Talking and Listening For Fun and Profit

Deborah Venable

05/10/08

 

Rush Limbaugh has a theory that if we would cut ourselves off from popular news media for a period of time – say thirty days – even the most pessimistic, negative thinkers among us would cease to feel bad and upset about our country.  He may be right.  I can’t personally test the theory because I am not a pessimistic negative thinker.  I do know that being totally immersed in media reports for days on end can be upsetting and it can leave one feeling desperate and more than a little frustrated at times.  When that happens, I will remove the media reports from my environment for a short period of time.  It usually only takes a few hours or a day or two.

 

It is a fact that there are those who are actively involved in promulgating misery, unrest, and total dissatisfaction with everything.  Those are the people that offer absolutely no solutions to the problems that they report (or invent in some cases) except some sort of legislation to change things.  Otherwise known as “the mainstream media” they have a special contempt for the “new media” talkers and bloggers.  I wonder why.   

 

I listen to a lot of talk radio – mostly conservative talk radio – but I’ve deliberately listened to “liberal speak” also, just as I will read what liberal writers have to say, so I cannot be accused of willful bias, and I believe that is important.  The conservative “talkers” all have one thing in common; they consider liberal feedback ahead of conservative feedback every time.  That is, when they are taking calls from their listening audience, they move those who disagree with their stance on the issues ahead of those who agree.  I don’t observe too many liberals doing this.  But conservatives get a bad rap anyway.

 

Ask a liberal to name something positive about a conservative talker and most will tell you that he or she is a “good entertainer”.  But they will follow that up by telling you how stupid, out of touch, or hateful Rush, Sean, Glenn, Laura, Neal, or any of the many others is.  They will also throw in the “hateful” characteristic of “capitalist” to top it all off.  In other words, none of these guys or gals care about anything but making a buck.  It’s funny that some of the accusers also fit the mold of “buck makers” too, but the difference is that they do not openly attribute their financial success to free enterprise or the pursuit of capitalism like conservatives do. 

 

I think everybody who knows anything about the talk radio that has emerged over the last two decades would agree that Rush Limbaugh sits at the top of that heap in popularity and success.  He literally led the way for the many others who have followed in his successful footsteps.  Sean Hannity has earned the number two spot.  Neither of these guys had their success handed to them on a silver platter – they worked hard and earned it.  They didn’t spout hate or exploit negative circumstances to achieve what they have.  In fact, quite the opposite – both have encouraged millions of Americans to achieve success for themselves. 

 

If you really listen to their personal stories, they have had their share of hard times.  Rush was fired from so many jobs in the beginning, I think even he has lost count, and Sean was a Jack of all trades, earning a living however he could as a young man – usually from the sweat of his brow.  While Rush has been plagued with physical and emotional pain for most of his adult life, it has certainly not made him a bitter person.  He jokes about it much of the time.  Lord knows he couldn’t hide his personal difficulties from his vast audience, so he personally addressed them for any who wanted to listen.  Sean invites the most hateful criticism on his radio show every day via the “Hate Hannity” line and plays it back for all to hear.  He recently stated that it would be impossible for him to pretend to be anybody but who he truly is.  No one could get away with it day after day with the kind of scrutiny that these hosts are under.

 

As for charitable contributions to society, there can be no doubt that these guys are responsible for raising millions of dollars for worthy charities – and neither of them have to do it to maintain their success.  That is just who they are.

 

They are passionate in their monologs and straightforward in their beliefs.  They are the epitome of responsible free speech, and fierce defenders of even those who disagree with their philosophies.  And they ARE entertaining.  I don’t agree with everything that comes out of their mouths, nor with any other radio “talker” one hundred percent of the time – but I admire their ability to put themselves out there for the inevitable criticism, and for the honesty of who they are.  We need more, not less of that defender of American moral character that these guys display. 

 

They have been rewarded by our capitalist economic system – the very system that is constantly being attacked and demoralized by the liberal left.  If we don’t salvage that system and honestly evaluate the roots of our liberties and the direction of our future, we may as well give up talking and listening to anything else.

 

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