I get annoyed when people say dumb shit like... I only listen to Rush Limbaugh because he's all the news I need. And then I say stuff like - well if you want to be a bigoted, elitist, homophobe, then you would be right and then they usually end up being really pissed off with me!
I once heard that idea being defended as "Well, people only listen to him because he says what they're thinking". Perhaps, but I'm of the opinion that most of them are thinking about what he says.
But if we take the idea that people like to listen to those who echo their thoughts, only do it more eloquently, then I have to share the following with you.
A friend of mine - one with hair - found this gem by Ricky Gervais.
Why I'm an Atheist
Merry Xmas!
That's the problem with these people. Rush Limbaugh is not a news source. He is a distorting news filter -- like the mirrors in an amusement park funhouse. He selectively presents facts and puts his spin on them in a way that bears no resemblance to reality but validates his right-wing conservative listeners. And he makes a lot of money doing it.
ReplyDeleteThe people who listen to the likes of Rush Limbaugh would never consider educating themselves about both sides of an issue then drawing their own conclusions.
I listened to Rush Limbaugh... for about three seconds before tuning into something more sensible.
ReplyDeleteDave P - I wish I could say that. I was exposed to Rush withing weeks of arriving in the United States. I listened to him for about 3 years, and then he said something on a show one day which made me realize that he wasn't as concerned about truth and honesty as he would like to think he is.
ReplyDeleteI switched to Hannity after that, and got sucked into Glenn Beck as well. I have 2 Hannity books on my bookshelf and I was a subscriber to Becks magazine for a year. In my defense, Beck was actually funny back then. Oh - and I have a 109.9 The Frog T-shirt as well.
In about 2006 in the midst of my faith crisis. Hannity had Ann Coulter on, and she went off on some guy about how he wasn't adhering to the principles set forth by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I forget what the principles were, but when Hannity then chimed in, reinforcing that BS, I turned him off, never to return again.
Beck lost me shortly after that as well. I turned most of my family onto him, but the constant harping on Islam, whilst defending Christianity got really old. And then he started with all the lying about Obama. Oh and he went off on how he wouldn't vote for Romney "Because He's Mormon", since Romney was a socialist puppet, but then he spent one night with Romney and was singing his praises. Just seemed really inconsistent.
I'm very much in favor of honest and open debate, but neither of those 3 are very honest. I think out of all of them, Hannity may be the least likely to induce vomiting on my part. My sense of him is that while I vehemently disagree with him, he seems to be a little above the pettiness of Beck or Limbaugh.
Great article. Thanks for posting it.
ReplyDeleteWhile this comment goes a bit off-topic compared to the previous one, the subject of the post being "Christmas Message" made it feel like this is the most appropriate place for this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZrf0PbAGSk&feature=player_embedded
Best enjoyed with a sense of humor.
@Urban Koda - BRILLIANT!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the find Bowie!
ReplyDeleteAnd Dave - that was pretty good too!
The credit needs to go to Maureen's husband Toby. He is the one that posted it originally.
ReplyDelete