Why the barrage?

[rmcrobertson]

When I drive to and from work--long commute, don't ask--I often get stuck with AM radio. And on AM radio (unless I can get Jim Rome) there's an endless barrage of what I'd have to call right wing and fundamentalist Christian jazz to listen to.

Apparently, our country's going straight to hell. Apparently, every murderer gers off. Apparently, the liberal-left-lesbian conspiracy will--sometime next week--take every gun, force everybody to have abortions wheteher they're preggnant or not, and burn every Bible. Apparently, young people are so destroyed by radical professors like me that they all hate their country. Apparently, America is saturated with traitors. Well, them and illegal immigrants.

OK, fine. So here's my question: what are these people so scared of, assuming they're really on the warpath and not just trying to get and keep listeners? Why the constant barrage of madness, the constant attacks on everybody with the slightest divergent ideas? Why the endless fussbudgeting around with other people's bedroom habits? Why the constant demands for more patriotism, more more more, with the likes of Michael Savage setting the rules for what patriotism is and how to display it?

I don't get it. By the world's standards, we're all pretty much rich and privileged. We mostly aren't in danger all the time, for one thing. And by and large, people behave pretty well.

So what's the Big Fear? Why the endless demands for political correctness, why the endless insistence on public worship, the constant personal attacks on other Americans who simply disagree?

Or, to put this another way, why do people think that we all need to be reminded daily of what most of us already know about this country?

Looks like demands for endless loyalty oaths to me, and I say, "Give EVERYBODY eat!" But there must be other explanations; what are they?

 

[47MartialMan]

Well there is always opposite sides of the political observations. However, I doubt that the US "Founding Fathers" had much of this in mind. Many of those upheld morals in high regards.

 

[Cruentus]

Because....

1. Fear makes people not question authority; mainly corporate facism.

2. Fear causes people to buy more crap they don't need.

3. Fear makes people not question the current state that they are in (wage slavery, overworked, increasingly bad health care and pensions, etc.), because they can then blame the problem on whatever is making them afraid (liberals, other races, terrorists, or whatever)

Radio personalities, like TV personalities, get blitzed with ideologies and talking points (whether 'liberal' or 'conservative') through P.R. people hired by the very companies that want numbers 1, 2, and 3 to happened.

Manufactured consent at it's worst....only it has only been getting worse. And, that is why all the fear mongering.

Well, that's what I think, anyways.

Paul

 

[Sapper6]

actually, it's because nobody cares to listen to the left-wing liberal crap. and the majority rules. who the hell wants to drive down the highway and listen to gay rights and abortion babble? besides, if there still people who like to waste their time listening and pondering these topics, they could always check out the study here at martialtalk.com, it's full of it...and speaking of "full of it..."

oh never mind

 

[Cruentus]

actually, it's because nobody cares to listen to the left-wing liberal crap. and the majority rules. who the hell wants to drive down the highway and listen to gay rights and abortion babble? besides, if there still people who like to waste their time listening and pondering these topics, they could always check out the study here at martialtalk.com, it's full of it...and speaking of "full of it..."

oh never mind

I don't think the "majority" wants to listen to people like Mike Savage either...but that's cool if you want to believe what you just said...

 

[rmcrobertson]

I tend to agree--well, with the manufactured consent part, and the fear part. What I don't get is what it is that folks are so afraid of--well, actually, I kind of suspect that they're (quite rightly) afraid of cultural and economic change, and need some other scapegoat, since to attack cultural and economic change would contradict some deeply-held beliefs.

Nor do I understand where people are getting all the, "left wing and liberal," exposure," unless of course they read the "Times," daily and listen to Pacifica News on a regular basis.

 

[evenflow1121]

I think you are both right, no one wants to be told how to live their lives, having a right wing Christian spouting crap on the AM radio on how you should live your life, is just like having an aging hippie liberal on the radio talking about how groovie he is and how "da man" continues to keep him down, who cares no one wants to listen to that garbage anyway, why do you think its on AM radio.

 

[rmcrobertson]

Since on AM radio there's Hannity, Savage, Limbaugh, Laura what's-'er-name and 1400 preachers, on FM there's Keykis, Prager and (out here in CA) a whole station, 97.1 devoted to conservatives, and the only mildly left station I've ever heard is one from San Francisco, could you explain where all these libs and lefties are, and why there's such a big problem?

 

[Sapper6]

I don't think the "majority" wants to listen to people like Mike Savage either...but that's cool if you want to believe what you just said...

like it or not, its the truth. i certainly don't agree with everything that airs. give it some time and i think we'll see this change pretty soon. but right now, it's just not marketable.

the left still has that air america thing still, right?

 

[michaeledward]

This is from a movie ... and it was quoted in the local papers' editorial this week. I think it may have some relevance to the discussion.

Toward the end of the 1995 film “The American President,” the fictional President Andrew Shepherd portrayed by Michael Douglas makes the following statement at a press conference in this climactic scene:

“We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious men to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, friend, I promise you, (political opponent) Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: Making you afraid of it and telling you who’s to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.”

​

 

[Makalakumu]

I think the answer is that american conservatism is becoming radical corporatism. This media barrage is bought and paid for by people who want to change what American means in our hearts and minds.

See this...I've quoted it before, but its relevant here, too...

The 14 Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism
by Dr. Lawrence Britt

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism -
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights -
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause -
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military -
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism -
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homo-sexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media -
Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security -
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined -
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected -
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed -
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts -
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment -
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption -
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections -
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

I don't think we are here yet, but we on this road...

 

[ginshun]

Isn't getting rid of these guys pretty much as simple as not listening to them? Honestly, if you don't listen to their radio shows you'd never even be exposed to them.

I'd be willing to bet that if I aksed everyone in my office right now who Michael Savage was, over half of them would have no clue.

Its not like anybody is holding you down and forcing you to listen to them. Most cars have tape decks or CD players nowadays.

 

[rmcrobertson]

...and the question I asked was....?

It's a serious question: given the anger and tetchiness exhibited by people like Ann Coulter, the constant right-wing screaming, the fundamentalist shouting about everybody going to hell, the accusations of unpatriotism that fly everywhere, well, what're the causes? What are folks so flipped out about?

 

[michaeledward]

Isn't getting rid of these guys pretty much as simple as not listening to them? Honestly, if you don't listen to their radio shows you'd never even be exposed to them.

I'd be willing to bet that if I aksed everyone in my office right now who Michael Savage was, over half of them would have no clue.

Its not like anybody is holding you down and forcing you to listen to them. Most cars have tape decks or CD players nowadays.

Individually, that may be true. But we need to be aware of the underlying 'tone' of culture. While, perhaps, most Americans do not listen to, or agree with Rush Limbaugh, the attitudes he espouses have reached a level of acceptance in the country. Combine the LImbaugh, Hannity, Ingraham, Savage with Focus on Families, the 700 Club and other evangelical (political) organizations ... and the volume of that 'tone' begins to build. Soon the 'tone' replaces thought; it is woven into the society without rationality.

An example ... Illegal immigration is, well, illegal. However, it is poorly enforced by federal authorites (for a number of reasons). The tone about this has reached a point where in a small town in New Hampshire, a police cheif recently arrested an illegal immigrant and charged him with 'tresspassing'; if a person is in the country illegally, they can not have the legal right to be in this town. This incident (and a related similiar incident) are getting quite a bit of positive spin in the conservative airwaves.

While technically all in this story is within the boundaries ... police officers pass me on the highway when I am speeding ... selective enforcement. Here, the officials are selectively enforcing an action outside their jurisdiction. I have to think, is there nothing better this officer could be doing?

The Big Lie - repeat something often enough, and it starts to be believed.

 

[MisterMike]

...and the question I asked was....?

It's a serious question: given the anger and tetchiness exhibited by people like Ann Coulter, the constant right-wing screaming, the fundamentalist shouting about everybody going to hell, the accusations of unpatriotism that fly everywhere, well, what're the causes? What are folks so flipped out about?

I think most of the bullet items these shows discuss are:

Abortion
Gay Marriage
Socialized Health Care
High Taxes
Gun Rights
Public Schools
Death Penalty

to name a few.

 

[rmcrobertson]

But here's my problem: to take up just two of the issues you mentioned, Americans DON'T pay particularly high taxes, and we DON'T have socialized medicine. So why the insistence that we do?

Moreover, I was really asking about the constant barrage of insults, screaming invective, accusations of traitoriousness, etc., that now occupies so much of, "discussion," on the media--and on Internet forums.

I think part of it's due to psychobabble--starting about ten years ago, people starting feeling more comfortable throwing accusations that anybody who came over to ask them to turn the stereo down after 1 AM must be neurotic. And on this forum, it's pretty clear that much the same thing happens all the time.

So why is that?

 

[Bammx2]

I would like to ask a question,just for information purposes only....

Who is this Michael Savage I have been hearing so much about?
Of course,being here in the UK...I have no idea who he is?
But he seems to have stirred the pot a bit!
Does he have site I can look into?

 

[rmcrobertson]

He's about our latest rabid loon on talk radio--just Google his name, the website's easy to find.

Of course, we have a lot of rabid loons lately--apparently the whole's country's got one foot in Hell and the other on a greased flounder, now more than ever.

My question is why everybody's so worried, and so willing to launch personal attacks...

P.S. Our drivers are going crazier too.

 

[Bammx2]

He's about our latest rabid loon on talk radio--just Google his name, the website's easy to find.

Of course, we have a lot of rabid loons lately--apparently the whole's country's got one foot in Hell and the other on a greased flounder, now more than ever.

My question is why everybody's so worried, and so willing to launch personal attacks...

P.S. Our drivers are going crazier too.

Greased flounder......

I shall give this "gentleman" a look-see.

Thanks for that!

Greased flounder........

 

[rmcrobertson]

Yeah, I like that one--stole it from a Paul Zindel novel.

So the view from abroad--have we just gone nationally nuts?