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.

Oh no chance. They have had a barely functioning tv for about a year and a half and they’d rather put up with it than spend any money on it

Thankfully they don’t use social media.

I just don’t know whether it’s even worth trying. Every time I go anywhere it’s “they’re going to knick your phone!!! Boat people will rape you”

Hmmm maybe you should do it then. Half joking. Only half though. I hate to admit it but I would do it then considering all that.

I'm increasingly worried about ageism. It seems to be the last remaining prejudice that people think is justifiable and okay, even morally righteous.

So they're tight now? You don't seem to like them very much op. Forget their apparently new political views and tv channel choices, did you have a happy childhood and upbringing? There seems to be lots of unresolved bitterness and resentment in your posts.

We have people apparently seriously discussing whether it's okay to deliberately control what their parents view/watch, because they disagree with their political views.

This is extremism, politically, but on a personal level it's coercive and abusive.

A very good friend of mine is in the end stages of his relationship because his partner of 20 years has undergone a complete personality change due to her obsession with GB News and YouTube content. They don't live together and he actually turns the wifi off at his house when she stays there to try and slow her digital consumption down, because he loves her very much but he doesn't love who she has become - angry, ranting, full of hate, glued to her phone. They've always been on opposite sides of the political spectrum but it has never been a problem in their relationship because there's always been more that unites them. But since the pandemic, her phone addiction combined with the increase in divisive content have completely transformed her whole... self.

So now my friend's daughter won't hang out with her, because her fiance is Indian and my friend's partner is openly racist. The last few Christmas Days, he's had to choose between his partner and his daughter. My friend and his partner used to go on holiday with another couple every year to a fishing lodge in Scotland, and the other couple won't go this year because they don't want to be trapped in a confined space with someone that rants and raves at them about social and political issues. She's particularly bad when she's drunk.

I can completely understand via the lens my friend puts on it, that it's not about the different views - it's about the expression of those views, and only those views, to the exclusion of virtually all other topics of conversation and expressed with venom and hate. It's not fun hanging around perpetually angry people, whatever they're angry about.

Fuck me. I’ve seen it all now. I’m abusive because I don’t want my parents to tell me I should be shot for having different views to them

Yeah, it is controlling, but it seems like her parents are dangerously brainwashed and need some type of intervention. If they are angry and threatening death all the time, that's extreme and they need some type of help.

It’s awful. I’m so sorry

AIBU is too full of people who like the old monty python sketch, come here because they enjoy an argument

How DARE you! No, they don't!

(Sorry, couldn't resist 😂)

Are you another one who is deliberately winding the thread up?

I’ve said multiple times I want my lovely, nice parents back. But I’m full of resentment right?

No. Damaging your parents' property to stop them from watching a certain news channel would be abusive.

Your choices, OP, are to call the police if you think your parents are genuinely dangerous political extremists.

Or to look into medical sectioning etc if you genuinely think they are facing mental health issues.

On a personal level, you may choose to go low or no contact. Or consider counselling or therapy to either improve your relationship or address your feelings about it.

Yes it's so unpleasant. I mean seriously, apparently parents 'want their dc shot' for their views and we're banning the telly .

If this was a poster worrying about (eg) their teenage son spending all his time in his room on social media getting sucked into men's rights content would you argue that was ageism against the young? Or misandry? Or, if their non-binary niece was convinced JKRowling wanted her to die and was terrified to leave the house because she read online most trans people are dead by 32?

I am friends with people with very different views to my own on all sorts of issues ((including women's roles for instance although admittedly that's harder because it's more personal). But someone having different political opinions is different to what's going on in the OP. It doesn't just affect older people. It's just that in this case the people are older. And the fact they are retired seems to be a contributing factor.

What would you suggest?

I mean in all seriousness. Should OP call the police? Medics?

“Damaging” and it’s just blocking a shit stain of a tv channel

I haven't read the full thread so likely this was already suggested but can you try to get them out more?

They’re in their sixties! That’ll be me next year. If anyone tries to ‘get me out more’ I will skewer them with my knitting needle and whack them over the head with my Kindle. Simultaneously. I’m staying on my arse, on my sofa, until I decide it’s time to go out. Bloody hell!

There was an interesting, if basic, discussion on QE earlier, you may know all about the effects of QE but many viewers don"t, and it goes to the root of many of our present problems.

I'm pointing out your more recent comments about them being too tight to buy a new tv paint a picture of total dislike.

These are your parents, either change the subject with them or go NC. Tampering with their tv is never going to be the solution.

The issue is they don’t know what they’re talking about. They present so much as fact when it just isn’t. They’re legally not allowed to call themselves a news program anymore

The problem is, they are not of the demographic likely to cause public danger (sorry if that's ageist. But statistically it's men between 15-30 who are the most likely to do extreme acts). So groups like Prevent aren't likely to be that concerned. The language about shooting/he should be killed is concerning however.
But it's still having a horrible impact on their own quality of life and their relationships. So even though, as a stranger, a retired couple I don't know becoming radicalised isn't particularly concerning to me, its completely natural that their daughter would be concerned by this and want to find a solution.

Maybe change the channel to bbc (breed, borrow, consume) and get them back on track?

Exactly.

Are they going to go out and do something? No.

Will they just destroy relationships in the family and it all ends in tears? Yes

I agree. Just reduce contact to the bare minimum and tell them why.

Blocking a channel on their TV is abusive and controlling though.