Shock Jocks and Vitriol

[cardaway]

I TRIED (heavy on the tried) to listen to the politcal shock jocks again today and just couldn't do it. The worst example was Sean Hannity going on during my drive home.

After spweing his usual vitriol and name calling for eveybody he doesn't agree with for the first hours of his show he goes on with a caller about the vitriol others currently have in politics. He isn't alone, the rest of the talkers pretty much said the same things with different words.

Don't they see that they are a big part of the problem? How can somebody really go on for hours doing what they do and then complain about others, especially other people in the media. I don't even disagree, there IS a lot of vitriol, but it was very odd to hear Hannity, for example, calling out others for what he does every day, every show.

I think maybe they need to make the sound booth glass reflective so they can mook in the mirror when they talk.

 

[bicker]

This really is a societal problem. People regularly complain about others without much regard to how they themselves contribute to the situation that they're complaining about, and surely without much regard to how they themselves would fare if evaluated in the same manner. Complaining itself has become a societal illness. It causes a slippery slope of deterioration, without having any socially redeeming value itself.

 

[pearlieq]

I totally agree with you. I now steer clear of all shock jocks and pundits. Nothing but hot air and offers absolutley nothing positive to anyone.

I was, however, quite proud of Jon Stewart last year when he, uh, called a duck a duck, if you get my drift!

 

[Galahad]

I TREID (heavy on the tried) to listen to the politcal shock jocks again today and just couldn't do it. The worst example was Sean Hannity going on during my drive home.

After spweing his usual vitriol and name calling for eveybody he doesn't agree with for the first hours of his show he goes on with a caller about the vitriol others currently have in politics. He isn't alone, the rest of the talkers pretty much said the same things with different words.

Don't they see that they are a big part of the problem? How can somebody really go on for hours doing what they do and then complain about others, especially other people in the media. I don't even disagree, there IS a lot of vitriol, but it was very odd to hear Hannity, for example, calling out others for what he does every day, every show.

I think maybe they need to make the sound booth glass reflective so they can mook in the mirror when they talk.

I can't stand any of them, but I agree that Hannity is about the worst. I think that - starting with Rush and on through Hannity and all of the others, they have done the country a tremendous disservice (and IMO, harm) by:

1) Making Everything about politics
2) Feeding the darker parts of human nature to make it somehow "righteous" to spew vitriol
3) encourage a "template" mentality. Everything that happens must be viewed through the prism of their binary world view.

I listen to my Ipod.

We haven't watch ANY cable news station in about 2 years (perhaps a bit less). Life is much happier that way.

 

[cardaway]

I totally agree with you. I now steer clear of all shock jocks and pundits. Nothing but hot air and offers absolutley nothing positive to anyone.

IMO a big percentage of their draw is that they offer something positive to the people in their target demographic (My defintion of shock jock - any host that plays to their target demographic while intending to anger all others.) I find this to be true with everybody from Stern to Limbaugh. Their fans hear want they want to hear spun in a positive light, which if you think about it, must be pretty rare except for those four or so hours every weekday.

I used to be a fan of talk radio, but then every host took the lead of these fools and changed the format of their show to get beter ratings. As much as one person here says they don't like it, obviously there is at least two others that eat it up.

I was, however, quite proud of Jon Stewart last year when he, uh, called a duck a duck, if you get my drift!