Quote:
Originally posted by kbarger
I find most political talk shows obnoxious. I generally disagree with the hosts, especially the most conservative ones, but that's not why I find the shows obnoxious. What bugs me is usually the callers, who often display a shocking amount of ignorance. I can't stand to listen to that.
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There are plenty of talk shows - to promote opinions . There is a serious shortage of factual shows. Philly has KYW - all news. Even that is too simplistic - and yet probably more fact that most who call into talk radio know. Most towns have no such all news stations. News comes from the Christian evangelical broadcasters who are on a campaign to remove PBS radios from the countryside.
The scary part is that talk radio is problaby source of all news for many people. We read the same story in two newspapers. First the Daily News. When the same story was read in the Philly Inquirer, then a complete 180 degree different interpretation was obtained. Extremists will blame the 'liberal' Inky. Reality was that both papers reported same facts. But the Inky also reported more details. Therein lies talk radio. "I don't need no stinkin' details. I know everything I need to know from talk radio." Even tabloids provide more 'facts' than talk radio.
Extremists will always have problem with responsible news services. Superior news services will provide too many facts. Too many facts means that one cannot expolate to their conclusions - how extremists 'prove' their positions. A full news service always leaves one with questions about the original position. In the black and white world of extremists, to many facts is heresy.
Why so many Christian evangelical news broadcasts? They must report the 'correct' news. And so we have this Christian opinion that is acceptable to American religious extremists - a man who marries outside of his religion inherits the devil for a father-in-law. These are the same people who can provide honest news? Christian news stations are on a campaign to replace PBS stations throughout the countryside. To Evangelical Christians, PBS is also pinko, communist, corrupt leftist liberal propaganda.
If one spends time listening to talk radio, then one must have a serious deficiency of intelligence. No hunger for the whole story is what causes low intelligence. Most callers are so poorly informed, so one sided, so transparent, that talk radio is an irritation. I just hope most people are not that poorly informed. But then many still advocate Biblical stories over the facts of Darwinism. Easy to do when details are conveniently ignored.
When George Jr first talked of attacking Iraq, there was widespread support. As reality of facts finally leaking down even to the talk radio crowd, then his majority is diminishing. But it takes time to get the full story through the hype of political rhetoric and extremist talk shows.