This Wednesday, October 6 at 9am, our first guest will be Jen Senko. Jen made the film The Brainwashing of My Dad, and has now written a book by the same title. Later in the program we’ll talk to Mary Anne Bowie about the FL5, the campaign to put five conservation amendments on the 2022 ballot to protect our water, wetlands, rural areas and animals.
About The Brainwashing of My Dad:
After her beloved dad got addicted to right-wing talk radio and Fox News, Jen Senko feared he would never be the same again…
Frank Senko had always known how to have a good time. Despite growing up in a poverty-stricken family during the Depression and having to fight his way to middle-class status as an adult, he tended to look on the bright side. But after a job change forced Frank to begin a long car commute every day, his daughter Jen noticed changes in his personality and beliefs. Long hours on the road listening to talk radio commentators like Rush Limbaugh sucked her father into a suspicion-laden worldview dominated by conspiracy theories, fake news, and rants about the “coastal elite” and “libtards” trying to destroy America.
Over the course of a few years, Jen’s dad went from a nonpolitical, open-minded Democrat to a radical, angry, and intolerant right-wing devotee who became a stranger to those closest to him. As politics began to take precedence over everything else in her father’s life, Jen was mystified. What happened to her dad? Was there anything she could do to help? And, most importantly, would he ever be his lovable self again? Jen began the search for answers, and found them… as well stories from countless other families like her own.
Based on the award-winning documentary, The Brainwashing of My Dad uncovers the alarming right-wing strategy to wield the media as a weapon against our very democracy. Jen’s story shows us how Fox News and other ultra-conservative media outlets are reshaping the way millions of Americans view the world, and encourages us to fight back. Watch the film trailer here.