In this moment, this film — THE INSULT, out in 2018 and directed by one — should be required viewing by every American. The culture of hate, currently brewing in this fair land, could easily turn us into Beirut, where a mere verbal insult can easily erupt into rioting in the streets. It’s not pretty. Watch the movie; you’ll see what I mean. And it’s where we’re headed if we don’t get a grip soon.

By “get a grip” I mean turn off CNN, Fox News, talk radio, and most of the Internet. If any of those sources is where you get your news, you are being victimized. Scammed the same way someone who wires money to Jamaica, hoping to win the sweepstakes, gets scammed.

To increase viewerships, those “news” sources play on fears and gullibility. On top of that, they know we’re dumb and lazy and so they have no incentive to research the truth or deliver to us two sides of a story. We’re not going to fact check them and we don’t want to hear it anyway. We’re so comfortable with what we already believe, we’ll listen to anybody telling us that “truth.” We don’t bother to question even the most ludicrous of stories. The Demorats are Satanists? Trump supporters are all low-IQ inbreds? Come on people, get a grip!

Because we all follow either the right or the left without question, we easily believe the most extreme of lies. We love them and we’re comfortable in our self-righteous hatred of the others. It feels good.

Yes, the media has the right to free speech — “freedom of the press.” They can say what they want. But since they have no moral backbone, no desire to do their due diligence, dig deep, or express truth rather than opinion, why do we pay attention to them?

Turn off your TV. Stop getting your news from the Internet.

I’m not asking you to visit the library to do your own research, just use your common sense when reports are ridiculous. Use your intelligence, not your emotional, knee-jerking, gut instinct. Don’t get mad; seek out truly unbiased reporters. You’ll be able to recognize them because they’re not screaming at you. They’re giving more than one side to a story. They are THINKING.

In the end we are all Americans. We all want to pay less taxes, avoid Herpes, buy something we don’t need and can’t afford. I know it’s hard to see all that common ground in a person whose god awful politics is so bass ackwards. The only smart thing to do with them is stone them. But try — even if it seems impossible — to see their humanity. If you can’t find one good thing to say about the opposition, you are a victim of the scammers. 

I suggest you get yourself to Netflix or Amazon, or wherever, and rent THE INSULT. That is where we’re all headed if we don’t stop the great media swindle.

Cancel your news subscription. Do it today! That is the road to salvation.

— Sue Lange, producer LE BON CHEF