenda.

If you'd just said that your parents views were getting more extreme as a result of watching TV news and described the concerning symptoms they are displaying maybe you would have got a less polarised response.

As it is it just seems like an attack on GBnews and left vs. right young vs. old rather than the key issue (or at least I hope is the key issue) which is concern for your parents increasingly unreasonable and erratic behaviour.

@gaspanic Your last para is spot on.

I agree with you, they are extreme views. It's not ok to say that anyone should be killed, on either side of the aisle. It isn't acceptable and no one should argue that it is. It has become so polarised, fueled by misinformation and propaganda. We should remember what happened to Jo Cox. I don't agree with Charlie Kirk's views at all, but I think it was very sad for his family, violence is never the answer and hinting at it is deranged.

Having views/different views is ok, this is something else. They aren't even happy either, just /full of hatred. It's a waste of what could be a lovely retirement!

I’m not patronising them. Nor have I ever said it’s due to their age.
Presumably you think it’s fine to express such violent thoughts?

I would, without hesitation. The benefit to them will be immense and they will get their daughter back. They are in the grip of hideous extremism.

No, you can’t. I’d like to block all extreme left-wing propaganda from my adult daughters SM feed, but I can’t.
I’d probably encourage them to get out, get hobbies, meet friends as I would a child in this position.

I think part of the issue is it’s just constant. When you’re seeing that type of stuff everyday, it’s no wonder it takes a grip on you.

I just find it so frustrating that everything pivots back to sink the boats, it’s boat people (in a 99.999% white area), comments about Palestine, reducing me down to the fact my opinions vary to theirs and that it makes me such a bad person.