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.

It's up to them what they watch. But watching TV all day isn't good, too much sitting will impair their health and wellbeing. Walks, trips out, pubs, cafes are the way to go.

My parents are exactly the same OP. Both retired and obsessed with GB news and the daily mail. Will turn any normal conversation into an angry political rant about the boats, immigrants etc etc etc. it’s depressing and boring. I started doubting myself wondering if they were always like this but it really has got so much worse. They were more right wing than me, pro brexit etc and it’s escalated. Again they don’t do much apart from together. Luckily I don’t like close to them to be exposed to it too much face to face but it’s definitely impacted our relationship and I get stupid posts via WhatsApp instead which I just ignore. It’s such a shame. I think I don’t want them around my children very much as feel like they can’t help themselves but spout toxic nonsense, no or limited critical thinking skills either. They are uninterested when I tell them my thoughts about them being so angry about things and I shut down political conversations straight away, but they feel 100% justified in their views and opinions. Whilst I don’t agree with blocking their access I can see where you are coming from! Have you told them you feel you are losing them and don’t feel connected to them anymore due to their views and anger?

The reality is that KS was the most hated PM in many years, he had to go and he finally went, that isn"t "hate" it is political reality, there was no mention of immigration from AB yet? Again totally head in a box stuff, GB news bang on about "the boats" a lot, but they are probably more in tune with a large number of voters now than the other channels.

I have and they just laugh.

I think a lot of people are seeing it as disagreeing = trying to stop them. But that’s just not the case, and I suspect it’s part of the GBNews narrative. Anyone who disagrees is just trying to silence you

So this is an example of what the OP's parents are listening to all day every day?

For those upholding GB News as a news source, it actually isn’t. GB news is considered to be entertainment and isn’t a licensed news broadcaster.

LOL, exactly.

That still doesn't make blocking GBNews on their TV at all reasonable. They are entitled to hold what views they choose, and it is most unlikely that GBNews has influenced them to change their views, they probably held versions of them that you were unaware of until now. The overton window has shifted and it is now acceptable to object to asylum seekers in one's village, town etc in such numbers that they change the character of the place and to support prosecuting people for crimes without taking into account their race/culture - you will perhaps not know that 'honour killings' were not heavily pursued in the UK until one egregiously terrible murder, at which point, at last, the establishment looked. Ditto FGM, which feminists supported as 'women's choice' up until quite recently (not this one). Afaik GBNews was the only UK channel that would broadcast the views of Gender Critical feminists a while back, views with which I strongly agree. They have also pursued the rape gang enquiry where others (looking at you, BBC) have generally tried to downplay it, although the BBC did in fact show the original documentary exposing that such rape gangs had been working with impunity in the UK for several decades (good for you, BBC, this is why I support the licence fee).
Perhaps you should encourage your parents to join the University of the Third Age, join some clubs (painting, writing groups, walking groups, the local church, take up some classes etc.) instead of staying in glued to their telly, rather than being all high and mighty about how they are so suggestible that GBNews has changed their views out of all recognition (trust me, it hasn't).

Op you are getting an extremely unsympathetic hearing on here.

I would consider rephrasing the issue as focusing about the effect their anger and pro- homicide ideation is havion them and your family as a whole, without foregrounding what you believe to be the cause, and discussing this on relationships. AIBU is too full of people who like the old monty python sketch, come here because they enjoy an argument 😅

Its illegal for you to be coercive and controlling.

You are not their parent or prison guard

Agree. People are extremely naive if they think the BBC has no bias or agenda.

Sounds like they need to be reported to Prevent

I am almost certainly more left-wing than you (Clause 4 socialist) and I support Brexit. The EU is a neo-liberal business cartel which only supports workers' rights in so far as they do not impinge on neo-liberal capitalism too much. I don't watch GBNews - unless they are hosting a Gender Critical feminist (because up until recently they are the only channel that would give such women a voice). They did bring up the rape gangs, however, and that there should be an enquiry.

Ah. Good to know

The part where you want to tinker with their TV and think they are so feeble minded to not know it was you nor be able to fix it. A man who worked with tools all his life couldnt fix or call an engineer to fix a missing app? Where u think they are just going to stare at the TV with the missing app and do nothing about it. That part?

I can't tell if the OP is

a) Incredibly stupid

b) Incredibly intolerant

or

c) Winding everyone up.

Stop blaming the telly and accept your parents aren't nice people. Visit less and change the subject, whatever.

Maybe you could write them a letter and tell them you just want your parents back.

You think it's 'good to know' that a pp is being targeted by a sneery comment?! Debate the points, don't encourage an attempt to bully.

I just know my parents well enough to know they couldn’t remove the block, and they’d genuinely rather the house burns down that call someone to do anything at the house.

🤣🤣

I’d love to see how some of them would cope with setting multiple timers on an old VHS. Their heads would probably explode. If you have the brain/experience to do that, with its fairly complex multiple steps, then figuring out that someone has deliberately blocked your favourite channel on Sky is a doddle.

So you were joking in your OP about trying to stop them?

I haven't read the full thread so likely this was already suggested but can you try to get them out more? I think there's a real problem when people stop interacting with "real" society and end up believing the world is exactly as it is on GBNews/Facebook/the Sun. GBBs is particularly ragebaiting/fear waiting but TBH it would also be bad if they were getting all their info on the world from Novara Media. Nothing wrong with Novara Media. But it's not real life.

I think if you got rid of the channel you aren't fixing the main problem, and they can easily move onto other sources. Eg the Express or Facebook groups, or AI tiktok videos. It's a toxic cycle -get isolated from society>spend too long online/watching TV>become scared/angry>get more isolated from society. It's a miserable existence

All the time spent worrying about teenage boys, we forgot to check if older people are OK.

There are loads of things for older people and they likely have decades of retirement ahead. They might as well enjoy it rather than be trapped indoors. But if you phrase it as being worried they are being isolated that's more likely to work than telling them they are being radicalised (I know it's not just that you disagree with their politics but that's how they will take it)

Would they go to the effort of buying a new tv do you think? Or would they put up with it.