Don't you understand? Fox News has been trolling the American political dialogue for years.

People talk about how terrible Fox News has been a mockery of journalism. It's hardly fair and balanced. And we all like to direct each other to the latest affront to serious political dialogue that that place has defecated out.

If you believe the things that they say are jingoistic, xenophobic, knee-jerk reactions, fearmongering, ignorant, racist, sexist, homophobic, that they're a mockery of journalism and serious civil dialogue, that they are constantly arguing in bad faith or lying endlessly to distort facts, you are absolutely correct. But directing people to their reports and articles to expose them brings them ad revenue.

If you agree with them, they get ad revenue because you think they're worth listening to. They're not, because even if they bothered to base their opinions on facts, they'd still be ignorami.

They have a profit motive to inflame us. They are purposely saying retarded things not to engage us seriously, but because it gratifies them somehow. Is this not the very definition of trolling?

All of the evidence points to Fox News being a systematic and professional for-profit trolling endeavour that is succeeding massively. They're purposely extreme and inflammatory because they get paid either way. They've taken trolling and turned into a Xanatos Gambit.

In a Xanatos Gambit, either outcome furthers the planner's goal somehow. The planner doesn't care about being fair, he's just trying to win.

By trying to defeat them and expose their bullshit, we bring them more money.

Fortunately, there is a way out. After every article your read on their site, after every youtube video you watch, imagine them ending it with a giant Trollface, and imagine that their slogan is "Problem?". Then you will understand.

The only way to escape a Xanatos Gambit once you're caught up in one is by taking a third option, somehow foiling both (A) and (B) and leaving the organizer thoroughly beaten.

Let's stop feeding the trolls. Ignore Fox News completely, forever. MSNBC and probably CNN, too. They're just as crappy. [edit]: made reasoning more clear