Talk Radio
No, not the conservative talk radio. More the Air America radio, the democratic yin to the Dittohead yang of Rush Limbaugh and the like.
I don't want to act like some uber-liberal personage. I'm not frankly. My views on abortion would seem to exclude me from that vehement club, in addition to other things. Still, I know that liberals are, if not right on most things, than perhaps more right (or even moral perhaps) than the other side of the aisle.
Air America has several shows I've been listening to a little bit at work each day. The morning show is Jerry Springer (yes, I know the image that comes to mind thinking of him) who is actually quite a thoughtful person.
The afternoon show is Al Franken, who is.... a little nastier in his brand of politics. I suppose with how things have been going politically for liberals it can be understood that one might get soured by.... everything. Still, he makes good points, if blended in with a fair amount of negativity in the whole process. Sort of an "I'm right and you're dumb" when compared to the "I may be right but let's here what you have to say" in the Jerry Springer show.
And that was the point I was looking to make, in contrast to some of the conservative media I've seen in my life. Even setting aside WHAT the people are talking about, there is an array of qualities in the liberal media that I keep noticing, specifically just now with the Jerry Springer one. It's humility, and respect, and recognizing the providence of the ideas of another person, and considering those ideas in a way that shows not only that the person might be right, but that they could actually change the minds of those they are talking to. Anyone who knows conservative media well, would you say they invite persons from the other side to defend what they talk about often? I know the shows I've listened to usually say they invited comment from the other side (to a successful response or not).
In conservative media, I really haven't ever gotten this. Has Bill O'Reilly ever changed his mind based on the ideas presented to him by someone he disagrees with? More to the point, has our President ever done this? I think one of the worst things one can do in this world is to be so committed to an idea that one will not change ones mind no matter what the evidence presented to the contrary to that idea. And I recognize the exceptions to this, faith chief among them. But for most issues, to be SO committed to an idea that one will not EVER change ones mind, just calls to mind so many utterly ugly qualities: pride, lack of respect, smugness.... ugh.
Anyway, that's a slice of my life.
I don't want to act like some uber-liberal personage. I'm not frankly. My views on abortion would seem to exclude me from that vehement club, in addition to other things. Still, I know that liberals are, if not right on most things, than perhaps more right (or even moral perhaps) than the other side of the aisle.
Air America has several shows I've been listening to a little bit at work each day. The morning show is Jerry Springer (yes, I know the image that comes to mind thinking of him) who is actually quite a thoughtful person.
The afternoon show is Al Franken, who is.... a little nastier in his brand of politics. I suppose with how things have been going politically for liberals it can be understood that one might get soured by.... everything. Still, he makes good points, if blended in with a fair amount of negativity in the whole process. Sort of an "I'm right and you're dumb" when compared to the "I may be right but let's here what you have to say" in the Jerry Springer show.
And that was the point I was looking to make, in contrast to some of the conservative media I've seen in my life. Even setting aside WHAT the people are talking about, there is an array of qualities in the liberal media that I keep noticing, specifically just now with the Jerry Springer one. It's humility, and respect, and recognizing the providence of the ideas of another person, and considering those ideas in a way that shows not only that the person might be right, but that they could actually change the minds of those they are talking to. Anyone who knows conservative media well, would you say they invite persons from the other side to defend what they talk about often? I know the shows I've listened to usually say they invited comment from the other side (to a successful response or not).
In conservative media, I really haven't ever gotten this. Has Bill O'Reilly ever changed his mind based on the ideas presented to him by someone he disagrees with? More to the point, has our President ever done this? I think one of the worst things one can do in this world is to be so committed to an idea that one will not change ones mind no matter what the evidence presented to the contrary to that idea. And I recognize the exceptions to this, faith chief among them. But for most issues, to be SO committed to an idea that one will not EVER change ones mind, just calls to mind so many utterly ugly qualities: pride, lack of respect, smugness.... ugh.
Anyway, that's a slice of my life.