Critical Discourse Analysis

The most interesting thing about CDA to me is the idea that discourse shapes reality, and how opposing discourses shape reality, and whoever controls the perception of reality has the power. I’ve been noticing how this happens through seemingly simple interactions and conversations. I think a perfect example of this would be Fox News. They intentionally impose a conservative slant on the news, and their bias forms an untruthful version of reality for their viewers. I was getting my car fixed the other day and I needed to take a taxi home. I was picked up by a man who appeared to be in his 70’s, wearing a flannel shirt tucked into his belt-buckled wrangler jeans. On the ride home, he was listening to Sean Hannity on talk radio, and he began to tell me that he would never vote for Barack Obama because he is deeply tied with American Islamic extremists, hates people who live in the mid-west, and loathes The United States of America. All of this, apparently, he learned from watching Fox News. Because Fox was able to control the public political discourse for conservative viewers, they were able to change this man’s view of reality, which gives power to the Republican Party through voter support. Indeed, whoever controls public discourse controls the public.